Nutrition Zone

The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes  The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes was first agreed upon in 1981 and was updated in 2001 and 2008, most recently at the 34th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. At its heart, the International Code is an important statement on ethics and values that holds far-reaching implications not only for the health of infants and young children across the globe but also as a matter of civil rights. Here’s what you need to know about this ground-breaking convention and why it matters so much.    How the code helps mothers?  The marketing code that governs breast-milk substitutes was developed to ensure that mothers are supported in their choice to breastfeed. For example, as a result of a consumer campaign led by Nestlé and UNICEF more than 40 years ago, companies agreed not to market infant formula in health facilities where mothers would be relying on free supplies. This simp...

The Power of Maternal Nutrition Why does What You Eat Matter to Your Baby? Did you know that how you eat during pregnancy can directly affect the baby growing inside of you? That’s right your diet, even before you are pregnant, has a huge impact on what your child will look like and how he or she will be in the future. While many people know that nutritional deficiencies can result in birth defects, there is also plenty of research to suggest that an overabundance of certain nutrients especially during the first trimester can also have dramatic effects on your unborn child’s development as well as his or her risk of developing certain diseases later in life. Pregnancy requires more calories If you’re carrying a baby, your body has to provide nutrition to two people instead of one. A safe target is 300 calories per day more than your pre-pregnancy weight. A healthy pregnancy weight gain also depends on what trimester you’re in, you should be gaining around 1 to 4 pounds per month during...

Women in Low income countries-more vulnerable to malnutrition: born malnourished, poor health Heavy burden of reproductive activities, heavy work load, low intake, a poor diet, frequent acute & some chronic infections, repeated pregnancies, prolonged lactation & a heavy burden of work may all contribute to serious physiological depletion.