World Food Day
Food is a basic human necessity but a lot more than that too. Call yourself a foodie or not, certain favorites can instantly put a smile on your face! Grab as many bars of chocolates as you like and wolf it down! Excited to have your friends over? Food is nutrition, a necessity, an emotion, a harbinger of togetherness, and a celebration, all commingled and served collectively on a platter of a hearty meal!
October 16 is celebrated as World Food Day, a day dedicated to food, not merely for those who love it but for those who need it. It commemorates the establishment of the ‘Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in 1945. It aims to spread awareness on the existing problems related to food: scarcity and obesity. World Food Day 2020 demarcates the 75th anniversary of the formation of FAO.
Significance and celebration of World Food Day
The World Food Day has traditionally been the day aiming for food security for all. Numerous outreach activities are organized where NOGs, governments, businesses, media, and the general lot come together to contribute and help the malnourished. The hopes are on a ZeroHunger world, where no child has to go to bed on an empty stomach, and no parent has to cry for not being able to feed their children.
Over the years, the global event has also simultaneously focused on nutrition, healthy diets, and sustainability to fight against obesity, a yet another plague in human lives. In over 150 countries, the day now also promotes nutritious diets and a healthy lifestyle. It calls for global solidarity to build more resilient food systems and help those in crisis.
The significance of World Food Day lies in how magnanimous the scale of existing food problems is. You are constantly asked not to waste food or eat too much junk and oily food. Why? Because the repercussions can be heavy. Here are some key facts you should be aware of on this World Food Day (that might as well leave you flabbergasted!):
- Worldwide, nearly 821 million people lack food that suffices for a healthy living. That is nearly one in every 9 people going to bed hungry every night.
- Ironically, more than 1.9 billion adults (18 and above) are overweight, out of which over 650 million people are obese.
- UNICEF data shows that approximately 16 million children below the age of 5 suffer from severe acute malnutrition, making it one of the major causes of deaths in infants. Out of that, only 3 million children were treated, and that’s not even 20%.
- 38 million children below the age of five are either overweight or obese.
- Nearly 25,000 people die of hunger every single day, amounting to nearly 9 million deaths in a year.
- Approximately 2.8 million people die of being overweight or obese every year.
Because numbers do matter! They are a stark reminder of the significance of World Food Day and why its initiatives should be carried out and scaled up throughout the year.
09 Foods Which Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) liked
A balanced diet is “a diet which consists of a variety of different types of food and also provides adequate amounts of the nutrients that necessary for good health.” Following a balanced diet is important for us to keep body healthy and fit. In Holy Quran, Allah Almighty gives the divine order to people about food that is to eat the lawful foods which Allah (SWT) had created for them. He says: “O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that we have provided you with, and be grateful to Allah, if it is indeed He Whom you worship” (Quran, 2:172). Islam teaches us that we should eat a balanced diet which can help us to stay healthy.
To live in Islam is not just preparing for the Hereafter but also to live a healthy and happy life in this world. Health is one of the greatest blessings from Allah Almighty that He bestowed on mankind. In Holy Quran, there are many verses which promote the eating of healthy food and also eating in moderation. Allah (SWT) stated in Noble Quran: “And He enforced the balance. That you exceed not the bounds; but observe the balance strictly, and fall not short thereof.” (Quran, 55:7-9)