Chaddi ideology promotes malnutrition, or why Beef is a nutritional necessity for the poor in India

by Guest Sat Oct 11, 2014 5:24 pm

Nutritionists often put forth an indisputable fact. It’s quite simple: animal protein yields better height, stronger muscles, a fact often suggested as a solution to counter India’s malnutrition problem, especially in the light of some uncomfortable statistics. Forty-four per cent children are malnourished, of which 45 per cent have stunted growth and another 20 per cent are too thin, or ‘wasted’ as health parlance goes. Buffalo nationalism, of the kind trumpeted by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Union minister Maneka Gandhi, with the tacit support of the ruling BJP dispensation, then is not the answer. In the face of data showing a declining pulses intake (largely on account of rising prices) and dietary shifts, the poor, it would appear, would be forced out in the tirade against meat. Eggs and milk are expensive. Judged by the nutritional ratio, meat, especially beef, is not. Many nutritionists argue that the only way to ensure adequate nutrition is to increase the intake of eggs and meat in the diet. But in practice, it’s difficult—states like Karnataka resisted the move. When eggs were introduced as part of mid-day meals in the state, there was a furore and bananas became the substitute. Says Veena Shatrugna, former deputy director at the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, “It is also a question of survival of marginal groups, especially tribals, the poor and the Dalits.”

Dried beef is a staple in many Dalit households, among the poor as well as in the Northeast. It accounts for nearly 70 per cent of their protein intake. A series of studies conducted by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau has come up with some astounding facts. In the last 50 years, the average height of the poor increased by just 1-3 cm as opposed to the middle class and rich who have shot up by 6-8 cm. Tribals, meanwhile, have actually become shorter as the quality of their food intake declined drastically, with the forests barred.

So isn’t the current anti-cow/beef/livestock tirade an assault on the cultural rights of the tribals too? Nutritionists argue that nationalists have always tried to counter malnutrition by putting forth a pulses-protein argument—evident in states like Karnataka, AP and Rajasthan. But clearly that hasn’t been a solution to hunger. Neither is squeezing out the poor the answer. It is time to realise that survival is linked to meat and its consumption. For many of our countrymen, it is a necessity.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article/They-Will-Stay-Short-/292211

by truthbetold Sat Oct 11, 2014 5:38 pm

Rash

That is big load of crap. Blame hindu culture that refuses beef eating. Blame those vegetarians who push 'beef is bad' idea. It is not an idea introduced by RSS. It is just doing what Indian society believes in.

by Guest Sat Oct 11, 2014 5:58 pm

truthbetold wrote:Rash

That is big load of crap. Blame hindu culture that refuses beef eating. Blame those vegetarians who push 'beef is bad' idea. It is not an idea introduced by RSS. It is just doing what Indian society believes in.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Golwalkar-Told-Kurien-That-It-Was-Actually-Just-Politics/292210

by ashdoc Sat Oct 11, 2014 9:52 pm

the fact that your secularism is fake is exposed by the fact that you will not ask muslims to eat pork , but will ask hindus to eat beef .

by Guest Sat Oct 11, 2014 10:14 pm

ashdoc wrote:the fact that your secularism is fake is exposed by the fact that you will not ask muslims to eat pork , but will ask hindus to eat beef .

i am not asking anybody to eat beef and neither is the writer of the article. We are only observing what kind of meat the poor in India are eating. The poor have made their own choice for their own reasons. It is you chaddis who would like them to stop eating beef.

by ashdoc Sat Oct 11, 2014 11:46 pm

Rashmun wrote:
ashdoc wrote:the fact that your secularism is fake is exposed by the fact that you will not ask muslims to eat pork , but will ask hindus to eat beef .

i am not asking anybody to eat beef and neither is the writer of the article. We are only observing what kind of meat the poor in India are eating. The poor have made their own choice for their own reasons. It is you chaddis who would like them to stop eating beef.

i myself have tasted beef sometimes---though i am not a regular eater .

by Guest Sat Oct 11, 2014 11:57 pm

ashdoc wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
ashdoc wrote:the fact that your secularism is fake is exposed by the fact that you will not ask muslims to eat pork , but will ask hindus to eat beef .

i am not asking anybody to eat beef and neither is the writer of the article. We are only observing what kind of meat the poor in India are eating. The poor have made their own choice for their own reasons. It is you chaddis who would like them to stop eating beef.
i myself have tasted beef sometimes---though i am not a regular eater .

I avoid beef personally ( mental block due to childhood conditioning) but I would prefer that a poor child eats beef rather than starve or suffer from malnutrition.

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Chaddi ideology promotes malnutrition, or why Beef is a nutritional necessity for the poor in India

Chaddi ideology promotes malnutrition, or why Beef is a nutritional necessity for the poor in India

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Re: Chaddi ideology promotes malnutrition, or why Beef is a nutritional necessity for the poor in India

Re: Chaddi ideology promotes malnutrition, or why Beef is a nutritional necessity for the poor in India

Re: Chaddi ideology promotes malnutrition, or why Beef is a nutritional necessity for the poor in India

Re: Chaddi ideology promotes malnutrition, or why Beef is a nutritional necessity for the poor in India