Why children need wholesome mid-day meal?

Children’s charities around the world often emphasise on wholesome meal for the efficient growth of their body and mind. This meal would have lean proteins, carbs and fats. Children need a generous amount of all the three for an efficient growth of body and mind. Here’s how:

Brain health

Proper nutrition served through a good meal increases blood flow within the brain, protecting brain cells. A wholesome meal would have Vitamin E and other important nutrients that are crucial for brain health.  That’s why several children’s charities stress on feeding such meal to children. Children’s charity Akshaya Patra’s kitchens located in cities such as Lucknow, Bhillai, Mysuru, etc., serve mid-day meals that are nutritious covering healthy amounts of proteins, vitamins and carbs. 

Bone and teeth strength 

A wholesome meal is rich in calcium and keeps bones and teeth of the children strong. This helps prevent bone loss associated with osteoporosis when they grow up. Calcium is mostly found in low-fat dairy products, dark green vegetables and fortified foods such as soy products and cereals which are the usual ingredients used in the school lunch prepared at Akshaya Patra kitchens.

Getting the right body weight

A balance diet helps them achieve a proper body weight which is essential for their physical and their mental health. Children’s charities around the world focus on a protein-rich diet with a good balance of carbs for the simple reason that they don’t want the children to be either under or over weight. Both the conditions are detrimental for their healthy growth during childhood. NGOs like Akshaya Patra which have presence in several major cities of India such as Bengaluru, Surat and Lucknow, follow a strict meal plan for serving school lunch. The food here is cooked according to primary and upper primary classes so that the right amount of proteins and micro nutrients are served to the children. In terms of amount of nutrients, the meals differ as per the age of the children. 

Boosts immunity, fosters self-confidence

A wholesome meal protects children against diseases. Little do we realise that this has a connection with the children’s emotional health. Children who remain ill often find it hard to cope with homework and school activities that often put them under stress. Inability to compete with peers gives them emotional imbalance that they cannot deal with. A wholesome meal boosts immunity and builds confidence and self-respect among children.

How lunch benefits children?

After breakfast, the next important meal for children is lunch.  When children eat their next meal in the middle of the day, several hours after breakfast, it re-energises their bodies. This is vital for children this keeps their metabolism active. That’s why the NGO Akshaya Patra serves wholesome mid-day meals in schools in Lucknow, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Nasik and several other places so that children take their lunch seriously and keep their metabolism active.

You can contribute positively towards this initiative and in turn contribute in the healthy growth and development of children in India. Donate today.

10 Ingredients that make Mid-Day Meal a Healthy Eat!

The 21st century has made us more food conscious than ever. We take interest in understanding the importance of healthy food, nutrition intake, and calories and so on. To simplify the food theories, we have even created food pyramids and graphs based on age groups. Today, we all know what kind of food is acceptable for children and what isn’t.

As an NGO, Akshaya Patra aims to feed the children the right amount of mid-day meals with sufficient nutritional values. We believe mid-day meal benefits every child. Before we share our little secret on keeping children healthy, here’s a bit of history on Nutrition. The word ‘Nutrition’ means ‘nourishment’ and first originated in Latin during early 15th century. Centuries later, when hunger was identified as an issue, a prefix Mal which means ‘bad’ was used to describe poor nutritional levels – malnutrition.

For Akshaya Patra, it is important that children receive the right amount of nutrients in their food. Here’s a list of ingredients used in mid-day meals along with their nutrition value:

To break the cycle of hunger among children, a country must do a lot – introduce nutritional school lunch programmes, ensure initiatives are reaching the target group, prioritise education, stabilise low-income families with subsidies and health care benefits, and many more. Akshaya Patra’s menu of mid-day meals is such that it covers the basics of nutrition intake and calories, making it one of the best diets for children!

Besides clothing and shelter, food is one of the basic needs for humans. We have reached a point in time where most of us are able to afford these basic needs however, lack of food among children continues to be a persistent issue. Let’s act to ensure children receive the two most important elements that can help them grow – food and education. Sponsor a child by donating Rs 950 and be assured that he or she will receive wholesome mid-day meals for an entire academic year!