The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
| Good childhood nutrition important for your child's health Posted: 14 May 2013 04:51 PM PDT Good early childhood nutrition can benefit your child's health in the present, as well as the future. WE are all aware that good nutrition is important for all ages and at all stages of life. Good nutrition, however, is especially important for infants, toddlers and young children as they need various vitamins and minerals in balanced proportions to help their bodies and minds develop and mature. Giving your child a healthy and balanced diet from young will also keep malnutrition problems at bay, as well as help create good nutrition habits for the future. Why is nutrition important? If a healthy body and mind is what you want for your child, then understanding the role of nutrition in the development of a young mind and body is important. Your child's diet must contain adequate amounts of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. There are a few reasons why this is important, namely: *Growing strong bones Nutrition plays a vital role in your child's bone development throughout life. Bone is a living and growing tissue, and the best time to build up bones is during childhood and the early teen years. Give your child a diet which includes a sufficient amount of calcium and vitamin D. These nutrients can be found in milk and dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. You should also encourage your child to get some sun outside the home as the sun provides natural vitamin D. *Building muscles Muscle development is crucial to support all physical activity. To build and repair muscle tissues, give your child a diet that contains adequate protein. Protein can be found in lean meats (such as chicken), eggs, cheese, milk, nuts and legumes. *Fuel for the body The food your child eats will provide the energy his body needs to function. The main source of energy is carbohydrates. Give him enough complex carbohydrates that not only provide him with energy, but also fibre, vitamins and minerals. Good examples include cereals (preferably the whole grain variety), rice, bread, oats, noodles, and pasta. Other than the benefits mentioned above, there is another important facet of good nutrition – the prevention of chronic lifestyle diseases. Giving your child a healthy, balanced diet will help prevent obesity and chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and even certain cancers in adult life. Learning correct portion sizes at a young age and eating a healthy, balanced diet will help prevent your kids from being overweight as they get older. Being overweight puts them at risk for various diseases and can even lead to low self-esteem. The main principles to achieve good nutrition and healthy eating are encapsulated in the Malaysian Food Pyramid's mantra of BMV, which stands for Balance, Moderation and Variety. The Malaysian Food Pyramid is made up of four levels, and the whole idea is to consume foods in direct proportion with the size of the levels, eg foods at the base of the pyramid should be consumed in greater quantity compared to foods at the top of the pyramid. Find out which foods belong to which levels, and then learn how to relate the four levels into your daily meals. From there, it's time to put the basics of good nutrition and healthy eating into practise: *Balance – the four levels demonstrate the necessity to take meals that are made up of foods from all five food groups. *Moderation – It is not just the types of foods you eat, but also the quantity. Emphasis should be placed on taking moderate servings of food in order to prevent overeating. *Variety – to ensure that you get all the nutrients you need, foods should be consumed from each food group. Hence, there should always be a variety of food from meal to meal. Getting started Children would naturally develop a preference for foods that they enjoy most. As a parent, the challenge for you is to make the healthier choices appeal to your child. It may be difficult to convince your child that an apple is preferable to a cookie when it comes to treats. However, if you ensure that your child's diet is as nutritious and wholesome as possible, having "treats" every so often should not be an issue. So how can you get your child started? Here are some tips you can refer to: *Eat regular family meals together. Having dinner together as a family can be comforting to your child and may enhance his appetite. Breakfast is also a good chance to have a family meal, and it helps reinforce the habit of having breakfast among kids. *Have more home-cooked meals. This is the healthiest alternative for the entire family and enhances your child's perception of the importance of food. Eating out often results in a higher intake of fat, sugar and salt. Try to leave dining out for special occasions as much as possible. *Get your child involved. Children usually enjoy helping adults, so get your child to pitch in when you go shopping for groceries, or when you are preparing family meals. It's a great chance to teach your child about the nutritional values of foods, and how to select healthy foods when shopping. *Make healthy snacks. Instead of letting your child eat empty-nutrient snacks like candies, let him have fruits, vegetables, whole grain snacks, and healthy beverages (water, milk, pure fruit juice). Make these healthy alternatives easily accessible and keep offering them to your child until he becomes used to reaching for healthy snacks instead of empty-nutrient snacks like soda, chips, or cookies. *Limit portion sizes. Make it a point not to force your child to finish his meals; it's better to tailor his meals to his appetite instead to ensure that he doesn't overeat. Also, be sure not to use food as a reward or bribe. Food for thought Good nutrition during the early years of a child's life is linked to better performance in school as well as in latter years. Undernourished children have lower resistance to infections, and thus become sick more often, miss school and fail to keep up with school work. As a parent, you can help prevent nutritional deficiencies in your child by providing him with a well-balanced diet. Remember that you don't need a degree in chemistry or medicine to do this. You can start by simply selecting and cooking the right foods that contain the essential nutrients his body needs to grow and develop. Use the Malaysian Food Pyramid or the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines as a guide to help you. It is also important to remember that physical activity is just as essential to your child's overall physical and psychological health. Encourage him to be active every day by helping you around the house, kicking a ball around, playing a game of chase, or having fun on the monkey bars at the park. Children should also do moderately intensive physical activities like cycling, swimming, or participate in sports like football, badminton or basketball, at least five to six times a week. Limit your child's physical inactivity and sedentary habits like watching television or playing video games. Children who regularly exercise or maintain an activity that is of a longer duration or more vigorous in intensity will gain more health benefits. So, get your child into the habit of healthy eating and healthy living. References: 1. http://www.bma.org.uk/images/Early%20life%20nutrition%20FINAL_tcm41-182859.pdf 2. http://www.livestrong.com/article/382603-why-nutrition-is-important-for-children/ 3. http://www.essortment.com/nutrition-young-children-57010.html 4. http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutrition101/a/why_nutrition.htm 5. http://nfsmi-web01.nfsmi.olemiss.edu/%28X%281%29%29/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20080612091850.pdf 6. http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/nutrition-promotes-healthy-living.html 7. http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/conditions/osteoporosis/promote.htm Note: If you have questions about nutrition for children or specific concerns about your child's diet, talk to your child's doctor, nutritionist, or dietitian. Information on the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2010 can be obtained from the Ministry of Health website: www.moh.gov.my. The Nutrition Society of Malaysia has also made available leaflets of these guidelines for the public (nutriweb.org.my). |
| Sight-threatening conditions a growing concern in Malaysia Posted: 15 May 2013 06:40 AM PDT Sight-threatening conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration are becoming a growing concern. Find out more about such problems during the upcoming Retinal Diseases Awareness Week which kicks off this Saturday. THEY say that the eyes are the mirror of the soul. Unfortunately, sight-threatening conditions such as retinal diseases are becoming a growing concern among Malaysians, says consultant ophthalmologist Dr Tara Mary George The retina is a layer of tissue in the back of your eye that senses light and sends images to your brain. Retinal disorders affect this vital nervous tissue, resulting in vision impairment. In some cases, it can even lead to partial or total vision loss. In young people, the major cause of vision loss due to retinal disease is diabetic retinopathy, says Dr George. Diabetes can lead to progressive damage to the eye's retina. In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, there are usually no symptoms. However, if left untreated, over time, the condition can lead to blindness. Current statistics reveal that Malaysia is now the fattest country in South-East Asia. According to the Health Ministry, about two in every five Malaysian adults are now either overweight or obese. And this brings with it an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. "If you have had diabetes for more than 10 years, then you will likely experience some changes in your retina," the doctor points out. "Unfortunately, more and more young people are now affected with diabetes, and with that, they have an increased risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. Losing your vision when you are still within the working age-group can be debilitating," she says. Other medical problems that can aggravate the condition include hypertension, high cholesterol and kidney disease. The good news is, about 90% of blindness due to diabetic retinopathy is preventable if it is diagnosed early. Meanwhile, in older adults, the retinal disease that most often affects them is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). "Anyone above the age of 50 is at risk of developing AMD, and it is a retinal disease that most often results in vision loss in the older population," says Dr George. AMD affects the central vision used for reading and fine visual tasks. Symptoms include distorted vision, where straight objects such as "a lamp post or your bathroom tiles appear wavy". Other symptoms include blind spots or dark patches in the central vision. "Most people are not aware they have this condition, because when one eye is affected, the other eye compensates for it," Dr George notes. She shares that a pilot study conducted at a government hospital has shown that almost 50% of AMD patients go on to seek treatment only at the advance stage of the disease, or if they have already lost vision in one eye. "Most people just accept that worsening eyesight is part-and-parcel of growing older," she adds. To address these rising concerns, The Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology (MSO) aims to raise public awareness on the signs and symptoms of retinal diseases with the upcoming Retinal Diseases Awareness Week. The programme will kick off with a road-show at the Ground Floor at One Utama Shopping Centre from May 18 till May 19. Members of the public will get to enjoy free retinal screenings as well as expert advice from eye care professionals from MSO at the event. Other fun and interactive activities at the event include colouring contests and a Zumba session. Admission is free. In addition, MSO will also be extending its reach beyond the Klang Valley by bringing educational talks and retinal screenings to various locations nationwide. For details, visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/MalaysianSocietyOfOphthalmology. |
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