#malnutrition

When the body is put on very short rations or, worse, is starving,
. . . it adapts to the situation by re-prioritizing all its functions.
. . . The gastrointestinal tract is essentially put on standby,
. . . while the body starts to feed off fat reserves, and the liver.
If food is still not forthcoming,
. . . the body then starts in on drawing nutrients from the
. . . muscles, and other organs.

This depressing scenario is even worse in children,
. . . as their small bodies, which are geared to fast growth,
. . . go into their own holding pattern.
The result can be:
. . . . . . Edema,
. . . . . . Stunted skeletal growth,
. . . . . . Compromised immune system,
. . . . . . Wasted muscles,
. . . . . . Compromised immune system, and
. . . . . . Neurological problems,
. . . that can persist through adulthood.

MIT team has a "Milkshake" in Mumbai,
. . . where using spray drying, and a colloid mill,
. . . has allowed them to stabilize the oil droplets in an emulsion in the product,
. . . so it has a decent shelf life,
. . . micro-encapsulating the oils and nutrients inside the solids,
. . . to produce a dry powder.
Reconstituting the food, can be done using clean water or milk, with only
. . . 30 seconds of hand stirring.
(Milk is preferred, because the cow acts as a living filter, and
. . . avoids the dangers or water contamination)

We've found that children really like the drinkable version.

4-25-2017 Source:  #malnutrition