Hyderabad: Although it is necessary to take care of health or food at every age, the period from childhood to youth is such when the pace of physical development of girls is very fast. As well as hormonal and many other types of changes that occur in their body during this period. There are also changes and the onset of menstruation. In such situations, it is very important to take care of their health for their proper development and healthy future.
UNICEF states that about a quarter of women of childbearing age in India are malnourished. The problem of malnutrition in women is not a cause of concern only at this age or during the period of pregnancy. Rather, it is a problem seen in girls since childhood and sometimes affects their development as well.
Not just malnutrition, but there are many other reasons such as hygiene which can affect the health of girls from infancy to adolescence. This effect can be seen not just in the form of deficiency of certain types of nutrition in the body but also in the form of severe infection or other problems.
The period from childhood to adolescence brings many changes in the body of girls. In fact, with the onset of teenage, menstruation begins in most girls. Although the impure blood that is secreted during menstruation does not cause weakness in the body, along with this blood the minerals and metals necessary for the body also come out of the body. On the other hand, the speed of physical development of girls is relatively high. In such situations, relatively more nutrition is required for the proper development of their body.
At the same time, the possibility of urinary or vaginal infection is also very high in girls, so special care must be taken for the hygiene of their genitals not just during menstruation but also in normal circumstances. Because neglect of these important things can sometimes affect their reproductive health as well and can even cause kidney-related or other serious diseases.
Dr Rati Gupta a paediatrician from Delhi, says that when children enter adolescence from childhood or when they hit puberty, their height and weight increase and other body parts are developing. Both boys and girls need more nutrition at this age, but since these changes in girls are much quicker than boys, they also have to go through the process of menstruation every month, due to which Hormonal changes also take place in their bodies, in which case their body needs relatively more nutrition.
She says that in our country deficiency of iron and other nutrients is seen more in women than in men. Due to any deficiency or problem in girls, the energy of the body should not decrease, their development should not be hindered and there should be no deficiency of any kind of element related to nutrition in the body, therefore their food and drink must be specially taken care of.
Also read:Solving period poverty is about more than just making products free
Diet and nutrition expert Dr Divya Gupta says that it is very important to give a balanced diet to children at this age, in which carbohydrates, protein, fibre, all types of vitamins, calcium, mineral, zinc and iron are present in balanced quantity. Especially talking about girls, between the age of 10 to 18 years, must take an average of 2000 calories, 58 grams of protein and 600 milligrams of calcium per day.
Apart from this, due to menstruation, minerals and some elements get out of the body along with contaminated blood, so it is very important to include such foods in their diet, which have high amounts of iron, zinc and other minerals. At the same time, it is also important to keep in mind that they consume the required amount of water daily.
Dr Vijayalakshmi, a gynaecologist from Uttarakhand, says that apart from nutrition, it is very important to explain to girls the need for cleanliness and hygiene of their bodies at this age. She says that even today in our society, the need to inform girls beforehand about menstruation is not considered necessary, which is incorrect.
She says that most of the girls do not know about the precautions to be taken during menstruation. Not taking care of hygiene during menstruation can sometimes cause infection or problems. Due to this, many times the possibility of urinary or vaginal infection in girls also increases. It is also a matter of concern that this does not happen only in rural areas or small towns, but even in big cities, school-going girls are not aware of proper hygiene.
Most girls do not know how often sanitary pads or tampons need to be changed, or that regular cleaning of the genitals is very important during this period, otherwise, there may be a risk of infection. At the same time, they do not even know that for the cleanliness of the genitals, the use of chemical-rich products or soaps should be avoided and how to dispose of the used sanitary pads.
Not just this, even in normal conditions, they do not have much knowledge about the need for regular cleaning of the genitals, its correct method and the need to change the undergarments daily. She explains that the structure of a woman's body is such that the cleaning of the vagina takes place automatically through discharge. But due to not changing the undergarments for a long time, the virus produced in them can also cause infection many times.
Dr Vijayalakshmi tells that by taking care of these small things related to hygiene, the possibility of major diseases can be reduced to a great extent. She tells that a healthy girl child grows up to be a healthy woman, and if the woman is healthy then only she can give birth to a healthy child with fewer problems. That's why it is very important that from childhood, special care should be taken for their diet, cleanliness, and things necessary for their development and health.
