Commemorating National Nutrition Day, The Ministry Of Health Invites The Community To Actively Choose Healthy Foods

Illustration of healthy food (Pexels / Jane Tran Doang)

JAKARTA - On January 25, National Nutrition Day is celebrated, which this year carries the theme 'Select Nutritious Food for Healthy Families'. On this occasion, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) focused on inviting the Indonesian people to actively choose nutritious food to maintain family health and prevent inter-generational nutrition problems.

The three main problems that need to be addressed related to nutritional problems are malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency, and excess weight or obesity. To overcome this, people must be aware and educated about the importance of consuming nutritious food and implementing a healthy lifestyle.

However, in today's modern era, challenges have changed in the selection of food. Currently, there is so much information and food choices that often confuse people in choosing the best for themselves and their families.

"So we say that our hands change. In the past, maybe we couldn't eat, now maybe there are too many choices," said Director General of Primary Health and Community of the Ministry of Health, Maria Endang Sumiwi, in a media discussion at the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Kuningan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

Maria also explained regarding the problem of national nutrition that must be addressed immediately. Starting from stunting, it is still at 21.5 percent, toddlers are malnourished 8.5 percent, anemia in adolescents is 16.3 percent, overweight in adolescents is 12.1 percent, and obesity in adults is 23.4 percent.

On the other hand, the low consumption of vegetables and fruit by the Indonesian people is also worrying. The data shows that currently only 21.3 percent of people meet a balanced nutritional intake.

Thus, Maria also emphasized that the quality of nutrition must be adjusted to the life cycle, because the nutritional problems in one individual can affect the development of the offspring. Like pregnant women who obtain adequate nutrition, the nutritional health of the children they contain can be fulfilled.

Therefore, continuing the theme of the 2025 National Nutrition Day is important for Indonesian families to actively choose healthy and natural foods for daily consumption so that their nutrition is balanced. For example, replacing packaged drinks that tend to contain high sugar with sugarless juice, to continue to support a healthy diet.

"The National Nutrition Day commemoration is expected to be a momentum for better changes in all components of society, especially for balanced nutritious eating behavior," he concluded.