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Hey Fonzies! Thanks for staying tuned for our second SDG of the week — “Zero Hunger”. Today, let’s take a glance at what poor communities around the world are eating. I highly encourage you to put yourself in their shoes while reading the article below to better relate yourself to the situation of hunger. It’s not often that we realised how blessed we are.
In your view, what is the food that underprivileged communities usually eat? Do they eat self-cooked food 365 days per year? The information below may resolve your curiosity.
1. Cassava
Source: allrecipes
Cassava is commonly eaten in Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi— currently the world's poorest country. This calorie-rich vegetable contains high nutritional value and is a good source of vitamin A, B and C. Cassava is also a reliable source of food throughout droughts, locust attacks and hungry seasons, which is why it’s a staple food for the poor. However, cassava contains natural toxins which if not prepared correctly, can be converted into cyanide. Consuming this vegetable regularly and in high amounts increases the risk of cyanide poisoning, organ damage and even death.
2. Instant Noodles
Source: Borneo Post
We all enjoy a pack of steaming instant noodles occasionally, but many of Malaysia’s B40 community rely solely on this meal to fill their stomachs daily. Noodles are a cheap and easy substitute for a balanced diet, which is often out of reach for those in poverty. Mueni Mutunga, a UNICEF Asia nutrition specialist, says that instant noodles have high fat and salt content while containing insufficient iron and protein. The lack of these nutrients like iron can diminish a child’s ability to learn and raise a woman’s risk of death due to childbirth.
3. Beans and rice
Source: The Salt
Beans and rice are the everyday meals of many living in Brazil and West Africa. We usually view this meal as a healthy option since beans are highly nutritious. Nevertheless, the poor tend to consume more rice than beans since beans are more expensive, according to a nutrition professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. As a result, they lose out on the nutritional benefits of beans. Instead, they have higher blood sugar levels and don’t stay full for long due to eating more rice.
4. Tortillas
Source: Food Manufacturing
Tortillas, made from corn, are considered nutritionally essential and culturally significant to the people of Mexico and Guatemala. Guatemala’s poverty rate is around 52%, and most of the citizens living in extreme poverty eat the same food everyday—five to six plain tortillas. Thus, they have very limited opportunities to have a balanced diet rich in protein and instead are at high risk of zinc and iron deficiency.
5. Insects
Source: The Africa Report
In many African countries, insects are very much imbedded in their culture and are considered a delicacy. Nonetheless, many people living in poverty eats insects as a source of protein since they cannot afford meat, fish and dairy. Not only are insects rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, but they are also abundant and easy to find. Hence, they are a cheap and sustainable food option for those living in poverty.
The Effect of Eating These Meals
Prolonged food insecurity leads to malnutrition, particularly among children and infants as they have weaker immune systems. Since they are born into hunger, their meals as mentioned above do not even meet the daily requirement of calories and nutrients. Therefore, most kids who are living in impoverishment and hunger have a high risk of fall victim to diseases as below:
1. Anaemia
Source: Outlook India
Marginalised communities do not access to rich-iron food such as nuts, oats, poultry, and red meat. Hence, they have insufficient amount of red blood cells and haemoglobin in blood due to the diet low in iron and minerals. That is why they are down with anaemia.
2. Stunting
Source: The Telegraph
Children who are undernutritioned are more likely to grow underweight and stunted because of inadequate protein, calcium, and vitamin D as well as a low-quality diet. In Malaysia, 1 in 5 children under the age of 5 suffer from stunting.
3. Tooth decay
Credit: Union City Dental Aesthetics
Acids and bacteria can rot ones’ teeth if they do not maintain healthy levels of enamel by gaining sufficient calcium and phosphorus from food such as milk, yogurt, and fibre-rich fruits and vegetables. Worst comes to worst, since the malnourished children are lack of a source of protection against acid and bacteria, they will lose their teeth!
4. Marasmus
Credit: Jotscroll
Owing to a lack of calories and macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fats) deficiency, the children and infants will be facing difficulties in maintaining normal body functions. Their cardiac activity will slow down, causing long-term congestive heart failure where the heart is unable to pump sufficient blood to meet the body’s needs.
5. Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (Dry Eyes)
Credit: Medical News Today
Our eyes require vitamin A, but what if underprivileged communities who are suffering from hunger? They have lesser accessibility to food rich in vitamin A such as carrots, apricots, pumpkin, and fish oils as they are much expensive to afford compared to what they eat daily. Thus, there is no doubt that they will be driven to eyes diseases and having blurry sight.
Written by,
Amanda & Zi Wei
The Fonz.
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