Nutrition, Health and Sanitation

What is Nutrition ?
ପୁଷ୍ଟିକର ଖାଦ୍ୟ ହେଉଛି ବିଜ୍ଞାନ ଯାହା ଖାଦ୍ୟରେ ଥିବା ପୋଷକ ତତ୍ତ୍ୱ ଏବଂ ଅନ୍ୟାନ୍ୟ ପଦାର୍ଥର ରକ୍ଷଣାବେକ୍ଷଣ, ବୃଦ୍ଧି, ପ୍ରଜନନ, ସ୍ୱାସ୍ଥ୍ୟ ଏବଂ ରୋଗ ସମ୍ବନ୍ଧରେ ବ୍ୟାଖ୍ୟା କରେ | ଏଥିରେ ଭୋଜନ, ଅବଶୋଷଣ, ଆସ୍ମିଲେସନ୍, ବାୟୋସାଇନ୍ଥେସିସ୍, କ୍ୟାଟାବୋଲିଜିମ୍ ଏବଂ ନିର୍ଗମନ ଅନ୍ତର୍ଭୁକ୍ତ /

•Help in developing positive attitude and enhancing knowledge to demonstrate healthy nutritional and hygienic practice

•Introduce the nutritional needs of adolescents.

•Explains different food groups, locally available sources and their importance for maintaining good health

•Introduce the concept of balanced diet.

•Identify and challenge nutritional discrimination and the myths related to nutrition.

Enhance the knowledge of the learner on the causes, prevention and management of Anemia 

Nutritional Needs of Children 

ପିଲାମାନଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ପୁଷ୍ଟିକର ଆବଶ୍ୟକତା |

ପିଲାମାନଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ପୁଷ୍ଟିକର ଖାଦ୍ୟ ବୟସ୍କମାନଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ପୁଷ୍ଟିକର ସମାନ ନୀତି ଉପରେ ଆଧାରିତ | ସମସ୍ତେ ସମାନ ପ୍ରକାରର ପୋଷକ ତତ୍ତ୍ୱ ଆବଶ୍ୟକ କରନ୍ତି - ଯେପରିକି ଭିଟାମିନ୍, ମିନେରାଲ୍ସ, କାର୍ବୋହାଇଡ୍ରେଟ୍, ପ୍ରୋଟିନ୍ ଏବଂ ଫ୍ୟାଟ୍  | 

•Food serves many important functions in our body

•Base of the food pyramid is wide as it shows that food placed there must be eaten in more quantity in the daily diet

•Tip of the pyramid shows foods that are high in fats (oils) and sugar. These must be eaten in very less quantity in the daily diet.

•To meet all the nutrient needs, we need to have a sufficient quantity of food from each of the different food groups.

•Locally available foods and home cooked food is much healthier than packaged food and fast food.

•Packed and junk food may be tasty, but if it replaces meals on a regular basis it could result in micronutrient deficiency.

Note: Important to critically analyze catchy advertisements promoting consumption of fast food and packaged food 

What is Personal Hygiene ? 

Hygiene is a concept related to cleanliness, health and medicine. It is as well related to personal and professional care practices. In medicine and everyday life settings, hygiene practices are employed as preventive measures to reduce the incidence and spreading of disease. 

•Maintaining personal hygiene prevents illness and infection from bacteria or viruses

•Simple activities can be done to maintain personal hygiene :

•Wash hands (before eating or preparing food, after playing or going to the toilet),

•Brush teeth at least twice a day,

•Rinse mouth after every meal,

•Clip finger nails when long,

•Have a bath daily,

•Avoid biting nails or digging the nose,

•Change undergarments daily,

•Wear footwear when going out,

Cough and sneeze into your elbow 

7 Cs for food hygiene to prevent food contamination 

Check: Select food that is fresh. When buying packaged food, check the ‘best before date’.

Clean: Wipe all packages, tins, bottles before storing food. Wash whole fruit, vegetables and other food before cooking or consuming raw.

Cover: Keep all food and drinking water covered in a storage area that is free of pests and dust. Food stored in refrigerators must also be covered to avoid drying and absorbing of odors.

Cross contamination avoided: Keep raw and cooked food apart.

Cook: Cook food thoroughly and ensure it is freshly cooked especially if there is no refrigerator to store it.

Cool/Chill: Freeze meat, poultry, refrigerate eggs and other perishables as soon as you get them home from the market.

Consume: Serve food in a clean environment. Use clean vessels, plates, spoons for serving food and wash them well after using 

Summary of discussions 

•Lack of food hygiene is a common cause of illness and death among infants and children in our country, which can be easily reduced if we take care of hygiene and sanitation at a personal and community level.

•Good eating habits and maintaining food hygiene is essential for maintaining good health. For example, eating whole grains, sprouts, drinking local drinks (instead of packaged drinks), moderating street and junk food, cooking in iron dishes.

It is important to maintain food hygiene by following the seven Cs. 

Chain of five Fs that can cause infections 

•Poor personal hygiene can result in the transmission of harmful germs from the surroundings into one’s body.

•Contaminated food and water are common mediums of transmission of harmful germs into a person’s body.

•Sanitation is important to avoid growth of harmful organisms in surroundings and their transmission

•Open defecation can lead to worm infestations and must be avoided (discussion about how)

•Anaemia is a condition of deficiency of hemoglobin in the red-cells in our blood. It is caused due to lack of iron.

•Any adolescent who has hemoglobin below 12gm% is anaemic.

•The body develops rapidly during adolescence. Hence, the overall nutrition and iron requirements also increase.

•Iron deficiency interferes with a person’s ability to work, play or study. If left untreated, it can have long-term negative consequences.

•Importantly, anaemia can easily be prevented and can also be treated.

•We need to eat iron rich food to keep healthy and fit.

•We should watch out for symptoms of anaemia and get timely treatment.

Children should consume iron and folic acid under the WIFS scheme of the government to prevent anaemia. 

National Schemes on Nutrition and Sanitation

•Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is implementing the Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme since 2012 to meet the challenge of high prevalence and incidence of anaemia in adolescent girls and boys (56 percent of girls and 30 percent of boys as per National Family Health Survey 2015-16)).

•There are many causes of anaemia, of which iron deficiency accounts for about 50 % of cases in school children and among women of reproductive age-group (15-45 years), and 80 % in children 2-5 years of age.

•Under WIFS iron-folic acid tablets (pink/blue tablets) are given to children studying in Classes I-XII. This service is delivered through school teachers.

The tablets should be consumed after the main meal of the day to prevent side effects such as nausea and pain abdomen 

National Deworming Day (NDD) 

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is also called the Clean India Mission or Swachh Bharat Campaign. It is a national campaign to cover all the backward statutory towns to make them clean. This campaign involves:

•Construction of latrines for households below the poverty line or converting dry latrines to low cost sanitary latrines.

•Promoting sanitation programmes in the rural areas – use of hand pumps for water, safe and secure bathing facilities, sanitary marts, construction of drains, disposal of solid and liquid wastes, cleaning streets and  roads.

•This intends to reduce the risk of diarrhoea through clean sanitary practices and the construction of latrines will reduce the risk of worm infestation through open field defecation

• Enhance health and education awareness.

•This campaign was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, on the 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi.

More information: http://swachhbharatmission.gov.in/SBMCMS/about-us.html 

Summary of discussions 

•Government of India is implementing many programmes to enhance people’s health and protect them from prevalent diseases.

•Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation, National Deworming Day and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are three national level programmes that try to tackle the issues of widespread anaemia, parasitic worm infections and lack of sanitation, respectively.

•It is important to have information and participate in these schemes to ensure that its benefits reach us and people in our community.