Sweet Potatoes

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Zambia vice-President called for a Radical Change in the eating habits of The Nation , tell the people to dig the staple food, Maize -meal, eat pasta for more nutritious foods - a proposal that will say similar to, the Italians hold.

Maize flour is very popular in many southern and Eastern Africa - Research that

Zambia-Vice-President Inonge Wina appeal for a change in diet to a time when parts of your country and some neighbouring countries were hit by poor rainfall and food shortages - a recurring problem caused in part by Climate Change .

The Crisis has led to around 40% of children under five years of age stunted, according to the UN-linked ReliefWeb-information-portal.

To address the problem, Ms Wina said the people needed to vary their diet through the consumption of millet, Sorghum , cassava and Sweet Potatoes .

Sorghum is considered to be a high-energy grain

"The Gradual shift from a predominantly Maize -based meals is good for The Nation as more nutritious food, have a place at the tables," she was quoted by the state-run Daily Mail news site as saying.

"The switch to more nutritious foods is one of the most cost-effective and effective options for addressing growth disorders and malnutrition in the country," Ms Wina said.

But she faces a big challenge to change eating habits.

Many people eat corn meal two or Three Times A Day . Some say they have not eaten, unless they had corn-meal, which is known as nshima in Zambia, nsima in Malawi, soot in Zimbabwe, dad, or pap in South Africa and Lesotho, and ugali in Kenya.

resistance to new dishes,

boil The corn flour with water and a little salt added. It is then folded into the desired texture, so that it is a fast, cheap and easy dish.

It can also be fermented and for Breakfast as porridge, or even in a denser form for lunch and dinner, when it is often served with meat, stews, and sour milk.

corn flour is popular because it is cheap

Clifford Chirwa, a fourth-year student at the University of Zambia, said that he doubted would succeed to the government, the people eat less of it.

"It's not possible, because each culture is a specific food has food as the reason. Just like you have Jollof Rice in Nigeria, nshima is usually of Zambia," he told the BBC.

Agree with him, Olipa Lungu, who operates a restaurant on a busy market in the capital Lusaka, said their efforts to have The Menu failed to change.

"Nshima is. The only other food that people like chips, but I do only if it is a special order," She Said .

government subsidies

But Ms Wina ' s proposal won the support of the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU).

"With The Advent of Climate Change , we have to start looking to different options of food. We were too dependent on corn, but we grow plants such as Sorghum , rice and millet," ZNFU spokesman Kakoma Kaleyi said the BBC.

"We have rarely eat other foods. I think that our culinary preferences should change. This is The Right call to the Vice-President," he added.

Some nutritionists say that corn meal, which is sold in supermarkets, is highly processed, and therefore, the nutrients, the life is important for the health of our skin, hair and brain.

If eaten in its original form, corn contains nutrients such as vitamin A, Vitamin C , iron and fiber, but All the goodness is lost when they are processed on, they say.

corn flour is popular especially in poor families, because it is often subsidised by governments, South African nutrition consultant Thandolwakhe Msomi told the BBC.

"So, if you're looking at the introduction of cereals and they have become a staple in the homes, we would need similar interventions by those in power," she added.

A nshima recipe for A Family of five

go with the kind permission of the BBC's Kennedy Gondwe in Zambia

with: T-bone steak, beans and boiled okra

unlike in many other countries, processed Maize meal in South Africa is fortified with vitamins and minerals - All producers are obliged by law to add the use of nutrients such as vitamin A and vitamin B to strengthen your health.

"The modern grain steel floor. It does not contain the germ of the kernel and the said, where the nutrients are," Ms Msomi.

"If we said to would stone mill the whole kernel, we get more energy-producing carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber, which is not found even in the enriched variant (s) of Maize -meal," She Said .

Maize flour sold in supermarkets nutrients

Yellow is often missing-corn is Packed with more nutrients than white corn, but "unfortunately we have been conditioned to think that the yellow coarse type is for the less wealthy", the nutritionist.

As for Sorghum and Pearl Millet , Ms Msomi said they are "high-energy" grains contain carbohydrates, protein and little fat.

In addition, they are rich in vitamins A and B, rich in calcium, iron and zinc, and also contains potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper and manganese. Millet is also gluten-free.

What do vitamins and minerals do?

Vitamin A is essential for good eyesight

Vitamin B1 helps release energy from carbohydrates

Vitamin C helps to prevent disease and make bones

iron is necessary to transport oxygen in the blood

calcium strengthens bones and teeth

zinc helps heal wounds

"at a time as we focus on Climate Change and its impact on food security, these grains, which are known to be hardy. You are able to resist, harder climate," Ms Msomi said.

"the people were educated, how they grow corn even in their homes. You can be trained about How To grow other crops," she added.

Sorghum porridge, anyone?

* Additional reporting by Kennedy Gondwe in Lusaka

food, zambia

Source of news: bbc.com