Study Shows That Bananas Are Not A Substitute For Midday Meal In Karnataka

A state-commissioned study suggests that bananas need to be substituted or supplemented with something more healthy, which has changed the conversation around whether eggs or bananas should be offered to schoolchildren for lunch.

According to a study by Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University (Gadag), Children who ate bananas as part of the school's midday meal gained weight, but bananas were still not an adequate source of nourishment for vegetarians. The results force the government to reconsider using bananas as a substitute for eggs, since it is desperately trying to discover ways to improve the nutritional status of school-aged children.

The study shows that the traditional, therapeutic, and nutritional benefits of the banana are well known. It has a high carbohydrate content, offers energy (about 110 kcal/100g), and has one of the highest potassium contents (358 mg/100g). Although the fruit does not contain any protein, it does provide calories and nutrients like potassium.

As per experts, vegetarian students' diets could significantly improve by include peanuts, dairy products, or legumes.

A member of the NEP implementation task team and the previous chair of the Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Children's Rights, Y. Mariswamy, stated that the general consensus is that, in the absence of eggs, feeding groundnuts to children in the shape of "chikkis" is a good idea.

Meanwhile, a public health specialist and researcher named Dr. Sylvia Karpagam stated that protein, vitamins, and minerals quality would be higher in dairy products. There should be one additional glass of milk, curd, or paneer available. All children should also be provided bananas.