The Parliament Canteen Menu Gets a Healthy Makeover: The menu in the Parliament canteen has been completely revamped to focus on healthy eating. Members of Parliament will now be served high-protein meals made from millets, sugar-free desserts, and healthy drinks. This change has been implemented under the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.
New Menu in Parliament: Considering the health of the Members of Parliament, a significant change has been made to the menu of the Parliament House canteen. The canteen will now prioritize millet-based food, low-sugar, and high-fiber diets. Healthy salads, grilled chicken, sugar-free desserts, and nutrient-rich food items have been included in the menu.
An Important Step Towards a Healthy Diet
The Parliament House canteen will now prioritize healthy options instead of high-calorie and high-fat foods. This step has been taken under the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, which has directed all central institutions to adopt a healthy diet. The food consumed by the Members of Parliament will now include food items that are low in sugar, low in sodium, and low in fat.
Millet and Protein-Rich Food in the New Menu
The new menu particularly emphasizes millets, i.e., coarse grains. It includes dishes made from grains like barley, ragi, and jowar, which are gluten-free and nutritious. The canteen will now offer healthy options like sprout salad, barley and jowar salad, chole chaat, and garden fresh salad.
Healthy Snacks and Main Meal Options
As healthy bites, Members of Parliament will now be given soya kebabs, ragi millet idli, sabzi poha, jowar upma, moong dal cheela, makhana bhel, and millet khichdi. All these food items will be prepared with fewer calories and more nutrition so that the body gets the necessary energy without increasing obesity.
Healthy Drinks and Sugar-Free Sweets Also on the Menu
Regarding drinks, the canteen will now offer healthy beverages such as iced tea, green tea, herbal tea, masala sattu, aam panna, plain and masala buttermilk, and Kerala lassi. As for sweets, sugar-free mixed millet kheer has been added to the menu, which takes care of both taste and health.
Special Arrangements for Non-Vegetarian Members of Parliament
Healthy options have also been added for non-vegetarian Members of Parliament. Grilled chicken and grilled fish will now be served with boiled vegetables. These dishes will be high in protein and low in fat, providing energy to the body without adding extra calories.
Oil and Sugar Boards Will Be Mandatory
The Ministry of Health has directed all institutions to put up 'Oil and Sugar Boards' in their canteens or food service areas. These boards should clearly display information about the fat, sugar, and other nutritional aspects used in the food. This will help the diners know how healthy the food they are eating is.
Warning of a Serious Obesity Threat by 2050
The Ministry of Health has expressed concern over the rising obesity in the country. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 45 crore people in India could be affected by obesity. This figure could make India the second most obesity-affected country after the United States. Keeping this in mind, steps are being taken in this direction, starting with the Parliament.
