Promotion of nutrient-packed millet as staple food
Shillong, Sept 14: A National Nutrition Month 2024 celebration was held at North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) on Thursday where HODs, officers of the nursing section as well as the students attended the event.
The highlight of the celebration organised by the Dietary unit of the institute was on millets, hence the theme, “Millets- The Nutrient Packed Grains for Good Health”.
Director Prof (Dr) Nalin Mehta highlighted the beneficial effects of millets on health and urged for a switch to traditional cooking methods rather than eating unhealthy or processed foods.
An informative speech on how millets are beneficial was also delivered by Balasara. S.
Lyngdoh, assistant dietitian, NEIGRIHMS. She had enlightened the fact that millets were
the main staple food of the state during the 19th century while also highlighting the positive steps taken by the State Government as well as various organisations to introduce millets back as part of the food pattern.
Prof (Dr) C Daniala, Medical Superintendent and Dr Caleb Harris, Deputy Medical Superintendent were also in attendance.
In addition, the department also organised a recipe-writing competition and display
competition on cooking millets along with a display of local varieties of the grain from
Meghalaya as well as from the other NE states
An exhibition of different millet products were also showcased in the celebration along with some millet-based snacks that were given to NEIGRIHMS patients taking therapeutic diets as part of the hospital menu.
A visual display on the nutritional importance of millets was also put up by the organisers for
the benefit of the patients. To further promote awareness, millet recipes folder in both Khasi
and English were distributed to patients. This initiative aimed to educate and encourage
healthier dietary choices through the incorporation of nutrient-rich millets.
