BHU celebrates National Nutrition Week with focus on traditional foods

National Nutrition Week was held at BHU, Varanasi, focusing on the power of nutrition, traditional foods, and healthy lifestyles for adolescents. Experts advised on preventing diseases like PCOD and anaemia and avoiding junk food for better health.

BHU Highlights Importance of Nutrition During Awareness Week

National Nutrition Week was celebrated at the Adolescent Centre (Model-AFHC, OPD-201), Sir Sundarlal Hospital, BHU, Varanasi, in joint collaboration with Mamta Health Institute for Mother and Child, New Delhi, and the National Health Mission, Uttar Pradesh Government, on the theme “Discover the Power of Nutrition”. The programme was organised under the supervision of Prof. Dr Sangeeta Rai, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, IMS-BHU, and Nodal Officer, Centre of Excellence for Adolescent Health and Development, SSH-BHU.

The resource persons for the event were Prof. Dr (Major) Anjali Rani, Prof. Dr Shikha Sachan and Dr Kirti Kaithwas from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, IMS-BHU, and Prof. Dr Sarita Choudhary from the Department of Paediatric Surgery, IMS-BHU.

Expert Advice on Diet and Disease Prevention

Prof. Major Anjali Rani spoke on the importance of nutrition in disease prevention and emphasised the value of India’s traditional foods and millets for a healthy body.

Prof. Dr Shikha Sachan highlighted the role of a balanced diet, proper hydration, physical activity and a stress-free lifestyle in preventing hypertension, diabetes and lifestyle disorders like PCOD/PCOS.

Prof. Dr. Sarita Choudhary stated that adolescents are prone to malnutrition and anaemia; hence, regular check-ups and a balanced diet are essential.

Dr. Kirti advised adolescent girls to avoid junk food and tetra-pack items and focus on homemade fresh food, green vegetables and seasonal fruits.

The programme was welcomed and concluded with a vote of thanks by Counsellor Harsh Kumar Singh with the message, “Eat Right, Be Bright – Healthy Food, Healthy Body, Healthy Mind”. Counsellors Saumya Mishra, Admin Mazahir Abbas Haidri, Intern Jyoti, Sunny Singh and the entire adolescent team facilitated the event.

BHU Develops High-Protein Mungbean Variety

Earlier, a high-protein, heat-resilient mungbean variety developed by Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was set to reach farmers, with the University transferring the technology of HUM 27 (Malaviya Jankranti) to Olympus Crop Care Ltd, according to the BHU administration.

The technology transfer is expected to facilitate large-scale seed multiplication and eventual commercial availability of the variety.

Developed by the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, HUM 27 brings together several farmer-friendly traits: high protein content, heat tolerance, short crop duration, bold seeds and resistance to mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV).

The variety was officially released in September 2023 through a gazette notification of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.

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