Orissa: Cheap nutritional supplement for AIDS patients

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Orissa: Cheap nutritional supplement for AIDS patients

Sib Kumar Das

Tested on 150 persons: NGO

Ingredients Wheat 400 g,

green moong 300 g,

sugar / jaggery 200 g,

ground nuts 100 g,

sesame/white til 100g,

dry ginger powder 50g and

cardamom 50 g.

BERHAMPUR: Now even the poor can boast of having a nutritional

supplement as Loknath Mishra, a social activist has come up with a

cheap and indigenous nutritional supplement that can even be prepared

at home. The uniqueness of this nutritional supplement is that even

the HIV positive and AIDS afflicted persons are reportedly benefiting

from it.

ARUNA, an NGO involved in rehabilitation of the People Living With

HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Ganjam district, has already tested it on 150

PLWHAs along with their dependants in Hinjli and Aska blocks of

Ganjam district with positive results.

Proper diet plan and a high protein diet is a must for every HIV

positive person to prevent weight and muscle mass loss as well as

sustenance of the immune system of the body. Usually the PLWHAs are

prescribed to take high protein diet.

Substitute

Mr. Mishra found that most of the PLWHAs in Ganjam district are

migrant labourers from extreme poor economic background who can never

afford a diet that may involve consumption of milk, meat, eggs along

with nutritional health drink available in market.

This prompted him to create a cheap indigenous nutritional supplement

using locally available ingredients.

He claimed that the nutritional supplement could also be used as a

substitute for the health drinks for children and the aged of poor

families, who are unable to afford high calorie protein supplements

for economic reasons.

Every HIV positive person is advised to intake this nutritional

supplement at the rate of 50 grams per kilogram of body weight

everyday. HIV positive Banita (name changed) of Hinjli area claimed

her muscle mobility and health condition has improved after taking

the supplement for six months.

Usually a person consumes two kilograms of this powder in a month.

The production cost of one kilogram of this nutritional supplement is

only Rs. 40. The ingredients of this nutritional supplement are

locally available and it is quite easy to prepare.

They have to be roasted, powdered and mixed with the addition of

jaggery or sugar for taste.

To eat this powder one has to just add some hot water and mix it.

http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/03/stories/2007010313910200.htm