White sugar , oh no!!

It's not the only cause of ill health or diabetes

My granny had about a hundred cousins! ! It's not so surprising. At those times ,about a  century  ago, parents had more than half a dozen children, they further had their families which resulted in so many cousins and siblings. But the amazing fact is that the healthier individuals among them had their average age of eighty-five. I can recall, when I was a child, there were occasional get together and people used to enjoy the meals. Some of them ate about a dozen sweets in a few minutes. They didn't suffer from hypertension, diabetes or these trendy diseases. Both of my grandparents had a natural death due to old age and most of  their siblings are healthy otherwise. Few of them inherited diabetes or hypertension from their parents. But the rest were healthy till they lived.

The reason for their good  health was that they didn't know much about the technology and ate everything that was available at those times. But unfortunately, the availability was lesser than in recent years. They had sugar , fried foods , snacks and savoury but it was not available in the market. Nothing was processed or refined so the snacks and all had to be prepared at home. With so many mouths to feed the portion lessened. Now we have more money than them and fewer people to feed and we can have the big portion for ourselves. We can blame the normal sugar or wheat or rice for our bad health and can indulge in chips , diet foods , ice cream, packets ready to cook and eat. 

So ,is sugar the main culprit or something else?

Does consumption of sugar in tea or coffee lead to high blood sugar levels? 

Not exactly. We consume "hidden sugar " through many food items. But eating sugar doesn't lead to diabetes or high blood sugar.

So what is Diabetes ?

Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus means diabetes =flow through; mel =honey is a chronic metabolic disorder with a strong hereditary basis associated with high blood sugar and usually with a passage of sugar in the urine.

Classification of Diabetes -

Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus  (IDDM)

Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus  (NIDDM)

Malnutrition related Diabetes Mellitus  (MRDM)

Fibrocalculous Diabetes Mellitus  (FCDM)

Protein Deficient Diabetes Mellitus  (PDDM)

Impaired Glucose Tolerance  (IGT)

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus  (GDM)

The meal should be planned according to the type of diabetes and the herbs and supplements should be taken under the supervision of medical professionals.

Healthy, natural food along with physical activity is best advised. The information on the food packaging is important so it is better to check the labels while shopping.

FRIENDS AT HOME :DRINK HEALTHY

Relatives or friends at home, opt for some health drink instead of soft drinks or cold drinks or bottled juices. They all are laced with sugar , maybe preservatives or acids , etc.

WHAT I DO? (You can give a try)

A simple task. 

Take an empty glass bottle with narrow mouth  (plastic bottle if glass bottle is not available). Wash and dry it in sun. Fill it to the top with crystalline sugar. Squeeze lemon juice  (about 1 kgs of fresh lemon for 1 litre of glass bottle )and pour into  the sugar filled bottle. It's fun to watch the lemon juice finding its way through the sugar crystals . When you pour the juice in, the sugar will settle down to about two third of the height of the bottle . Put the cap tightly and keep it in the sun for two to three days. Shake it twice or thrice a day to dissolve the sugar. After three days , store it in a cool dry place.  It will last for more than a year.

Make a nice refreshing drink by adding  two tablespoons of the lemon squash to a glass of chilled water or cold water. You can also add jaljeera powder or black salt or mint leaves for added flavoured drink.

Because of the high percentage of sugar , no chemical preservative is needed. Safe for kids as well. Lower in calories than the usual soft drinks. No acids or gasses present.

Some simple rules to follow… For you and your child..

It's not very difficult. Just decide

What to feed your child. Just the normal food cooked for the family. The child is a part of the family, why make something special for him. The food should be according to the requirements of the child. Strong flavours and very spicy foods should be avoided. The food should be nutritious. It should be equally  nutritious for the mother and father as well. We all love to munch wafers , chips , enjoy  cold drinks or soft drinks or fruit juice , eat processed ,packaged ,ready to eat but just check that at least the child eats three nutrient rich foods a day. It's not sufficient but nowadays most of us don't even consume three healthy nutrients. If the child eats all the nutrients you are the fortunate mother. The healthy foods which a child as well as you require are whole wheat breads , pulses , dairy and dairy products, green vegetables, yellow or orange vegetables, fresh fruits , nuts , egg or low fat non vegetarian products.

The meal is ready. Where would you and your child eat it? The whole family should eat together without television, mobile phone or any other distraction. It affects the concentration of the child and it affects your weight. The child should be seated on a proper chair or a high chair so that he can eat the food , feel the food ,play with food so that he can enjoy the food. If you can't leave your favourite tv shows , just plate the food in the kitchen according to the requirements  and do not take second helping of the tasty food. When we watch tv or films or the computer we are distracted from the foodstuffs and we don't know how much quantity we have eaten.

Now the most important point is when should you feed the child? As an infant the feeding patterns are different but as the child grows , the meal timing should be fixed according to the family routine. Three major meals , the breakfast, lunch and dinner and two snacks time , midmorning and evening snacks  are suitable for you and the child.  Do not skip breakfast as it is the most important meal. Do not give anything except water between the mealtimes. Children cannot differentiate between hunger and thirst. So providing anything else instead of water will suppress hunger at the meal.

The 3 W's, what ,where and when has to be followed for a healthy child and a healthy you. If we all follow this What Where When I am sure everyone will be fit and healthy. 

ARE THE PRESCHOOLERS GETTING ENOUGH NUTRIENTS ?

In modern India , we have improved. We have improved in food imports and exports , food packaging, food marketing, food supplements and we have improved as a consumer. The packaging is so attractive that we can't resist buying those things. The amazing facts are our generation alpha is the most smarter generation. They watch kids channels, they know each and every advertisement, they shop in the shopping malls and they can fill the carts with all their stuff. Parents are amused. If they don't buy those things , the child will show his best tantrums to annoy the parents .

Earlier the children used to suffer from Protein Energy Malnutrition because there was not enough to eat. Nowadays the children suffer from the same problem because they have surplus products to eat. There is a lack of proper food but a surplus quantity of  readymade foods.

The problem is same as post independence, not only PROTEIN ENERGY MALNUTRITION but MALNUTRITION of vitamin B ,vitamin A ,vitamin C, vitamin D,iron , calcium, minerals.

Malnutrition comprises both undernutrition or overnutrition.

Effect of malnutrition on our Defence Mechanisms

Children mostly suffer from colds and coughs. Antibody formation is low in deficiencies of protein , pyridoxine, pantothenic acid and multiple factors associated with a grossly inadequate diet.

Deficiencies of vitamin A , ascorbic acid , pyridoxine, folic acid , thiamine and riboflavin reduce the activity of phagocytes( cells that protect the body by ingesting bacteria, foreign particles, dead cells).

Changes in the normal intestinal flora induced by diet can influence susceptibility to some intestinal pathogens.

Lysozymes which can destroy pathogenic microorganisms are excreted in tears and sweat. It can reduce vitamin A deficiency. Pantothenic acid deficiency reduces the content of properdin (euglobulin).

Effect of infection on nutritional status

When a child is sick , there is loss of appetite and dislike and even intolerance to  food. Fever increases the basal metabolic rate and the total calorie requirement. A common faulty habit is to avoid milk or dal and  to feed starchy food. Gross underfeeding leads to protein calorie malnutrition in children.

Infections lead to negative nitrogen balance due to increased  nitrogen excretion in the urine. Negative nitrogen balance occurs in common colds, fever, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, pneumonia, measles, chicken pox , etc. Tonsillitis, staphylococcal abscesses also increase urinary nitrogen. Absorption of protein is affected in diarrhoeal disease. Frequent infection results in continuous protein deficiency.

Blood levels of vitamin A are reduced in several infections. Diarrhoea interfere with the absorption of vitamin B.

Diarrhoeal disease interferes in the absorption of dietary minerals and causes losses of sodium, potassium chloride, calcium and phosphate from the body.

Absorption of fat is also decreased in intestinal infections which provoke diarrhoea.

Reduction of blood glucose levels has been reported in many infections.

Frequent occurrence of infectious disease affects adversely the growth rate of children

The behaviour and learning pattern is also affected due to malnutrition.

Food cannot be substituted for supplements, pills and shakes. Follow a healthy eating pattern with your child to inculcate the habit of healthy eating and to avoid overnutrition and undernutrition. The child should realise the pros and cons of all the foods. They will definitely understand after all they are generation alpha.

HOW TO FEED GENERATION ALPHA KIDS :Eating skills

The children born nowadays are generation alpha. They are born with many capabilities. They are more skill developed than their grandparents. Some basic skills like eating skills have developed too. They just need proper guidance and proper equipment to nurture the skills.

The babies are born with sucking skill. The food must be sucked into the mouth and swallowed without chewing. Therefore the food is in liquid form as milk. This skill is in the first four or five months of life.

As the baby gets older , the problem arises , when they attempt to drink themselves , but sucks in more air. This causes choking or even vomiting. If the baby is more hungry, it will gulp the liquid and suck air. To solve the problem,in 4 or 5 months, sipper cups can be introduced. This training cup with holes allows the liquid to come through a little at a time.

If the cup has two handles , the 6 month old baby will grasp each handle with one hand. If it has only one handle , the baby will grasp the handle with one hand and use the other hand to support the cup. The baby carries the cup to the mouth and will suck on the rim of the cup , tilt it and try to get the liquid from it. By 18 to 20 months most babies drink with very little spilling.

At 6 months, the baby plays with a spoon by sucking , banging and throwing it. He can be shown how to carry it to the mouth and how to turn it slightly to get the food from the spoon into the mouth. By 18 months babies can feed themselves with little spilling.

Babies chew or try to bite on anything they can hold in order to ease the pain caused by teething. It is a natural behaviour that takes place even before the teeth cut through the gums. The baby should be allowed to hold a piece of apple , toast , papaya , or any crunchy food most of the time. The caregiver should watch closely and if the baby takes a large bite , it can be quickly removed from the mouth before the baby chokes on it.

Babies do not know exactly how to go about chewing; they may spit , hold food in the mouth or chew only with the front teeth. After a while they learn to use gums and tongue and a few teeth to mash the food. It is a messy period and parents need lots of patience. If the baby had a lot of trouble chewing, a soft diet is preferable for a while. Swallowing liquids is a natural reaction but swallowing solids must be learned.

By 18 months , the baby begins to use a fork. Few babies can use their forks efficiently before they are 3 years old. Shortly before the age of 2 , the toddler can use a knife to spread butter or jam on bread and to cut soft foods. By 5 years they learn the use of knives. By the second birthday, the baby is ready to use a glass in place of a cup. At first the baby will hold the glass with both hands. Before the age of 5 , the hands become larger and stronger, the child will gradually shift to the use of one hand.

Babies differ in their readiness to learn the skills of self feeding. Therefore it is impossible to give exact ages at which any one baby can be expected to use the different eating utensils.

Self feeding skills are difficult skills. Because of this, only the groundwork can be laid from the beginning. If this basis is good , the tasks will become habits.

For learning self feeding skills, two important points have to be considered. First, the babies are easily distracted so they should have their meals in a quiet place without any distraction like television or mobile phones. Second, it is easier to learn eating skills if the utensils are suited to a baby's strength. If they are exactly like adult utensils, only smaller, the baby can learn the right way to use them from the start.

Generation alpha are smart, only a little help and support will help them to be a smart , happy individual.

Diarrhoea : especially Infantile diarrhoea : PREVENT IT.

 

Diarrhoea is a condition in which loose or watery stools are passed frequently. 

It occurs frequently in a large majority of weaned infants in developing countries. The infecting organisms are of non pathogenic type.

It may be dangerous. Infants are easily dehydrated as they lack the ability to express their feelings. 

See a doctor right away.

Children dehydrate easily.

 Do not rehydrate the child with fruit juice or water.

 Oral rehydration solution is perfect for them. Add a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt to a litre of clean water. But do not make a mistake by adding more salt. Do not overload the baby with salt. WHO has recommended oral rehydration therapy. Commercial preparation is also available which can be used for the treatment. The osmolarity is 330 mmol/l. It contains glucose 111 mmol/l (20g/l) , sodium 90 mmol /l (sodium chloride 3.5g/l) , potassium 20 mmol/l (potassium chloride 1.5 g/l) , chloride 80 mmol/l , bicarbonate 30 mmol/l (sodium bicarbonate 2.5g/l)

Sufficient fluids are given to ensure 125 -400 ml urine (according to age) every six hours. It is advisable to give extra water rather than adding water to the solution.

If clean water is not available, two handfuls of rice powder with one teaspoon of salt cooked in one litre of water is equally good as ORS. This solution is nothing but Indian rice kanji.

Continue breastfeeding the child. 

Avoid any other  milk for a day.

Slowly introduce a bland diet. Start with a BRAT diet. These binding foods are suggested as the first to try after an episode of  diarrhoea. BRAT diet is Banana, Rice,Applesauce,Toast. Bananas are easily digested and contain high levels of potassium which help replace the electrolytes lost in the excessive elimination of fluids. Rice is high in complex carbohydrates and tends to be bland and easily digestible. Applesauce and bananas contain soluble fiber pectin and other nutrients the body needs. Because the apples are cooked they are easier to digest. These foods slow down the transit time of waste in the colon. Be sure to eat white rice and peeled potatoes as the bran layers of  brown rice and the potato skin contains insoluble fiber that can actually worsen diarrhoea.

The biggest mistake people make is that they don't know when to stop the treatment. If the child is okay and has one or two watery stools a day , do not restrict the diet for long.

Carrots may help enhance recovery by replacing electrolytes and minerals lost during diarrhoea. Give the child potato carrot soup and dry toast. The soup delivers fluid and minerals without further irritating the intestinal mucous membrane. 

Potato carrot soup -

250 ml water

2 medium potatoes

1 carrot

1 pinch salt

Bring the water to the boil. Add the peeled and chopped vegetables. Cook over a low heat until tender, then puree and season with salt.

After a couple of days, yoghurt tends to repopulate the bowel with good bacteria.  This is for the older children.

Diarrhoea can happen to anyone. The dietary suggestions are almost the same for all the sufferers. 

 Traveller's diarrhoea and nervous diarrhoea are the two types which have to be dealt differently.

 Many patients resort to self imposed starvation which may be harmful. 

Adequate intake of fluids and electrolytes is very important. While travelling, hot foods are safe to consume. Freshly prepared chapattis , rice , idli , toasted bread , freshly cooked vegetables, pulses or dals , eggs , meat and poultry, tea or coconut water are the safest options while travelling. Avoid uncooked foods , fruit salad, cold foods , cold desserts, curd , buttermilk, cold sweets or any food touched by hands before serving.

If vomiting accompanies diarrhoea, immediate medical attention is required.

My baby's first tooth!!

A baby! A small bundle of joy for the whole family and especially the mother who has taken care of it from the beginning and bears all the trouble and pain happily. It's a wonderful sight to see the baby's movements and expressions. The baby's first walk and it's first tooth are worth seeing. But most of the infants are a little fussy and cranky with the first two to four teeth.

Interesting part which most of us are unaware of is that an infant's teeth start developing months before birth. The tooth buds develop in the foetus by the fifth or sixth week of pregnancy. By the time the baby is born , all the primary teeth are already present and accounted for in the jawbone. The first tooth is visible about four to eight months after birth. Baby's gums become swollen and tender and the little ,cute bundle of joy is the most irritable and restless person in the world. Teething has begun!

If the baby has the complete set of teeth from the very beginning the care has to be taken from the day the baby comes from the hospital. A small gauge pad wrapped around your forefinger, lightly moistened is perfect. Daily massaging makes healthier gum tissue especially at bedtime. When the first tooth comes ,start brushing it but don't use toothpaste.

Babies put everything in their mouth and chew. Teething rings are available in different sizes and shapes. Put it in the refrigerator and keep it cold , works well and feels good on the baby's gums. But teething rings are tasteless. 

Give the child a piece of cold apple or papaya. Children love to nibble on these tasty teethers. Cut the piece lengthwise so that he can hold. A piece of dry rusk is also a tasty option.

It's a common myth that babies will run a fever when teething. Visit a doctor if there is fever.