Sunday, July 3, 2016

Importance of catching up the lost growth


      All parents want their children to lead healthy and balanced lives - both physically and psychologically. in some cases , children fall behind on growth by not attaining the right height and weight as per age , which may cause anxiety amongst parents. 

       It is important to be at the average height and weight required for the particular age . The children those where not in the required weight falls into either category - dwarf / giant and underweight / obese ( overweight ).

      If the child is below the average height for the particular age , the child is considered as dwarf. If the child is below the average weight required , the child is underweight. 

      To be considered healthy , the body and mind must be sound and without any inabilities.

     According to WHO global  , 162 million children under five are stunted ( too short for their age ). Stunning growth is an indicator of chronic under nutrition resulting from inadequate food intake , poor health and poor child care. Under Nutrition contributes to the death of 3.1 million children per year. 

   Most of the developing and under developed countries are facing this problem . It was estimated that  India was on the top of the list.

   The world bank estimates that India is one of the highest ranking countries in the world for the number of children suffering from malnutrition. The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the highest in the world and is nearly double that of Sub Saharan Africa. 

   It was a taboo in India still that the boys are to be feed well than the girls as the boys are going to lead the family and earn for the family. This makes the female children undernourished. 

  This was a wrong belief followed in most of the rural as well as by some people in the Urban areas too. If a girl child is undernourished , it will be a problem for her as well the offsprings she bore. Every child has to be provided with a well balanced and nutritious meal irrespective of the sex of the child. 

    Malnutrition during pregnancy causes the child to have increased risk of future diseases  , physical retardation and reduced cognitive abilities.  

   In India 44% of children under the age of 5 are underweight . 72% of infants and 52% of married women have anaemia.
 It will be difficulty for a malnourished women to bore a healthy infant and the new born will also suffer from undernourishment. 

  
  Regular checkups are to be carried out to find the child's health status has to be carried out. If the child is found to be undernourished , measures has to be taken to catch up the lost growth.

  Some children may be picky eater and avoid eating nutritious food and indulge on junk foods. The parents has to take necessary steps to convert the junk food into a healthier one like if a child likes pizza - make your own pizza at home and include more nutritious veggies instead of adding a lot of cheese. 

  Make the children to take more fruits and veggies instead of fried snacks. Most children avoid leafy greens , so include the greens and make palak roti , palak kichadi. By these we can feed the kids with green leafy vegetables. 

    Parents have to look over their children's intake and provide well balanced meal. As today's children are tomorrow's  future , they must be taken care of well.


   Even though the government of India has introduced many schemes like Mid day meal program for children , providing health mixes to pregnant women . These problems still exist because of low economic and social status.

    The biggest gift we are giving to our children is the physical health which is the backbone for their future. Horlicks has introduced new product especially for children to catch up the lost growth. 


“Horlicks Growth+ is a specialized nutrition product designed by international pediatric experts for children in age group of 3-9 years who are lagging behind in height and weight. It contains high quality whey protein with added nutrients that are known to enable children to catch up on lost growth. It has been clinically proven for visible growth in children in 6 months.

 To  know more click here.