Balanced diet not available to most Lankan families

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The current economic crisis has made it difficult for most families to have a balanced diet, Consultant Community Physician, Dr. Sachintha Dilhani told the media, in Colombo, on Thursday.She said that according to 2022 data, 40 percent of Sri Lankan families were food insecure, and this has made it really hard for most people to eat the way doctors advise them.

“When we mean food security, we mean to be in an environment where most people can access nutritious food. We know that most people can’t afford to eat fish and meat and even good carbohydrates,” she said.

Dr. Dilhani added that as a solution to the nutritional crisis, the Health Ministry has published a list of foods that can be used as alternatives to expensive foods that are traditionally recommended by doctors.

“There are a lot of traditionally used greens like murunga leaves, neeramulliya, sarana and thampala. These are hardly used in the urban areas now, but these have high nutritional value,” she said.

Dr. Dilhani said that nuts, too, are a highly nutritious food. However, most people who produce nuts, like peanuts and cashews, do not consume them.

“They are sold to the towns, or are exported. However, those who produce these foods often suffer from low nutrition. We also encourage people to eat jackfruit seeds. People can also eat smaller fish instead of tuna or sear fish,” she said.