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British Council Schools & Nutrition |
 South African health experts face a unique challenge: with almost an equal percentage of children malnourished and hungry as those who are statistically obese and at risk of hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.
mat©hboxology’s unique methodology attracted the British Council in its quest to contribute new ideas and insights to its National School’s Nutrition programme.
For a month in 2007, mat©hboxology traveled the country interviewing students, teachers, administrators and parents… looking for problems and solutions. The documentary we produced on commission from the British Council has featured in numerous academic fora and was screened at the Durban film festival. Top 5 insights
- On our journey we observed the ever-popular informal fast food stands that dot the sides of every road. These stalls operate without the control of health regulations, and this problem needs to be addressed.
- Not everything found in the traditional diet is nutritious. For example white sweet potatoes have little to zero Vitamin 4 A compared to orange fleshed sweet potatoes which feature a much higher vitamin A content.
- A high percentage of South African children are zinc deficient, which leads to attention span deficiencies as well as hampering the absorption of other important nutrients.
- A higher income doesn’t directly translate to a better diet. In a shopping challenge, teens with an ever increasing budget often purchased more junk foods versus organic or more nutritious items.
- You are what you eat. We found even primary school kids rejected traditional foods in favour of fast food—identifying with the modern fast food brands much more than the traditional fare of their village.
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