Photo : Messenger
Like all places in the world, as we know normal life was brought to a halt in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of lives were lost to the deadly contagious infection. People ultimately became confined in their homes, which had both positive and negative impacts on their lives.
Such a positive change occurred in the life of a nutritionist named Jennifer Binte Huque. At that time, she was also confined to her home due to a respiratory illness. She was devastated by the plight of the pandemic-affected people, and instead of sitting idle, she wanted to do something for the community.
After consulting family members, she started to create and release video contents and give advice online. Initially, she started to give health-related advice from her Facebook profile.
How to improve the body's immune system, what foods to eat and what food to avoid, and good practices to improve lung function during the pandemic were her early contents. She used her talent and knowledge to produce nutrition-related videos and online posters. Later, she launched her Facebook page, Nutritionist Jennifer Binte Huque, where all her online materials are now available and she has a following of almost 3 lakh. In 2022, she was awarded the prestigious RIN NAMKORA NARI award for the profound positive impact on the community that her activities achieved.
Moreover, she has numerous published articles in national newspapers and magazines and has given many interviews on television channels. Now, Bangladeshis all around the globe view their digital contents and take online consultations.
Nutritionist Jennifer Binte Huque achieved a Masters (M.S.) in Food and Nutrition from the Government College of Applied Human Sciences (formerly the Government College of Home Economics) under the University of Dhaka. Presently, she is a diet and nutrition consultant at Thyrocare Bangladesh at Thyrocare Consultation Centre, Banani, Dhaka.
About her journey as a nutritionist, Jennifer says, “Although I’ve been working as a diet and nutrition consultant for over a decade, the online contents that I created during the pandemic were the turning point in my career, and now that patients from home and abroad take my advice and achieve their goals. It always fills me up with joy.”
The writer is a freelance writer
Messenger/Disha
