FEATURE: BY NIDA KHAN

“Healthy Women, Healthy Nation”
BY NIDA KHAN

It’s a very famous proverb that if you want a healthy generation you must need healthy women. Today’s young girl will be mother of next generation, if women are not healthy how can we expect a healthy generation? Women’s health is not necessary for only bearing children but also her health is necessary for her own self, her family and society also.
Our population approximately consists of above 50% women and a healthy person can make easily a healthy and beneficial society, healthy women can perform all the activity of daily life, she can do chores, study, look after her family, jobs in any field and can bear the financial burden or load of her family but this can be possible only, if she is completely healthy, physically and mentally. It is also said that give me good mothers I will give a good nation.
Ignoring the importance of nutritional requirements can have adverse health effects. In the long run, it can result in permanent damage to the bones, heart and the brain. On the other hand, providing rich nutrients that are required for the body promises good health. A well-nourished body projects an appealing appearance as well. The eyes, skin, hair, and teeth are its outward indicators.
Importance of nutrition, how it varies for women with age and physical condition. Resolve to take action for good health by following a nutrition chart. Redirect your eating habits so as to improve body resistance, stay mentally sharp, emotionally balanced and energetic. On the whole, it’s time to build a life with positive outlook.
Water, carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the four basic nutrients essential to life. Vitamins and minerals are classified as micronutrients simply because they are needed in relatively small amounts compared to the four basic nutrients. In order to be healthy and active, it is pertinent to follow a balanced diet that provides adequate amount of nutrient each day in quantity and variety to meet the energy and nutrient needs.
But the situation is going to lead to a very serious disorder in our society because mostly young girls, specially college and university students avoids, healthy and hygienic food, they likes fast food and junk food instead of healthy diet and homemade meals, they keeps on dieting to reduce their weight and want to look smart because the concept of healthy body is misfit in their minds, girls want to look like kareena kapoor and other under weight celebrities. They do an extra efforts for achieving this “risky task” I am using here the word “risky“ for achieving sliming target has poor effects on health and they doesn’t realize the actual risk of unhealthy food, poor diet and bad eating habits.
Mostly and majority of girls who come to university, without having breakfast at their homes and the moment, they land in university their first priority is to visit campus canteen and to order for unhygienic and dirty snacks ,soft drinks, tea and biryani, surprisingly they eat that junk food with very keen interest, when you ask these girls, who are busy in canteen having breakfast, one girl replied that she has no enough time for breakfast in the morning, as she was getting late that’s why she left home in hurry and having breakfast here in canteen, another girl said, she doesn’t like homemade breakfast only likes breakfast here with friends. It’s very amazing, that all these girls are getting higher education in university and all are unaware about human basic need “food” a healthy food and good health. They really don’t know that what critical situation can happen to them due to their bad eating habits, unhealthy food and unhealthy routine of life. There is no such shop or store of human organs or human body parts, where from they can change their expired human systems. Obviously these women may be having short span of life, full of miseries and having serious diseases at the later stages of life, it’s not a joke it’s a reality.

Girls of university are facing many health problems such as routine headache, body ache, low blood pressure, menstruation problem, lack of interest in studies and short memory, these all problems are indications of a big disaster. One concerned gynecologist said for this situation that, if a female does not have a proper diet, she will develop low body resistance and will be prone to so many diseases especially viral diseases, lack of good food will lead to menstrual disorders and other problems related to gynecology. All those who are crazy about their figures and keep on dieting to reduce their weight and they want to be and feel smart, in fact they loose their natural beauty, their skin is not that fresh as natural, it gets dry and having scars, they have circles around their eyes, their cheeks are depressed, the natural glow of their skin, eyes, nails and hair is vanished ,even they can be prone to hair loss also, if they do not take a proper and nutritious diet, it should include fruits, vegetables, meat all types, eggs, milk and nuts too, they will have white spots in their nails and more over their nails will become pale and hard which is a sign and symptom of unhealthy nails, so milk, yogurt, fresh cream and lassi can counter these problems. More over at a later stage lack of calcium can lead to dental damage and osteoporosis also, which is a disease of bones .Lack of iron in body can leads to anemia and the face of the patient has no natural glow and skin gets pale. These women when they become mothers their new borne are malnourished, having low weight and even if they are not under weight they are mentally very weak and lack intelligence, they are weak in studies and very slow in uptake as their brain is underdeveloped and these children later on, becomes burden for their parent as well as the society.

Nutrition chart for womenNutrition requirements of a woman differ a lot as compared to a man. What works best for a man is not likely to be right for a woman. As a woman treads through different stages of physiology, her nutritional requirements vary. For instance, during adolescence and early adulthood, there is a need to increase intake of food rich in calcium to build maximum bone mass. Thereby, it possible to ward off risk related to developing osteoporosis later in life.
All women lose 20-40 milligrams of iron each month during menstruation. If not checked, iron deficiency anemia can develop. As a woman nears midlife, her metabolism begins to slow down. It is all the more important to get adequate nutrients by eating a healthy diet.
As per The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, women between 23 and 50 years eat about 2,200 calories a day to maintain weight. The nutrient needs are liable to vary with gender, age, height, weight, physical condition, activity level and the climatic conditions you live in. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will need additional 300-500 calories per day than their usual needs. Also, the calorie needs will hit the highest point- say 2300 calories/day during her mid-twenties. Thereafter, it tends to decline at about 2% per decade. At this rate, by 35 the calorie needs will be only 2254 calories.
Each person’s daily nutritional needs differ with age, physical condition and activity.
Nutrition Tips
· Understand the importance of a nutrition rich diet.
· Put together a healthy, total diet and adhere to it.
· Do not skip meals. Eat often, helps to keep weight steady.
· Include foods from all groups. Grains, fruits and vegetables.
· Give importance to greens, soy products.
· Eat more iron-rich foods. Not to forget vitamins and calcium.
· Ensure diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
· Do not include alcoholic beverages more than one drink a day.
· Don’t be too fat-free frenzy. Count calories when cutting fat.

Health is very rare and precious gift of God, so girls please don’t spoil your health don’t follow unhealthy activities, habits and trends, if you avoid your good diet you will loose your good health and low health is easily loosing your life and life is a chance it is given only once and life is not a drama or film where you can re- born after your death, it is reality so accept reality and avoid fantasy, enjoy the actual fun of life with health. These all are blessings just for you, so eat healthy food, feel healthy look healthy and people will call you “pretty women”.