KOCHI: Expressing concern over the increasing share of poultry in the routine diet of Indians, World Food Prize laureate Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted said the diet of Keralites, which includes rice and fish, is healthy.
Noted for her research finding that frequent consumption of small indigenous fish species can improve life expectancy, Shakuntala said she was impressed by the high standard of education and quality of life of Keralites.
“When you work with aquatic food system, Kerala is an important destination. You have a state government that is very perceptive about its role and responsibility to people,” Shakuntala, who was in Kochi to attend the convocation ceremony of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), told TNIE.
She stressed the need to include nutritious food, including fish, fruits and vegetables in one’s diet, and said one should avoid red meat and reduce chicken intake. Shakunthala said governments should ensure distribution of nutritious food to children at schools and anganwadis.
Shakuntala, who is of Indian descent, was born in Trinidad. After her marriage, Shakuntala shifted to Denmark where she did her PhD in physiology of nutrition.
In Denmark, she implemented a project where pregnant and lactating women were fed small indigenous fish in whole, including head and bones. It was found this helped improve the cognitive skills in newborns. The project was implemented in Bangladesh, Kenya and Odisha.