Deputy Commissioner of Dhawad Nitesh Patil has stressed the need for returning to traditional foods by including millets and tubers in the diet.
He was inaugurating the two-day “Roots and Tuber Mela’ organised by Gandhi Peace Foundation and ‘Sahaja Samruddhi’ at Gandhi Pratishtana in Dharwad on Saturday.
Mr. Patil said as our ancestors had the habit of consuming traditional foods like tubers and roots and had developed a healthy lifestyle, they could live for a century. However, excessive use of chemical fertilisers in cultivation and the junk food culture had resulted in mankind inviting several diseases, he said.
The Deputy Commissioner said that because of the changed lifestyle and unhealthy food habits, children were facing problems of obesity and diabetes, which was alarming.
He said it was time people went back to the traditional healthy foods and introduced it to children. He said excluding sweet potato, most children did not have much knowledge on roots and tubers, which were rich in fibre and vitamins, and called on parents to make children aware of their benefits.
Sanjiv Kulkarni of Gandhi Peace Foundation, Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samruddha, Shankar Halagatti, and others were present.
Over 30 varieties of roots and tubers grown in Joida and other parts of Uttar Kannada and Dakshina Kannada districts are on display at the mela. Food items prepared from tuber will also be on display on Sunday. The mela will conclude on Sunday evening.
