A survey on knowledge and practices in food preparation at home by women for preserving nutritive value and quality of diet in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra

Abstract

The well established fact is that food preparation is a symbol of culture and tradition of a community and every style of food preparation has its own unique flavour and style. However, from the nutritional point of view, this is essential to bear in mind that the preservation of nutrients can be maximized and loss of nutrients can be minimized by adopting correct handling and food preparation methods. Moreover, a well balanced and nutritious diet could be planned using local produces. In this study using expert opinion and scrutiny a questionnaire was prepared and tested for reliability on the data collected. Thus, the data collected through this standardized tool shows that in spite of majority of women being educated (68 %) and having an earning potential (52 %) of more than Rs. 5 000/ with awareness on local produces, are still following a number of wrong cooking practices that could be improved to increase preservation if nutrients during food preparation. This could be achieved using a number of tools like booklets, videos and workshops.