NUTRITION AND WOMEN’S HEALTH
-Shalik Ram Dhital

Nutrition is the science of foods, the nutrients and other substances therein, their action, interaction and balance in relationship to health and disease; the processes by which the organism ingests, digests, absorbs, transport and utilises nutrients and disposes of their end products. It is concerned with social, economic, cultural, and psychological implications of foods and eating. In short nutrition science is the area of knowledge regarding the role of food in the maintenance of health. It is a component of health promotion and with out adequate and balance diet the people cannot achieve their health positive. Especially children, and women's health is determined by nutrition.
Today it is well recognised that in developing countries, women are one of the most vulnerable population groups in terms of their health and nutritional status. Different socioeconomic and cultural factors generate unfavourable nutritional outcomes for many women, and this may in turn seriously affect their health and overall quality of life.
Women’s nutritional conditions differ widely among and within countries. Such conditions are worst in the less-developed regions and countries of the world, where poverty, social disparities, discrimination, and different kinds of malnutrition affect large populations. The nutritional and health status of women may be severely impaired in societies where the political and cultural context allows extreme conditions of subordination, as well as in those countries where the threat of hunger persists because of political conflicts, migration, environmental degradation, or natural disasters. On the other hand, not all women who live in developing countries experience nutritional problems in the same way, and such problems do not have the same impact on all women. Economic and social inequalities have a strong correlation with the differences in the nutritional status among women in these countries. Poor women in general, with limited or no access to nutritious food, education, employment or adequate health care, are more vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies. In developed countries, women in lower income groups may also be affected by nutritional deficiencies because of economic disparities and lack of social protection. During the last decades, global organizations and women’s rights advocates have called on governments to recognise the multiple determinants of women’s health, and there has been a growing consensus about the need to integrate and widen health services to respond to a broad variety of problems affecting them. Nutrition is a fundamental pillar of women’s well-being, and women’s right to full and equal access to health care, including adequate nutrition during pregnancy and lactation, has been recognised at many international conferences, including the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the 1987 International Conference on Safe Motherhood, the 1990 World Summit for Children, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, and the 2000 Millennium Goals Declaration, to name just a few.
Experts have made recommendations to incorporate nutrition as an essential component of primary health care, stressing that programs to deal with women’s nutritional problems must be based on a life cycle approach. The nutritional needs of women substantially change during the different stages of their lives. A life cycle approach allows a better recognition of specific nutritional needs at every stage of women’s lives, as well as a more comprehensive understanding of the cumulative effects of poor nutrition on women’s health.
In many countries, the nutritional deficiencies that affect thousands of women are still neglected. Most of the strategies to respond to women’s nutritional needs—such as micronutrient dietary supplementation programs, health education activities, and delivery of medical services—have been mainly focused on pregnant and lactating women, giving little or no attention to women in other moments of their lives.
There is no doubt that the protection of women during pregnancy and lactation must be one of the major priorities of health systems and social policies. The effect of women’s nutritional status on pregnancy outcomes is particularly strong, and adequate maternal nutrition is closely related to the survival and well-being of babies and children. However, not all women are mothers, and their nutritional and health needs go far beyond motherhood and reproduction.
Women of all ages in developing countries face elevated risks of nutritional deficiencies. Therefore much more attention should be paid to the nutritional needs of girls, adolescents and young women, in order to strengthen their overall health, protect them from the cumulative effects of poor nutrition, and prevent problems later in life. In fact, the health problems of many women in late adulthood and old age are mostly chronic and often associated with previous nutritional deficiencies. The poor nutritional status of women in developing countries like, Nepal has been associated with maternal mortality. Maternal deaths do not result from malnutrition alone, however, but mainly from a lack of access to obstetric care and from previous conditions that may be aggravated by poor nutrition. For example, maternal deaths caused by obstructed labour are more common in malnourished adolescents and young women with a short stature and small pelvic size; and deaths resulting from haemorrhage during childbirth and the immediate postpartum period may be associated with severe anaemia.
The following nutrients require for the individuals to promote their health S.No Nutrients Requirement
1 Calories Male: 2425 to 3800 calories Female: 1875 to 2925 calories(preg.+300, lactation+550)
2 Proteion 1 gram/kg and more to children
3 Carbohydrates 50 to 60 % of total calories
4 Fat 15 to 20% of total calories
5 Vitamins§ Vit. A§ Vit. D§ Vit.E§ Vit.K§ Thiamine§ Riboflavin§ Niacin§ Folic acid§ Cynacobalamin§ Vitamin C 600 microgram100 IU0.8 mg/g0.03mg/kg0.5 mg/1000 calories0.6 mg/1000 calories6.6 mg/1000 calories100 micro gram1 microgram60 mg
6 Minerals§ Ca§ Fe§ Iodine§ Zinc§ Phosphorus§ Magnesium§ Selenium 500 mg28 mg150 microgram12 mg800 to 1200 mg280 mg55 microgram
”NUTRITION AS A HEALTH PROMOTION INTERVENTION THAT HELPS TO ACHIEVE POSITIVE HEALTH"

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