Food Science & Nutrition Club

31/05/2020

5 healthy eating tips

1. Keep up fruit and vegetable intake
Purchasing, storing and cooking fresh vegetables can be challenging in a lockdown, especially when parents are advised to limit trips outside of the home. But wherever possible, it’s important to ensure children are still getting plenty of fruit and vegetables in their diet.

Whenever it is possible to get hold of fresh produce, do so. As well as being eaten fresh, fruits and vegetables can be frozen where possible and will retain most of their nutrients and flavor. Using fresh vegetables to cook large batches of soups, stews or other dishes will make them last longer and provide meal options for a few days. These can also be frozen where possible and then quickly reheated.

2. Swap in healthy dried or canned alternatives when fresh produce is not available
Fresh produce is almost always the best option, but when it is not available there are plenty of healthy alternatives that are easy to store and prepare.

Canned beans and chickpeas, which provide an abundance of nutrients, can be stored for months or even years, and can be included in meals in many ways. Canned oily fish such as sardines, mackerel and salmon are rich in protein, omega 3 fatty acids and a range of vitamins and minerals. These can be used cold in sandwiches, salads or pasta dishes, or cooked as part of a warm meal.

Canned vegetables, such as tomatoes, do tend to contain lower quantities of vitamins than fresh produce, but they are a great fallback option when fresh produce or frozen vegetables are hard to come by.

Dried goods like dried beans, pulses and grains such as lentils, split peas, rice, couscous or quinoa are also nutritious, long-lasting options that are tasty, affordable and filling. Rolled oats cooked with milk or water can serve as an excellent breakfast option, and can be spiced up with yoghurt, chopped fruits or raisins.

3. Build up a stock of healthy snacks
Children often need to eat a snack or two during the day to keep them going. Rather than giving kids sweets or salty snacks, opt for healthier options like nuts, cheese, yoghurt (preferably unsweetened), chopped or dried fruits, boiled eggs, or other locally available healthy options. These foods are nutritious, more filling, and help build healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.

4. Limit highly processed foods
While using fresh produce may not always be possible, try to limit the amount of highly processed foods in your shopping basket. Ready-to-eat meals, packaged snacks and desserts are often high in saturated fat, sugars and salt. If you do purchase processed foods, look at the label and try to choose healthier options containing less of these substances. Try to also avoid sugary drinks and instead drink lots of water. Adding fruits or vegetables like lemon, lime, cucumber slices or berries to water is a great way to add an extra twist of flavor.

5. Make cooking and eating a fun and meaningful part of your family routine
Cooking and eating together is a great way to create healthy routines, strengthen family bonds and have fun. Wherever you can, involve your children in food preparation – small children can help with washing or sorting food items while older children can take on more complex tasks and help to set the table.

Try as much as possible to stick to fixed mealtimes as a family. Such structures and routine can help reduce anxiety for children in these stressful situations.

01/11/2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVJ2_GSaxeA&list=PLFJ9QAJFAPG0-18Vuxavo76eGR4szYejV

See more Experiments at www.webuzzyou.com

01/11/2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpAGaEjabLU

01/11/2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1d2t7cVRsE

All Copyrights Are Reserved By Discovery Channel Network. This Is Discovery Network Property. This video recorded from Discovery Channel. For Educational . A...

01/11/2018

A VERY interesting annexure in the latest State Bank’s annual report provides much-needed detail on the entry of Chinese firms in Pakistan’s agriculture sector. Agriculture appears to be one of China’s top priorities in CPEC, contrary to how the Pakistani government has presented the enterprise as being built around transit trade. And now, possibly for the first time, we have an official source where this is fleshed out in further detail.
It begins by noting that the CPEC Long Term Plan (LTP) lays great stress on agriculture, with wide-ranging engagement across the entire sector. Boosting yields in the crop sector, reducing losses from harvest and transportation, and engaging with livestock and dairy are some of the thrusts envisaged under the plan. The eventual goal appears to be to boost Pakistan’s food exports to China.
The report adds this intriguing sentence, without elaborating: “It is important to note that the nature and direction of such a progress critically depends upon changes currently under way in the agriculture sector of the Chinese economy.”
The annexure points out that agriculture is a big priority for China’s overseas investments in all countries under the Belt and Road Initiative. The motivation is China’s growing food deficit at home and the erosion of arable land.
“China’s food import dependence is rising amidst continued degradation of arable land and depletion of its livestock and fisheries resources. To address these concerns, it is investing heavily under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by outsourcing its food supplies, while moving towards high value-added food products to contain its food trade deficit.”
The biggest concern in the whole enterprise is not mentioned: what does it mean for Pakistan’s own food security?
So China is “outsourcing its food supplies” to address its growing food-security vulnerability, and this involves growing investments in the agriculture sectors of other countries. The benefits for Pakistan are nicely laid out in the annexure. They include improved yields through superior seeds, mechanisation of farms as well as introduction of drip irrigation technology on a wider scale, increased use of formal credit systems for agri-lending, and greater documentation of the rural economy and especially its land registries.
Much work has already been done along these lines. For example, China has pursued hybrid rice cultivation in Pakistan for almost two decades now, trying new varieties that promise higher yields and are more temperature resistant.
This year, the first export consignment of hybrid rice was sent to the Philippines. Now more land is expected to be brought under rice cultivation after this initial marker of success. A programme has just been concluded in Mansehra, Swat, Sahiwal and Larkana (among other areas) to grow hybrid rice, where the testing was done on a certain variety to be grown under the very different temperature conditions in each of these regions.
Likewise, a cold storage station has been erected in Khunjerab, on the Chinese border, for seafood exports to China. It is active for eight months of a year, according to the annexure, and will handle sales to the Xingjian region, as well as Shanghai and Beijing according to the authors. As per the LTP, more cold storages are planned in Karachi, Gwadar, as well as Lahore and Peshawar.
Chinese enterprises are also scouting for possible investments in Pakistan’s agrarian economy. More recently, “on July 31, 2018, Fauji Foods Ltd disclosed on the stock exchange that Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Company Limited, a Chinese state-owned enterprise, has expressed interest in acquiring up to 51 per cent of the voting shares and/ or control in the former with the intention of expanding R&D operations and manufacturing high-value-added dairy products to be exported to China.”
This is an interesting strategy to acquire controlling stakes in a large agro enterprise in the country, then fanning outwards from there. In due course, cotton will also come on this radar, since the LTP has specifically mentioned the interest of Chinese officials in Pakistani yarn and coarse cloth to feed Xinjiang’s growing textile industry.
Some structural problems will need to be addressed, the authors of the annexure state, for the benefits of this opportunity to flow smoothly for Pakistan. These include low levels of farmer literacy and awareness, low levels of formal credit for farmers, ‘cluster farming’ — or the land holding pattern of the country where the majority of farmers own small pieces of land (typically 12.5 acres or less) which inhibits economies of scale — poor state of land records and of course a highly dysfunctional water economy.
The biggest concern in the whole enterprise is not mentioned: what does it mean for Pakistan’s own food security? Boosting agricultural yields and reducing losses in the food supply chain are clearly required for Pakistan, but as exports grow and more land is brought under water-intensive rice cultivation (as an example), what will happen to our local food needs?
Soon the enterprise will move into its next phase, where land acquisition for demonstration projects gets going and large agro enterprises in the country start being bought out, like what is happening with Fauji Foods Ltd. Long before that happens, it is imperative that the government of Pakistan ensures that the country’s own needs are in the driving seat.
We need to ask whether new varieties of hybrid rice (particularly sticky rice) are the best place to lay the emphasis for the future of this engagement, since it means devoting large tracts of land as well as enormous water resources, to growing something that is not a staple food here. Perhaps more emphasis on wheat in the coming days will also materialise.
Pakistan’s agriculture needs support of the sort that the Chinese are offering — there is little doubt about that. But our agriculture is the lifeblood of our economy, and the biggest pillar of our stability is our hard-fought food security. There is very little bargaining room with these priorities

01/11/2018

ISLAMABAD: With 37.26 million citizens malnourished, Pakistan’s National Food Security Policy 2018 aims at promoting sustainable food production systems by an average growth rate of 4% with goals of improving food availability, accessibility and sustainability.
The cabinet on March 21 approved the comprehensive food security policy to eradicate hunger, malnutrition besides providing foundation for growth of national economy.
According to the policy, crops have 40% of share in agricultural gross domestic product of the country considering the data of statistical supplement of economic survey of Pakistan 2016-17.
Making agriculture more productive, competitive and climate friendly have been one of the key policy planks of this action besides diversifying the food systems for nutritious diets.
Food availability
The policy intends to improve food availability by bridging yield gaps, supporting kitchen gardening and farmers with new high value crops. Similarly, better availability of agriculture inputs with qualitative seeds, pesticides along with management and reduction cost of agriculture loans.
Likewise, it also aims to improve livestock production of local breeds, fodder production and quality animal feed along with investment in dairy farming and disease surveillance and control.
Poultry production has also been prioritised with competitive poultry farming and value chain for exports, along with provision of such opportunities for rural areas.
Food accessibility
Another major target is marketing and safety programmes for food by promoting e-marketing, market regulation and legislative support. For food safety, new laws will be enacted keeping agro-chemicals in safe limits, encouraging use of bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Besides, working for certified organic farming, compliance to international quality and safety standards and ensuring food safety standards in imported items is part of the policy.
The key part of accessibility is forming a national zero hunger programme by supporting small farmers for sustainable subsistence through partnership with donors and Benazir Income Support Programme.
Food sustainability
Moreover, the last important element of the policy aims at improving the sustainability of food by focusing on mitigation of climate change impacts by opting for climate-smart agriculture, viable resilient strategies and crop-livestock insurance schemes. Besides prioritising resource conservation of technologies and its adherence to National Environment Policy, 2005 is also the focus of this policy.
Similarly, the ambitious document aims at conflicts and disaster management by identifying food insecure disaster prone areas, developing emergency preparedness plans. It also stresses on developing effective early warning systems with rapid assessment of losses and post-disaster recovery plans.
Lastly, using information technology tools, electronic and print media for sharing the latest and efficient policies and strategies for all the stakeholders is the key element of this document.

01/11/2018

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday gave a go-ahead to the Ministry of National Food Security & Research to develop three major projects for conservation of 9 MAF water through lining of the watercourse across the country and laser leveling of the fields, enhancement of 6,00,00 acres of command area of small and mini dams and water conservation in Barani areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The prime minister made the decisions while presiding over a meeting on water conservation at Prime Minister’s Office.
These interventions are in line with the 100-day agenda of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government which includes massive expansion in water conservation efforts through smart interventions to reduce water losses.
The project “National Programme for improvement of Watercourses in Pakistan Phase-II”, would be undertaken across the country with a target of the lining of over 73,000 watercourses and laser levelling of 12,110 units.
It was decided that the government will subsidise laser-levellers for all the provinces, with an emphasis on Sindh.
The PM was informed that an unutilised command area of around 6,30,000 under small dams and mini dams can be developed by scaling up pilot intervention made earlier by PARC and Agency for Barani Area Development Punjab.
The prime minister was informed that rainwater conservation in KP requires small investments in infrastructure and can be implemented through the local governments.
These infrastructures, it was said, include construction of check dams, water retaining facilities, water storage reservoirs, spurs, water ponds and terracing etc to harness rainwater for its use in irrigation and other purposes

01/11/2018

The government is striving to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 2.1 and 2.2, said Planning, Development and Reform Secretary Zafar Hasan.
He said the launch of the national food security policy and multi-sector nutrition strategy showed the government’s resolve towards addressing the challenge of zero hunger in Pakistan under the SDGs.
He was addressing a roundtable conference on “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World”, organised by the Centre for Rural Economy Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Speaking to the conference participants, Hasan said Pakistan recognised the importance of food security. Pakistan had produced surplus wheat and sugar, but still approximately 18% of the population was facing food insecurity.
Several factors like lack of awareness of healthy food and poor access due to low income and geographical barriers are the main reasons that upset the dietary system of households. As a result, stunting is 42%, which is one of the highest in the world, and this phenomenon is not only in the rural areas of Pakistan but even the urban sectors are suffering from this.
The secretary remarked that despite being the least contributor to climate change and global warming, Pakistan was amongst the worst sufferers. “Availability and storage of water has now become one of the most critical issues.”
He shared that the country’s agriculture sector had already witnessed floods in 2010 and 2011, which caused losses of $7.6 billion, a hefty amount for an economy like Pakistan.
Therefore, realising the threat of climate change, Pakistan is one of the first signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and is now going to actively participate in COP-24 Katowice 2018.
He said, “We are formulating the 12th Five Year Plan to reduce hunger which includes the establishment of a food security information system, improving food accessibility and creating awareness of food consumption.

01/11/2018

http://www.foodsecurityportal.org/pakistan

Although it has declined in recent years as a percentage of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the agricultural sector sustains the livelihoods of 45 percent of Pakistan’s population (FAO 2012). In particular, wheat production is a mainstay of the country’s food security, with 24 mill...

01/11/2018

http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y4671e/y4671e00.htm

1.1 Introduction 1.2 Food security at the national and household levels 1.3 The gains from trade: theoretical perspectives 1.4 The impact of trade liberalization in developing countries 1.5 The relation between trade reform and food security 1.6 Conclusion: some key questions