Diabetes Haunts RI, It's Time To Start Consumption Of Local Food Materials

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

JAKARTA - The government is asked to take steps to reduce diabetes rates in children which are increasing. One of them is by encouraging the use of local agricultural food for consumption because of its healthy and nutritious content.

"Increasing diabetes in children demands extra supervision from many parties, especially parents. The importance of socialization and consumption of local foodstuffs is also very much needed to prevent diabetes in children," said DPR Speaker Puan Maharani, Wednesday, August 7.

In the midst of the onslaught of high sugar and ultra-process foods that 'tempt children', Puan assesses that local agricultural food can be an alternative. Puan gave an example of cassava as a good source of carbohydrates for health.

"Singkong, one of the sources of carbohydrates with a low glycemic index can be an option because it does not trigger a surge in blood sugar, although of course consumption should not be excessive," said the first woman who served as Chair of the DPR RI.

Data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) states that this country is in fifth place in the country with the highest number of diabetes: 19.5 million people in 2021 and is predicted to be 28.6 million by 2045.

Then based on data from the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), the diabetes rate in children jumped 70 times in January 2023 compared to 2010. So it needs serious attention from all parties.

"The latest data shows that children are now increasingly susceptible to diabetes, a condition that can significantly affect their quality of life. Of course this should be our common concern," said Puan.

For this reason, Puan emphasized the importance of socializing the movement to consume local foodstuffs.

"In addition to being easy to process into food ingredients with many creations to replace rice as carbohydrates, local foodstuffs such as cassava and tubers have many good benefits for the body, because they do not go through the preservation process so that they are fresher and the nutrients are maintained," he explained.

Not only that, consuming local foods can also reduce emissions by 20 percent while at the same time being useful for avoiding the threat of diabetes. Utilizing agricultural products also supports food sovereignty efforts.

"The extraordinary cassava that is easy to find today is also in demand by the international market to make tapioka and other foodstuffs," said Puan.

Furthermore, the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture said that cassava can be developed into strategic food products that can be favored as a supporter of the food consumption diversification movement. Puan said that the use of cassava as food has many benefits.

"Including as an effort to realize national food security and support domestic agricultural productivity," he said.

The benefits of local food products have also been recognized by a number of experts in supporting the agricultural sector. By consuming local foodstuffs, this can increase farmers' income and contribute to increasing employment opportunities.

Regarding the recent rise of diabetes cases, Puan has encouraged the Government to increase education and socialization programs about the importance of healthy diet. Especially in the modern era which is full of choices of high sugar and ultra-process foods, many parents and children are not fully aware of the long-term impact of consuming this food.

"So education about nutrition and health is very important. Among them are educational campaign programs that promote the consumption of healthy local foods such as cassava earlier, then vegetables, and fruits," explained Puan

"Not only helping prevent diabetes, this step also supports local farmers in terms of production and distribution of natural food from agriculture in the country," continued Bung Karno's grandson.

Puan also reminded the importance of supervision from relevant agencies/institutions on the circulation of food/high-income sugar and ultra-processes. Regulations are also considered to be more effective with the solutions presented by policymakers.

"What is certain is that supervision from the Ministry of Health and BPOM must be extra and really beneficial. Tightening regulations is important, but it is also important to ensure that healthy intake can be reached by all," concluded Puan.