Himalayan Times (1962)

March 4, 1962

Himalayan Tiraas

Nine

increased demand on ra-
pidly increasing of popu.
lation for rice or wheat,
milk, fruits, vegetables,
meat., poultry and eggs.
What is needed ia more
nitrogen in the soil for
plant fond, more nitrogen
in plants to make better
food for animals and
people, and more nitrogen
in the food of people.
Better culture of the soil
and better manuring will
bring not only larger crops
but crops rioher in
nitrogen.

The power of a man
to do work depends upon
nutrition. A well-fed horse
can draw a heavy load
with loss food' he does
not work. A well-fed
man has strength of mug-
cits and of brain, while
a poorly nourished man
has not. To make the
most-out of a man, to
bring him up to the de-
sirable level of produo- ,
tive capacity, to enable
him to live as a man
ought to live, he must
be well-fed.

But to the most se-
rious deficiency in the
diet of the villagers is of
pin tern, minerals and vi-
tamins. The unbalanced
maul with the cereal con-
tent often much above
requirements, has been
oausing serious disease*
among children in the
country-side.

It is also clear that ;
the inorease of non-oereal

food required over the
present level, acoording
to well balanced diet for
everyone in the village
is of the order of 200%
pulses, 400% milk, 300%
preen leaf vegetables, 10< %
non-leafy vegetables. 5C0%
fruits, 300% fats and oils,
100% sugar and Jaggary
and 250% fish, meat and
•gg-

In the oountryside,
cereal grains have to be
the chief item of diet
because they are the
quickest, easiest and chea-
pest food to produce in
quantity. The proteins
from oereals alone are
not of high nutritional
valus for normal growth
and efficient maintenance.
The faster growth of
children and of adoles-
cents suffers because there
is not enough protein
available in the rural
areas. The villagers rarely
eat fish or meat or egg
even once a week and
that the consumption is
practically nil among
children because it is popu-
larly considered difficult
to digest.

The village children
get the worst of it even
before birth because
though an adult man or
woman in a village ma
nages to g»t some protein
through cereals, a preg-
nant woman or a nur-
sing mother who requires
about double the amount
of protein normally needed,

does not get it. More,
over, the mother's milk
goes dry, before it should
and acoording tu general
village practices, breast-"
feeding is stopped the
moment the child's sto-
mach'.is up set, thus de-
priving them of the only
balanced diet available to
them at that age A
close relationship between
the nutritional status of
the expectant mother at
the time of conception
and the out come of, preg-
nancy, in elation and the,
survival and' health of
the baby is a problem to
the villagers when they
are. unable to meet, the
needs of more food to
mothers, Thus breast-
milk, a unique digested
nutriets does not meet
the minimum require-
ments of the infants,
delicate digestive system
in the rural areas.

Hence the ohild is
handicapped even before
it is born. Human breast
milk has a significant
bearing during the repro-
duction cycle and growth
of the infants.

( To be Continued )

READ

TIBETAN TALES

By David macdonald
Retired British Trade Agent
in Tibet
Himalayan Stores,

KALIMPONG.