AAHAR CLUB- THE NUTRITION CONSULTANCY CELL

History

The Dept of PG Studies and Research in Home Science initiated a Nutrition Consultancy cell- ‘AAHAR.’ Aahar means “Nutrition”.

Vission & Mission

The very idea of this club took its inception on 9.02.2017. The inauguration was done by Ex-National President of Indian Dietetic Association, eminent nutritionist of Chennai Dr. Dharini Krishnan.

Members of the club

The qualified staff of Nutrition and Dietetics, including two of them as Registered Dietitians are playing a pivotal role in conducting the diverse activities of this club-

• (Mrs.) HameedaYousuf Ali
• (Mrs.) Salma Parveen
• (Mrs.) R.M.Sobana
• (Mrs.) P.Mohamed Nisha
• H. Shafia Banu
• (Mrs.) Avanti Prabhakhar
• Andilip Parveen

From the time of the inception, the club involves the students of Nutrition & Dietetics in multifaceted activities, which encompasses the area of nutrition and health of people.

Ojectives of the club

• To provide a platform for hands on practical exposure and training to nutrition students, who are aspiring nutritionists
• To help the society to get benefit from diet counseling.
• To offer the consultancy services to educational institutions on non profitable basis.
• To offer the consultancy services to corporate sector and other institutions on remunerative basis.

Club Co-ordinators

• (Mrs.) Avanti Prabhakhar
• (Mrs.) P.Mohamed Nisha

Student Representatives

Minutes of the Meeting

The Practice

This best practice has its own uniqueness as it practically trains the aspiring nutritionists and budding dieticians, which are future health care workers for India.   This practice provides the students an opportunity to practice and develop their diet counseling skills under supervised environment.

A brief account of the activities is presented herewith-

• Nutrition assessment of all the department students is regularly done based on their height, weight, body fat percentage and Dietary recall. Based on these results, counseling services are offered to the students.
• Parents of the Nursery school attached to the Department were also invited during their visit to the nursery school. Nutrition assessment and counseling services were offered to them.
• As part of World Heart Day celebrations, Health Assessment and Nutritional Counseling session – ‘HEALTHY HEART’ was conducted for parents of the students by the III B.Sc. CND girls on 29.9.2018.
• Diet counseling and a Diet exhibition for the parents of Special Children at Madhuram Narayanan Center, Chennai was carried out by the students of III B.Sc CND students on 24.10.2018. This activity is taken up on yearly basis by the club.
• Students were taken to attend for a workshop on 18.02.19 on enteral and parenteral nutrition to Sundaram Medical Foundation, Chennai where they had hands on training to attend patients who require special feeding methods and support. This activity is organized for final year students on yearly basis by the club.
• Diet counseling was offered to non-teaching women staff of JBAS College was based on their nutritional assessment by III B.Sc CND students on 18.01.2019. This activity is done on yearly basis by the club.
• Aahar activity for the year 2018-19 was organizing a diet exhibition and an awareness drive on traditional green leafy vegetables on 26.02.19
• Students were taken to attend for a workshop on 20^th August and 21^st August 2019 on enteral and parenteral nutrition to Sundaram Medical Foundation, Chennai where they had hands on training to attend patients who require special feeding methods and support. This activity is organized for final year students on yearly basis by the club.

Evidence of Success:

• This practice is highly appreciated and welcomed by the parents, non-teaching staff and other stake holders.
• Students also greatly motivated and confident post exposure following the practice.

Inauguration of Aahar Club

World Heart Day celebrations- ‘HEALTHY HEART"

Diet Counseling for the parents of Special Children at Madhuram Narayan Center,Chennai

Body composition assessment for women non-teaching staff of JBAS College

Activities OF 2019-2020

As part of AAHAR CLUB activity,  Nutritional counseling was given by III B.Sc ND students at Omayal Achi Community health centre, Arakkambakkam  on 22^nd June 2019, 7^th August 2019, 28^th August 2019and 13th September 2019.

Breast Feeding Awarness Program

Breast feeding awareness program was conducted on 05-08-19 in the Golden Jubile Seminar Hall. Dr.Srinivasan, Pediatrician, ICH, Egmore was the chief guest for the program. He gave an interesting speech on the importance of Breast feeding. Song, dance and skit was performed by the students of Home Science Department to create an awareness on Breast feeding.

Breast Feeding Week Celebration

Posters and galactogogue recipes were displayed by the students of Home Science departement on 5^th August 2019 on behalf of Breast Feeding Week Celebration.

Rally to Create an Awarness on Breastfeeding

As a part of AAHAR CLUB activity the students of  III B.Sc.CND  went on a rally to create an awareness on breastfeeding within the college campus on 9^th August 2019. 

Diet Counseling for the Parents of Special Children

Diet Counseling for the parents of Special Children  at Madhuram Narayan Center, Chennai on 12^th september 2019.

Eat Right India Movement

Dr. Avanti Prabhakhar and Dr. P. Mohamed Nisha represented JBAS College at Island Ground, Chennai  Eat Right India Movement  organized by NetProFaN, FSSAI and  NSI on 13^th September 2019. This movement in Chennai was inaugurated by the The Hononable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, E. Palanisamy. The students of Home Science Department actively participated in the poster and slogan competitions and also won the prizes.

A Workshop on Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition

A workshop on Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition was organized at Sundaram Meidcal Foundation, Chennai for III B.Sc. ND and III B. Sc. CND on 20^th August and 21^st August 2019.

Consultancy Activity of Aahar Club - Remunertive Consultancy for IFTR

Nutritional awareness program was conducted by the students and the staff of the department of home cience in association with Indigenous Frontier Technology Research (IFTR), Nutrition Society of India, Chennai chapter, Eat Right Movement and NetProFan India at NKT Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School, Ice House, Chennai on 17.10. 2019.

The students created awareness on traditional foods among the school girls using different audio-visual aids like food pyramid, My Food Plate, charts, posters, power point presentations and skit on food and nutrition. Detailed explanation and information about eating right way and importance of eating traditional foods was given to 55 participants. At the end of the program nutritious mixed pulse sundal was distributed to the beneficiaries as a part of “Eat Right” Campaign.

A similar program was conducted for 50 students on 22.10.19at Ganapathy Iyer Govt. Girls School, Gopalapuram, Chennai. At this venue, after the program ground nut burfi was distributed as the healthy traditional snack for the participant.

Expenses for conducted these programs was totally funded by IFTR and remuneration towards consultancy of Rs. 4000 was handed over as a cheque to Principal in the name of JBAS College for Women.