Nutrition Division Of Health Ministry To Promote A Healthy Food Plate Among Public To Avoid Spreading Non Communicable Diseases

To avoid spreading of non communicable diseases like heart diseases,cancers and diabetes among Sri Lankans the nutrition division of the Ministry Of Health,Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine has planned to promote a Healthy Food Plate among the general public from this month(June).

Accordingly a quarter of the Healthy Food Plate should be filled with starchy (Carbohydrate) foods like rice,other cereal based foods like string hoppers,bread and rotti made from kurakkan,maize,ulundu,rice and wheat flour.

Another quarter of the plate should be filled with starchy vegetables like jak fruit and breadfruit,tubers and yams(potatoes,manioc and sweet potatoes) according to nutrition division of the ministry.

Out of the space remained in the plate two third should be filled with vegetables like brinjals,carrot,tomatoes,beet ,beens and green leaves like spinach and gotukola.The remained one third space in the plate will be filled with animal protein food items like fish ,meet,eggs,dried fish ,sprats and plant protein food items like pulses,chick pea,green gram,cowpea,soya been and dhal.

By consuming this Healthy Food Plate daily as regular meals people can prevent getting non communicable diseases and will gain a body with healthy weight and correct shape the consultant community physician attached to nutrition division of ministry of health Dr.Banuja Wijethilake  has revealed.

Due to consuming a meal plate without a variety most of the Sri Lankans are consuming foods containing starch and oil and as a result ended up by getting obesity and other non communicable diseases Dr.Banuja has stressed..