Importance of childhood nutrition
‘Nutrition’ has been a never-ending topic of discussion among mothers, paediatricians, and dieticians, and of lately, has seeped into the conversations of the health-conscious generation too. It may appear overrated or it may sound cliched, but the fact is nutrition indeed is a vital aspect of a healthy life and deserves conscious and considerable attention; especially during the growth years of children.
Importance of
nutrition during formative years
Childhood is the most eventful of all developmental stages -
be it physical, cognitive, social, emotional, or language and communication –
children are the most active learners during this phase. However, children must
be provided with adequate nourishment for them to achieve various developmental
milestones age-appropriately. A balanced nutritious diet comprising of the
right amount of essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats,
vitamins and minerals become vital for proper growth and development of
children. Heeding to this NGOs like The Akshaya Patra Foundation have taken up
food and nutrition as their core cause. Akshaya Patra is an NGO that implements
the Mid-Day Meal Scheme and has been providing nutritious meals to children of
government schools and government-aided schools since 2000.
Benefits of good
nutrition
There are several advantages of good nutrition for children.
Here are a handful of them:
• Proper
nutrition supports age-appropriate growth and development in children;
• It
improves the immunity level in children thereby keeping infections and diseases
at bay;
• It
enhances cognitive functioning, level of activeness, social connections and
interest to learn and explore different activities;
• Better-nourished
children are more active at school and perform well in their academics and
other school activities.
• Under-nourishment
leads to low immunity, a decrease in activity levels, social interactions, urge
to learn, and cognitive functioning, and poor academic performance. It also has
an adverse effect on the child’s physical and emotional development.
Role of mid-day meal
in nourishing children
The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is a government initiative to
provide healthy and nutritious meals to children of government schools and
government-aided schools. The children of these schools hail from
not-so-privileged socio-economic backgrounds and for them, the mid-day meal
becomes the only source of nutrition, and many times it is the only proper meal
they get for the entire day. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is aimed to counter
classroom hunger, address malnutrition, increase school enrolment, increase
school attendance, and improve socialisation among children belonging to
different castes. Favourably, several studies report a positive impact of the
mid-day meal on all the mentioned aspects. So, that the mid-day meal and
its nutritious value benefit more children, Akshaya Patra is strategically
and sustainably expanded its reach across the country.
Gift a nourished
childhood
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