Nutrition intervention

During a very intimate dinner gathering recently held at a friend’s Makati residence, I was completely bowled over by her precocious three-year-old grandson Basti. His cute and comical antics, wide vocabulary and most especially his piano rendition of Mary Had A Little Lamb had me completely enthralled. While this charming tot may not actually be labeled a child prodigy, his development may be considered remarkable, bearing in mind that other children his age are most likely still busy building block towers or speaking in short sentences.

Apart from good genes (his mother happens to be a doctor and his father a computer software specialist), and providing a nurturing environment for Basti, I wondered what else these young parents were doing right. “Adequate nutrition during early life is a crucial factor in a child’s growth and advancement,” I was told by his mother. “Like many kids his age, Basti is hard to feed (HTF) that is why we supplement his diet in order to guarantee he is getting the complete and balanced nutrition he needs,” she added. 

From birth to age ten, children have high requirements for energy and nutrients due to rapid growth, and it is during this phase in life that HTF children are particularly vulnerable to the outcomes of nutritional deficiencies. Their optimal development varies as a function of dietary and biomedical status, genetic inheritance, and social and cultural context.

Poor nutrition can adversely affect cognitive, motor, psychosocial, and affective advancement. For example, children are naturally motivated to explore and to attempt to master their environment. Under nutrition and poor health reduce these motivations, and thus may inhibit development. Furthermore, these affected children may have increased susceptibility to disease due to impaired function of their immune systems.

There are numerous studies which reveal that nutritional deficiencies during infancy negatively impact the physical, psychomotor and mental development of children due to a lack of micronutrients. A shortage of nutrients and fiber, for example, in the early stages of development can be a factor for stunted growth or more sick days. 

While our general population has been made well aware of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) breast-feeding advocacy, the aggressive campaign in our country to communicate that breast feeding is best for babies up to three years of age, seems to be far too one-dimensional. For example, I came across a paper on nutritional intervention, which roughly stated that full-term breast-fed infants generally have adequate nutrition status during the first six months of life. After this time, however, when body stores have been depleted and requirements are high due to rapid growth and development, micronutrients have to be provided by the diet. Therefore, the amount and availability of nutrients and fiber in complementary foods are of special concern.

This is the kind of information that I think should be made known to all mothers. Moreover, there is a need to raise awareness on their options if they cannot breast feed their babies due to biological or physiological constraints. Knowing the dreadful consequences of nutritional deficiencies in early life, there should be a serious effort to lay all the cards on the table, so to speak. While breast-feeding is healthy for babies and pragmatic for parents, it is not the sole solution to a child’s early nutritional needs. It would be a disservice to mothers and children to shield them from this truth. 

Given the restrictions of the current Milk Code, however, a mother’s best option for being properly guided and informed is to ask her Pedia to be sure. Even Basti’s mother who is a doctor herself regularly seeks counsel from pediatric specialists.

The urgent need for effective nutrition interventions to combat undernutrition during early life cannot be more forcefully stated. To quote Nobel Prize winner Gabriela Mistral’s famous “Su Nombre Es Hoy,” we are guilty of many errors and many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer “Tomorrow.” His name is Today. Nutrition intervention is imperative to your child’s hale and hearty development. Find out which child nutritional supplement is best for your kid today. Ask your Pedia to be sure.

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Philippine Women’s University adds another feather to her cap with the launching of the Dr. Helena Z. Benitez School of International Relations and Diplomacy’s series of seminars on Tuesday, Feb. 29. The launch is a highlight of the university’s week-long 89th foundation celebration.

The first seminar will be led by Ambassadors Lauro Baja Jr. and Rosario Manalo as the main speakers at the Conrado Benitez Hall, Taft campus, Manila.

Baja, immediate past Philippine representative to the United Nations in New York, will talk on “Developing a Sustainable Foreign Policy for an Educational Institution.” Former Foreign Affairs Undersecretary and CEDAW past chairperson Rosario Manalo will tackle the topic, “Education in Diplomacy: A Preparation for International Service.”

Dr. Amelou B. Reyes, PWU president, will give the opening day welcome remarks. Presiding over the open forum will be AVP Dr. Catalina Dayo.

PWU Board Chairperson Dr. Helena Z. Benitez will deliver a message. AVP Suzie Benitez will be master of ceremonies.

Chancellor Dr. Dolores Lasan said the HZB School of International Relations “personifies the vision of PWU’s 93-year-old board chairperson, Dr.  Benitez, whose career as a  diplomat, educator and politician has been anchored on a people-centered approach to issues which affect the lives of people and nations worldwide.”

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Happy Valentine’s Day! Where to go for lunch or dinner on this day of lovers? Let me propose going to my favorite restaurant. Bangus Specialty Restaurant is 25 years old, and famous for its bangus specialties. Aside from the mouth-watering bangus dishes, it serves bulalo, kare-kareng buntot, crispy pata, pork sisig, binagoongang baboy, etc. The restaurants are located in Carpark, Greenhills; Ronbinsons Galleria in Ortigas; SM Mall of Asia; Trinoma, and the newly opened franchise called The Pergola Mall at BF Homes Parañaque. It will open soon at SM Megamall. After dinner, hie over to my favorite dancing  joint, RJ Jacinto, in Makati.

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