**Encouraging Children to Eat Vegetables: Insights from Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection | Republika Online**
JAKARTA – The importance of vegetables in children’s diets was highlighted by Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Arifatul Choiru Fauzi, during a program called Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG). Vegetables contain a wealth of essential nutrients for children’s growth and development. Vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in vegetables play a crucial role in maintaining overall body health.
Arifatul directly addressed the students about the significance of consuming vegetables for a healthy body. “It’s important to eat vegetables because they contain essential nutrients needed by our bodies, so that in the future, they will become the golden generation,” she said through a statement from the Presidential Communication Office in Jakarta on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
## Challenges in Encouraging Vegetable Consumption
Arifatul pointed out that some students were not interested in eating vegetables in the MBG Program. The lack of interest in vegetables among students in the MBG Program was evident during her visit to SDN 7 Subagan and MTsN Karangasem, Bali, on Friday, January 17, 2025.
Furthermore, she received various feedback from participants in the form of notes, which were delivered to the program’s organizers. She also linked the importance of this program to research conducted by the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection in collaboration with Wahana Visi Indonesia. The study involved 6,969 children in 34 provinces and lasted from December 2023 to June 2024.
## The Call for Balanced Nutrition
Arifatul revealed that 44% of Indonesian children skip dinner, 32% do not have breakfast before school, and 18% have experienced hunger due to a lack of food at home. “These results indicate that programs like MBG are essential to ensure that Indonesian children have access to nutritious food,” she said.
She emphasized that healthy and intelligent children are the key to a better future for Indonesia, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s genuine love for Indonesian children. She stressed that the MBG Program is the government’s effort to prepare a quality generation for Indonesia Emas 2045.
In response to the low interest in vegetables, she urged teachers at schools and parents at home to actively educate children about the importance of balanced nutrition. “Nutritious food doesn’t have to be expensive. Indonesia is rich in various nutritious foods. Our task is to educate and encourage children to consume them,” she stated.
Through the MBG Program, Minister Arifatul hopes that children will not only receive nutritious food but also gain a better understanding of the importance of healthy eating habits.