Food crisis in SA

Millions of South Africans are now struggling more than ever before to feed their families. Here are some tips for for healthy eating on a rockbottom budget.

We've had both petrol price rises and electricity shortages in the last year. Not to speak of interest rate hikes.

Though these three things make life difficult, they don't pose a direct danger to our survival. However, a lack of basic foods does. Food shortages and costs are spiralling throughout the world.

The poorest of the poor
South Africa has always faced problems of malnutrition and stunting in our poorer and marginalised communities, but if this trend towards food shortages and ever-increasing food prices continues, a large sector of the population will be faced with starvation.

In fact, even people with salaried jobs are struggling to feed their families these days.

This is a terrifying thought and a problem of such magnitude that it requires intervention at the highest level. Food aid to the starving is essential, school-feeding schemes are vital to protect our children (often the school lunch is the only meal of the day that young children receive), and every South African should do as much as possible to conserve our food supplies.

What can we do?
At grassroots level, education is still the most powerful tool we have to combat malnutrition.

I would like to see a roll-out of ‘barefoot’ food counsellors who spread the message of ‘good nutrition on a tight budget’ to all our people, no matter where they live – in inaccessible rural areas or the slums of our cities.

The Department of Education should also include ‘simple rules for surviving on available food’ as part of the school curriculum, starting in Grade 0.

How to save money when buying food
The following tips, which are based on some of the South African Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG), can help you and your family save a great deal of money when buying food:

Make starchy foods the basis of most meals
Many people regard starches (grains, cereals, bread, porridge) as ‘The Enemy’ because they believe that carbohydrates are fattening. This is not true. Carbohydrates contribute only 16kJ per gram (compared to 37kJ per gram provided by fat).

Unprocessed, unmilled or whole-grain carbohydrates such as unsifted maize meal, sorghum, millet, brown rice, samp, crushed wheat, brown and wholewheat bread, are the best readily available fuel for the human body to support physical activity.

In addition, these unprocessed carbohydrates contain dietary fibre, which keeps you satisfied for longer and promotes normal bowel functions, and a variety of important B vitamins and minerals that protect the body against certain diseases. As an added bonus, maize meal and wheat bread sold in South Africa has to be fortified by Government regulation with vitamin A, thiamine (vit B1), riboflavin (vit B2), niacin, folic acid, and pyridoxine, and the minerals zinc and iron.

If you use unprocessed starchy foods as the basis of your meals, you will ensure that you and your family obtain a reliable source of energy, B vitamins and dietary fibre.

South Africa is a major producer of maize and it has been predicted that we will have a bumper crop of 11 million tons this year – more than enough to feed our population. For those of us who have stopped eating our staple food, now is the time to revert back to your roots.

Serve maize meal whenever possible and if you live in the city and think you don’t have time for the slow cooking process, buy or build a slow cooker or a ‘hay box’, in which you can place your pot of maize meal to cook slowly all day long while saving a lot of electricity.

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits every day
This FBDG is vital for good health because vegetables and fruit are rich in protective nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

If you find it expensive to buy fruit and vegetables, hunt around in your area to find the best value for money. In some cases, it's better to buy vegetables and fruit in bulk and share the cost with friends, family and neighbours.

You can also use parts of vegetables such as the stalks of spinach and beetroot, or pumpkin leaves and pips, which you may have discarded in the past.

The African tradition of cooking greens gathered in the veld is an excellent practice. Starting your own vegetable garden is another.

Eat dry beans, peas, lentils and soya regularly
Legumes (the collective name for the above-mentioned plant foods) have been used as a staple food and a source of protein in Asia since the dawn of time. Legumes are rich in plant protein, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals and they contain no cholesterol.

By adding a portion of cooked legumes to three portions of starchy food, one can create a practically ideal meal to provide in all your energy and nutrient needs. Research conducted in Uganda many years ago already indicated that adding one cup of cooked beans to three cups of cooked maize meal produced a highly nutritious diet for malnourished populations.

Provide variety by using different legumes in different ways and by using different spices and herbs.

Legumes also take longer to cook, so get that slow cooker or ‘hay box’.

Basic low-cost diet
Your most basic low-cost diet could therefore consist of:

• Fortified maize meal or fortified wholewheat bread
• Cooked legumes (stew, soya mince, nourishing soups)
• Vegetables and fruit
• A small amount of oil for cooking or margarine for spreading on bread
• A small amount of sugar or jam to make the staple foods palatable
• 1-2 cups of reconstituted powdered milk or maas (especially important for growing children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers)
• One portion of protein food when affordable (meat, fish, eggs, chicken), but not every day

Foods to avoid
If you're on a tight budget, don't spend your scarce money on:

• Alcohol
• Cold drinks
• Fast-food and snack food
• Sweets, chocolate, cakes, pies etc
• Bottled water (if the water in your area isn't safe - and most of South Africa's municipal water is safe to drink - boil tap water)

We're facing tough times and things may get much worse before there's an upswing in the economy. But by careful planning and buying, you can feed your family with nutritious food to ensure that they stay healthy.

- (Dr I.V. van Heerden, aka DietDoc, May 2008)

Any questions? Ask DietDoc