Only half of Russians children are fed adequately

Thursday, October 1, 2020

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Only half of Russians children are fed adequately, Valentin Sonkin, deputy director of the Institute for Developmental Physiology, declared Monday at a State Duma roundtable discussion on 'Diet and the Nation's Health.' He said a survey of 70,000 Russian schoolchildren had established that dietary inadequacies are a direct reflection of low incomes. In particular, it was found, he said, that most children now get fruits and juices only as holiday treats and that their usual daily fare consists principally of potatoes and grains. When asked what they thought a holiday meal should consist of, children tended to put fruits and juices first, followed by meat, lard and sausage, with cereals and potatoes following. The principal difference between first-graders and 10th-graders, Sonkin said, is that the younger children get breakfast at school, while the older children don't eat at school at all, with resulting stomach and digestive problems. He said children suffering from severe deficiencies in protein consumption are 10 times less hardy than age-mates and lag significantly on other measures. Sonkin stressed the importance to children of animal proteins.

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