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Should Parents Worry If Their Kid Is Short?

MBBS, Diploma in Child Health (DCH)
Pediatrician, Faridabad
Should Parents Worry If Their Kid Is Short?
Out of the many things a parent can be worried about their child, physical growth and development are the major ones. Height development is indeed a very crucial part of the overall development of a child's body. But how will you know whether your child is short and should you worry if he or she is short?

When is a child categorised as being short?
A child is said to be of short stature when the height is two standard deviations less than the mean height for the specific age and sex. However, it does not signify that your child is sick or has some deformity.

What are the causes of being short?
The most common reasons that need not be worried about are:

Ancestry: Your child's short height could be a result of genetics. If his/her parents belong from a short family stature, then, the child is most likely to follow the same. Being said that, their body performs in a normal way and they do not face any medical issue despite being short.
Delay in Growth: In case a child faces a severe growth delay between the age of 6 months and up to 2 years, then it may lead to him/her staying short. Such children usually grow at a much slower pace, compared to other children of the same age without any development issues. However, no medical treatment is required as the child usually catches up with the height of their friends of the same age, once they become adults.
What are the medical Conditions behind the short stature?
For children who show an excessive delay in growth, doctors can find out whether they are going through any serious medical condition that needs attention or not. Some of the medical conditions which can cause short height are:

Malnutrition: For those who do not receive proper nutrition on a daily basis, tend to face physical health issues.
Chronic Illness: Any congenital disease or something that affects the major organs of one's body might slow down the height growth.
GHD: Growth Hormone Deficiency is a common condition in children. When the pituitary gland does not produce enough hormones, such a condition occurs.
Stress: When a child faces stress from a very little age, often he or she becomes mentally and physically hampered.
Genetic Problems: A condition known as Turner s syndrome can cause growth failure in a girl child.
Hormonal Imbalance: For those who suffer from improper production of hormones, they might face obstruction in case of height growth.
Endocrine diseases: Endocrine diseases disrupt hormone production thus resulting in a delay in growth.
For every 100 children of a particular age, 3 tend to be shorter. However, unless your child suffers from a medical problem, short stature is not to be worried, and it is recommended that they have proper and balanced nutrition to ensure proper height development.
3559 people found this helpful

Eating Less Does Not Cause Fat Loss!

MSc - Dietetics and Applied Nutrition
Dietitian/Nutritionist, Bangalore
Eating Less Does Not Cause Fat Loss!
Many obese people and people who are concerned about their weight, try to follow a very low calorie diet. This is called as under eating as the essential amount of calories are not consumed. It has been proven that under eating does not really help you to lose weight, but in return causes malnutrition as the essential vitamins and minerals which the body requires are not obtained.

Here are 3 reasons why under eating won t help you lose weight and causes several health complications in the body.

Metabolism slows down along with side effects: When a person is under eating, very few calories are consumed by the body. This makes it difficult for the body to give you power for carrying out your daily activities and more effort is needed. This may slow down your rate of metabolism. You may feel irritable, sluggish and uncomfortable. Fatigue is also likely. In order to rectify this, you need to stop under eating. The body requires some amount of time to recover the normal metabolism functions.
Loss of essential muscles and organs: The body requires glucose even though you are using ketone bodies. A sufficient amount of glucose is required by the body to keep you alive and insufficient glucose supply may lead to the functional breakdown of valuable muscles and organs within the body. This is a severe long-term problem, as the body does not distinguish between the essential tissues and non - essential tissues. This leads to the breakdown of major organs, which may cause serious health hazards.
Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies: If you choose a very low-calorie diet and follow it strictly, you are likely to miss out several important food items. The variety of food intake will reduce and you will miss out on many essential nutrients. This can make you prone to several nutrient deficiencies. The type of deficiency depends on the food types you do not consume. Every person who under eats is not likely to have nutrient deficiencies. Anorexia is a type of deficiency disease, which occurs when a person starves for a long period of time or believes in crash dieting. Calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin B are common nutrients, the lack of which can cause health problems and deficiency diseases. Electrolyte imbalance and protein malnutrition may also be caused.
Under eating is certainly not a solution to losing weight. Under eating may cause several health complications, which may lead to poor health, instead of loss in weight. Under eating should be abstained from, and physical exercise should be carried out for losing weight efficiently.
5034 people found this helpful

Unhealthy Diet - How Does It Cause Coronory Heart Disease?

Bsc - Microbiology, Post Graduate Diploma In Dietetics
Dietitian/Nutritionist, Noida
Unhealthy Diet - How Does It Cause Coronory Heart Disease?
An unhealthy diet is an absolute no in daily life to remain healthy, fit and without any disease. Unhealthy diets fail to give the body the correct amounts and varieties of proteins and nutrients for a maximum proper health.
Too many intakes of calories lead to an unhealthy diet, which also increases blood pressure. It leads to a very poor calorie ratio-to-nutrient that leads to gain weight and also leads to malnutrition along with various health problems. Unhealthy diets cause chronic disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
Therefore, unhealthy eating habits should be avoided and strongly abandoned.

Why Avoid Unhealthy Diet?

It causes obesity. Increased intake of nutrient-dense foods like fruits, sugar, processed carbohydrates and animal fat leads to obesity.
Nutrient deficiency is another harmful effect of following an unhealthy diet.
Illness is another factor. Poor intake of nutrition leads to diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Lack of calcium weakens the bones, lack of vitamin A and C suppress the body immune system leaving a person vulnerable to diseases.
Increases the risk of coronary artery disease as unhealthy diet contributes to building up of plaque in the coronary arteries which can cause heart attacks.
Coronary Heart Disease - A Serious Issue!

It is a disease which leads to plaque building inside the coronary arteries, which supply rich oxygen blood to the human heart muscle. Over time the plaques either hardened or get ruptured and hardened plaque restricts the coronary arteries, which reduce the oxygen flow to the heart. On the other hand, if the plaque is ruptured blood is formed on its surface which also narrows the coronary artery and restricts the blood flow. And if the blood flow is blocked or reduced, then it might lead to Angina and heart attacks leading to loss of life. Angina causes chest pain it can also cause pain in the neck, back or arms. It is a state where one gets a feeling of indigestion.

Outlook

Changes in lifestyle, eating habits, intake of medicines and its procedures helps to prevent this disease. These steps can also reduce the chances of health problems. Therefore, a proper healthy diet is a must in a person s routine because it serves as one of the links to coronary heart diseases. In order to live long, live healthily and live happily one needs to adopt a good eating habit, take care of the medicines they intake, certain input time of exercise, change the monotonous lifestyle to lessen down the chances of their occurrence. Adopting healthy food habits also enables the body to fight against diseases and infections, reducing the rate of illness. It also reduces stress and provides a good healthy and happy life.
3594 people found this helpful

Can Nutritional Deficiency Cause Depression?

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, MD - General Medicine
General Physician, Greater Noida
Can Nutritional Deficiency Cause Depression?
Depression can be caused because of many reasons. However, it can get worse or be triggered due to nutritional deficiency. However nutritional deficiencies and depression act in a vicious cycle. Depressed people often receive less or improper food which leads to malnutrition which again aggravate depression. Thus, both conditions should be treated simultaneously. Read further to know how:

Omega-3 fatty acids: An Omega-3 unsaturated fat deficiency can cause depression. That shows exactly how much fish, salmon, halibut or flaxseeds and walnuts we have to expend to be at an ideal level. These basic minerals lessen aggravation and take up a basic part in our mental health, particularly memory and disposition.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency is a noteworthy problem that specialists and general physicians perceive to be dangerous. This lack has been connected to depression, dementia and mental imbalance. The majority of our Vitamin D levels drop off during the fall and winter months, since daylight is the best source of vitamin D.
Magnesium: Odds are great that you are magnesium inadequate since a lot of people are. Sugar, phosphoric acid, perpetual anxiety, anti-infection agents and diuretics contain magnesium. Magnesium is infrequently alluded to as the anxiety counteracting agent.
Vitamin B complex: B vitamins like vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 have some great medical advantages, including decreased heart diseases and healthy skin and nails. Again, a vitamin B deficiency may affect your emotional wellness. Every one in four depressed or stressed woman suffers from vitamin B12 deficiency.
Folate: Individuals with a low folate level have just a seven percent reaction to treatment with antidepressants. Those with high folate levels have a reaction of 44 percent. That is the reason a lot of specialists are currently endorsing a folate called Deplin to treat dejection.
Amino acids: Amino acids are the building blocks of protein that help your mind work efficiently. An amino acid deficiency may make you feel slow, foggy, unfocused, and discouraged. Great sources of amino acids include meat, eggs, beans, seeds, and nuts.
Iron: Iron deficiency is truly common in women. Around 20 percent of the women and 50 percent of pregnant women are iron deficient. Just 3 percent of men are iron deficient. The most widely recognized type of side effect is the decreasing number of red platelets brought on by the lack of iron. The side effects include weakness, concentration issues and a foggy mind.
Zinc: Zinc is used by more proteins (a person has more than 300) than some other minerals. It is important to most of the body s systems. It also helps our stomach to determine what food items or nutrients to keep and what to dispose off.
Therefore, it is very important for a person to consume the right amount of nutrients that a human needs. Their deficiency not only causes depression, but also many other diseases and illnesses.
5786 people found this helpful

Bariatric And Metabolic Surgery - When Should You go For It?

MBBS, MD - General Medicine, DM - Gastroenterology
Gastroenterologist, Delhi
Bariatric And Metabolic Surgery - When Should You go For It?
Bariatric surgery (weight loss surgery) includes a variety of procedures performed on people who have obesity. Metabolic surgery is defined as a set of gastrointestinal operations performed with the intent to treat diabetes (diabetes surgery) and metabolic dysfunctions (which includes obesity). Over the past 5 years, the term metabolic surgery has become increasingly popular. In 2002, it was suggested that gastrointestinal surgery could be used with the primary intent to treat type 2 diabetes. The idea derived from the factor that the gastrointestinal tract is a major player in the regulation of glucose homeostasis.

In patients with a BMI above 35, surgical treatment of diabetes is now recommended by virtually all professional organizations.

Weight loss is achieved by:

Reducing the size of the stomach with a gastric band or through the removal of a portion of the stomach
By resecting and rerouting the small intestine to a small stomach pouch.
Statistics

Long-term studies show that the procedures cause significant long-term loss of weight, recovery from diabetes, improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, and a mortality reduction from 40% to 23%.

Indications for Bariatric Surgery

Excess body weight affecting the quality of life and restricting routine activities
Patients with a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or greater who instituted but failed an adequate exercise and diet program (with or without adjunctive drug therapy
Patients who present with obesity-related comorbid conditions, such as hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea
Types of Bariatric Surgery

Vertical sleeve surgery
Gastric bypass surgery
Intragastric balloon surgery
Duodenal switch surgery
Lap band surgery
Eating Schedule After Bariatric Surgery

Immediately after bariatric surgery, the patient is restricted to a clear liquid diet until the gastrointestinal tract recovers from the surgery. This is followed by a blended diet for at least 2 weeks, consisting of a high protein diet and dairy products. Foods high in carbohydrates are usually avoided when possible during the initial weight-loss period. Many patients need to take a daily multivitamin pill to compensate for reduced absorption of essential nutrients.

Effectiveness of Surgery

Weight loss
Reduced mortality and morbidity
Psychiatric/psychological health can improve after bariatric surgery
Adverse Effects of Surgery

Metabolic bone disease manifesting as osteopenia and secondary hyperparathyroidism
Rapid weight loss after obesity surgery contributing to the development of gallstones
Hyperoxaluria that can potentially lead to oxalate nephropathy and irreversible renal failure
Rhabdomyolysis leading to acute kidney injury and impaired renal handling of acid and base balance has been reported after bypass surgery
Nutritional derangements due to deficiencies of micronutrients
Complications of Bariatric Surgery

Anemia
Osteoporosis and bone degeneration
Malnutrition
Dumping syndrome
Erosion
Spleen injury
Suture-line disruption
Long-term nausea and inability to tolerate food
Hernia
Migration of the band
Narrowing of the stomach outlet (stenosis)
Leakage
Ulcers
Constipation
Nutritional deficiencies
Weight regain
2786 people found this helpful

Why Under Eating Won't Actually Help You Lose Weight

Diploma in Dietetics, Health and Nutrition (DDHN), BSc
Dietitian/Nutritionist, Faridabad
Why Under Eating Won't Actually Help You Lose Weight
Many obese people and people who are concerned about their weight, try to follow a very low calorie diet. This is called as under eating as the essential amount of calories are not consumed. It has been proven that under eating does not really help you to lose weight, but in return causes malnutrition as the essential vitamins and minerals which the body requires are not obtained.

Here are 3 reasons why under eating won t help you lose weight and causes several health complications in the body.

Metabolism slows down along with side effects: When a person is under eating, very few calories are consumed by the body. This makes it difficult for the body to give you power for carrying out your daily activities and more effort is needed. This may slow down your rate of metabolism. You may feel irritable, sluggish and uncomfortable. Fatigue is also likely. In order to rectify this, you need to stop under eating. The body requires some amount of time to recover the normal metabolism functions.
Loss of essential muscles and organs: The body requires glucose even though you are using ketone bodies. A sufficient amount of glucose in required by the body to keep you alive and insufficient glucose supply may lead to the functional breakdown of valuable muscles and organs within the body. This is a severe long-term problem, as the body does not distinguish between the essential tissues and non - essential tissues. This leads to the breakdown of major organs, which may cause serious health hazards.
Increased risk of nutrient deficiencies: If you choose a very low-calorie diet and follow it strictly, you are likely to miss out several important food items. The variety of food intake will reduce and you will miss out on many essential nutrients. This can make you prone to several nutrient deficiencies. The type of deficiency depends on the food types you do not consume. Every person who under eats is not likely to have nutrient deficiencies. Anorexia is a type of deficiency disease, which occurs when a person starves for a long period of time or believes in crash dieting. Calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin B are common nutrients, the lack of which can cause health problems and deficiency diseases. Electrolyte imbalance and protein malnutrition may also be caused.
Under eating is certainly not a solution to losing weight. Under eating may cause several health complications, which may lead to poor health, instead of loss in weight. Under eating should be abstained from, and physical exercise should be carried out for losing weight efficiently.
4409 people found this helpful

What Are The Most Common Neurological Disorders?

MBBS, MD - General Medicine, DM - Neurology
Neurologist, Ahmedabad
What Are The Most Common Neurological Disorders?
The brain is like the central processing unit of a computer that controls the entire body s function. Both structurally and functionally, it is an extremely complex and vital organ and disorders occur due to a variety of reasons old age, internal injury, accidents/trauma, infections, and malignancy being the most common. The brain has a highly sophisticated network of nerves which arise out of it and the spinal cord and ensures the body works in complete synchrony and coordination. The neurological disorder is a generic term that is used to denote problems in all these brain, spinal cord, and associated nerves.

The different categories of neurologic disorders include are listed below along with some details on how they affect the individual as a whole.

Developmental defects like spina bifida and hydrocephalus
Genetic disorders like Huntington s disorder and muscular dystrophy
Infections (bacterial, viral, parasitic) are another major category of neurological disorders, causing symptoms both from the infection per se and aftereffects.
Degenerative disorders like Alzheimer s, different types of dementias, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, etc.
Traumatic injuries as a result of sports, accidents, etc.
Functional issues like epilepsy, migraine and other headaches
Vascular issues like stroke and haemorrhages.
Malignancy including benign and malignant brain tumours
Malnutrition related disorders.
Let us look at some of the most common ones

Epilepsy: This happens due to inappropriate firing in the brain, resulting in convulsions. While it is hereditary in some people, the exact cause is not identified in most people. Effective medications are available which can completely cure the condition.
Stroke: When a blood vessel is blocked due to plaque formation, blood supply is cut off to that part of the brain, leading to paralysis and sometimes even death. Timely intervention can, however, lead to the arrest and even reversal of symptoms.
Parkinson s disease: This is gradual degeneration causing reduced pace of movements (bradykinesia), tremors of the hands and feet, rigidity of movements, and loss of balance. The disease progression happens over a number of years, and it is usually genetic. Medications are available to manage the condition, but a complete cure is still under evaluation.
Headaches: While headache can be a disorder in itself, it is also often the symptom of another neurological disorder. Migraines are very common, especially in women, and are characterised by throbbing, pounding headaches associated with sensitivity to light and noise and vomiting. There are usually triggers like menstruation, chocolates, alcohol, etc., which can be managed. Medications are useful in controlling the pain symptoms.
If detected in the early stages, the progression of most neurological disorders can be arrested and in some cases, symptoms even reversed.
3467 people found this helpful

Short In Height - Should You Be Worried About Your Child?

MAMC, MRCPCH, MD - Paediatrics, MBBS
Pediatrician, Noida
Short In Height - Should You Be Worried About Your Child?
Out of the many things a parent can be worried about their child, physical growth and development are the major ones. Height development is indeed a very crucial part of the overall development of a child's body. But how will you know whether your child is short and should you worry if he or she is short?

When is a child categorised as being short?
A child is said to be of short stature when the height is two standard deviations less than the mean height for the specific age and sex. However, it does not signify that your child is sick or has some deformity.

What are the causes of being short?
The most common reasons that need not be worried about are:

Ancestry: Your child short height could be a result genetics. If his/her parents belong from a short family stature, then, the child is most likely to follow the same. Being said that, their body performs in a normal way and they do not face any medical issue despite being short.
Delay in Growth: In case a child faces a severe growth delay between the age of 6 months and up to 2 years, then it may lead to him/her staying short. Such children usually grow at a much slower pace, compared to other children of the same age without any development issues. However, no medical treatment is required as the child usually catches up with the height of their friends of the same age, once they become adults.
What are the medical Conditions behind the short stature?
For children who show an excessive delay in growth, doctors can find out whether they are going through any serious medical condition that needs attention or not. Some of the medical conditions which can cause short height are:

Malnutrition: For those who do not receive proper nutrition on a daily basis, tend to face physical health issues.
Chronic Illness: Any congenital disease or something that affects the major organs of one's body might slow down the height growth.
GHD: Growth Hormone Deficiency is a common condition in children. When the pituitary gland does not produce enough hormones, such a condition occurs.
Mental Stress: When a child faces stress from a very little age, often he or she becomes mentally and physically hampered.
Genetic Problems: A condition known as Turner s syndrome can cause growth failure in a girl child.
Hormonal Imbalance: For those who suffer from improper production of hormones, they might face obstruction in case of height growth.
Endocrine diseases: Endocrine diseases disrupt hormone production thus resulting in a delay in growth.
For every 100 children of a particular age, 3 tend to be shorter. However, unless your child suffers from a medical problem, short stature is not to be worried, and it is recommended that they have a proper and balanced nutrition to ensure a proper height development.
4320 people found this helpful

Know The Causes Behind Stunted Growth In Children!

MBBS, Diploma in Child Health (DCH), Pediatric Gastroenterology
Pediatrician, Delhi
Know The Causes Behind Stunted Growth In Children!
Everyone wants their babies to healthy and grow up to be a healthy-wealthy person. However, little they focus on this issue or are capable of giving their infants the best of medical standards. Problems show up in children early and if overlooked, may hamper their future life a lot. Constant check-ups are necessary to be it pre-birth or post the birth of a baby, and for this, a parent should always be in contact of a pediatrician.
Pediatrics is the medicinal branch that involves the health care of babies, children, and adolescents. It is recommended that people should be under pediatric care up to age 21. Pediatricians are involved with important tests that are standardized by World Health Organisation Child Growth Standards.

Stunted Growth Of Infants and Children
Also known as nutritional stunting, it is a distinctive reduced growth rate in human body development. Stunted growth is the primary manifestation of undernutrition (or malnutrition) and recurrent infections after birth and early childhood. Another main reason is the malnutrition during fetal development brought by a malnourished mother. The accurate definition of stunting according to WHO stands for the height for age value to be lower than two standard deviations of World Health Organisation Child Growth Standards.

In 2012, an estimated 25 percent of children under 5 years of age i.e. ~162 million children were stunted. More of this count nearing 90 percent lies only in two continents, Africa and Asia. The affected children may never regain their loss of height, and most of them will never gain the equal weight.

Health effects
Apart from shorter stature, the adolescent may get hit by the greater risk of illness, delayed mental development, lowered cognitive capacity and women with stunted growth have a higher risk of complications during delivery due to the smaller pelvis, and the child could have low birth weight during birth.

Causes of Stunted growth
Apart from malnutrition and some rare genetic disorders, South Asia and most developing nations are having a higher number of stunted children due to poor maternal nutrition, poor feeding practices, and poor sanitation.

Maternal nutrition
Poor breastfeeding during pregnancy and maternal nutrition could be a leading cause for the stunted growth of the child. Also, women who are suffering from anemia or are underweight during pregnancy are more likely to perpetuate the intergenerational transmitting of stunting.

Sanitation
Ingestion of a high number of fecal bacteria through the soiled finger in a poorly sanitized area leads to intestinal infections. This affects the nutritional status of his/her by diminishing appetite, reducing nutrition absorption and increasing nutrient loss.

Feeding practices
Inadequate feeding, lack of vital nutrients, poor calorie intake can lead to stunted growth. Minimum requirements should be met in the diet in proper frequency to avoid malnutrition.

A Note for feeding mothers
Lactating mothers should get themselves proper nutrition, and if they are in doubt of their health should postpone the decision of having a child.

Chronic diarrhoea, Celiac disease, thyroid disorders and growth hormone deficiency also contribute, significantly, to short stature. Regular measurement of height & weight on a growth chart by a trained Pediatrician helps to pick up the lags in these vital growth and development parameters.
3877 people found this helpful

Malnutrition in Hindi - कुपोषण

MBBS, M.Sc - Dietitics / Nutrition
Dietitian/Nutritionist, Delhi
Malnutrition in Hindi - कुपोषण
हमें जिंदा रहने के लि्ए ऊर्जा की जरूरत होती है। ये ऊर्जा हमें भोजन से मिलती है। अगर हमारे खाने में पोषक तत्वों की कमी हो जाए तो हमारे शरीर के साथ हमारे जीवन पर भी खराब प्रभाव पड़ता है। ये हमारे स्वास्थ्य, व्यवहार, मूड के साथ-साथ संपूर्ण विकास को प्रभावित करता है।
अधिकतर लोग यह समझते हैं कि जिन लोगों को पौष्टिक भोजन नहीं मिलता केवल वे ही कुपोषण का शिकार होते हैं। लेकिन पौष्टिक भोजन मिलने के बावजूद अगर आपकी खाने-पीने से जुड़ी आदतें ठीक नहीं हैं तो आप भी कुपोषण के शिकार हो सकते हैं। जैसे हरी सब्जियां अगर भाप में पकाकर खाई जाएं तो इनसे सबसे ज्यादा पोषण मिलता है। लिहाजा हम जो खा रहे हैं, उससे सबसे ज्यादा पोषण किस रूप में मिलेगा उसका ध्यान रखना भी जरूरी है। कुपोषण का खतरा पुरुषों के बजाय महिलाओं में ज्यादा होता है वहीं वयस्कों के बजाय बच्चे इसका शिकार ज्यादा होते हैं।

कुपोषण के लक्षण
कुपोषण का सबसे प्रमुख लक्षण वजन कम होना है। अगर आपका वजन तीन महीने के अंदर बिना डायटिंग के 10 फीसदी कम हो रहा है तो आप कुपोषण के शिकार हैं। इसके अलावा थकान, आलस, खून की कमी, सांस लेने में दिक्कत आदि भी कुपोषण के लक्षण हैं।

कुपोषण की वजह
शरीर को पोषक तत्व खाने से ही मिलते हैं। जब खाने में पोषक तत्वों की कमी होने लगती है तो शरीर पर इनका असर दिखने लगता है। इन मुख्य वजहों पर डालें नजर...

1. खाने में पोषक तत्वों की कमी-
आप पेटभर खाना खा रहे हैं फिर भी अगर कुपोषण का शिकार होते जा रहे हैं तो मेन्यू पर ध्यान देने की जरूरत है। बहुत संभव है कि आपके खाने में पोषक तत्वों की कमी हो। कई खाद्य पदार्थ स्वादिष्ट होते हैं लेकिन हमारे शरीर में पोषक तत्वों की कमी को पूरा नहीं कर पाते। अगर आप इस तरह का खाना खाने की आदत बना लेते हैं तो कुपोषण का शिकार हो जाएंगे।
2. असंतुलित खाना-
हमारे शरीर को उम्र और आयु के हिसाब से पोषण की अलग-अलग मात्रा की जरूरत होती है। मान लिया आप आधा ग्लास दूध पीते हैं और आपके शरीर को एक ग्लास दूध की जरूरत है तो पोषण अधूरा रह जाएगा। अगर भोजन में पोषण की मात्रा जरूरी स्तर से कम होती है और लगातार काफी समय तक ऐसा ही कम पोषक तत्वों वाला भोजन किया जाए तो कुपोषण की संभावना बढ़ जाती है।
3. अनुपयुक्त भोजन -
अलग आयुवर्ग, कार्य-शीलता, जीवन की अलग-अलग अवस्था और महिला और पुरुष की जरूरत के हिसाब से शरीर को अलग-अलग मात्रा में पोषण की जरूरत होती है। उदाहरण के लिए सामान्य वयस्क और एक खिलाड़ी के शरीर को अलग पोषक तत्वों की जरूरत होगी वैसे ही एक गर्भवती महिला और सामान्य महिला की जरूरतें अलग होती हैं।
4. आर्थिक कारण और जागरूकता की कमी-
कुछ लोगों की आर्थिक स्थिति इतनी अच्छी नहीं होती किि वे पोषक खाना खा सकें। वहीं कुछ लोग सिर्फ पेट और स्वाद के लिए खाना खाते हैं और पोषक तत्वों की जरूरत को दरकिनार कर देते हैं।
5. पर्याप्त नींद न लेना-
आपको ये पढ़कर हैरानी होगी लेकिन पर्याप्त नींद न लेने से भी कुपोषण की समस्या पैदा हो सकती है। सामान्य वयस्क को रोजाना आठ घंटे की नींद जरूरी होती है। नींद की कमी होने से मेटाबोलिज्म गड़बड़ा जाता है। ऐसे में पोषक खाना खाने के बावजूद शरीर पोषण को अवशोषित नहीं कर पाता और धीरे-धीरे कुपोषण का शिकार बन जाता है।

लें संतुलित आहार
संतुलित आहार में कार्बोहाइड्रेट, विटामिन, आयरन, फाइबर, फैट, खनिज पदार्थ, पानी और प्रोटीन यह सात तत्व मौजूद होते हैं।

कार्बोहाइड्रेट साबुत अनाज, फल, सब्जियों और फलियां वाले खाद्य पदार्थों में पाया जाता है।
विटामिन ताजा फलों, सब्जियों, अंडे आदि से प्राप्त कर सकते हैं। फाइबर सिर्फ कब्ज ही नहीं, डाइबिटीज, अस्थमा, ह्रदय रोग और कैंसर को दूर भगाने में भी सहायक होते हैं। इनसे शरीर की प्रतिरोधक क्षमता मजबूत होती है।
पॉलीअनसेचुरेटेड स्रोतों जैसे - जैतून के तेल, नट्स और मछली में संतृप्त वसा पाई जाती है।
सब्जियां खनिज और विटामिन पाने का सबसे आसान तरीका है। ऐसे में रोज के भोजन में ज्यादा से ज्यादा सब्जियों को शामिल करें। हरी पत्तेदार सब्जियों के साथ विभिन्न रंगों की सब्जियों से आपको अलग-अलग पोषक तत्व मिल जाते हैं। पालक, बीन्स, ब्रोकली आदि ज्यादा से ज्यादा खाएं।
नियमित रूप से कम से 8-10 गिलास पानी का सेवन करना चाहिए।
मछली, मांस, अंडा, पनीर और दालें प्रोटीन का सबसे अच्छा स्त्रोत हैं।
ये उपाय भी अपनाएं- ड्राई फ्रूट्स और जूस भी शरीर को पोषक तत्व प्रदान करते हैं। अपने साथ किशमिश, काजू, अखरोट और मूंगफली रखें। इन्हें स्नैक्स के तौर पर खाएं।
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