Women, Take A Note Of These Simple Nutritional Tips For Your Family's Overall Health

Every year, 8th of March is observed as International Women's Day. This significant day is celebrated all across the world in order to empower, educate and celebrate women. International Women's Day is celebrated to make women aware of their rights and promoting gender quality in all the spheres of life. Every year the day has its own theme. This theme for International Women's Day 2019 is 'Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change'. Nutritionist Nmami Agarwal on this Women's Day talks about imparting nutritional knowledge to women. Let us read further.

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Have you ever heard of nutritional knowledge? We will tell what it is? Nutrition knowledge majorly refers to knowledge of concepts and processes related to nutrition and health. This includes knowledge regarding healthy diet, disease-specific diets, dietary sources of essential nutrients, nutritious foods, important nutrients as per the stages of life and much more. Lack of nutrition knowledge, and less consideration of health as a priority while making food choices, can lead to nutritional deficiencies and poor health outcomes amongst the family.

If the women are have adequate knowledge about nutrition then she will serve her family with a healthy diet and inculcate good dietary habits within the family. This will help them to stay healthy and fit. On the contrary if women lack nutritional knowledge then she might be serving her family with food devoid of nutrients and that can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

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If a woman has the right knowledge of foods, she can chose different combinations to cook together, and can also enhance the nutritional components of the food. This is beneficial not only for that woman but her family members as well. In this way, they can enjoy wholesome, delicious and healthy meals.

Thus, it is essential to promote an awareness of the nutrients that are present in foods and their relation in body maintenance, growth, reproduction, preventing nutrition-related diseases. So if a mother, a wife, a daughter is aware of what is good and what is bad for her family then she would be able to provide her family with all the nourishment and essential nutrients required as per the age of all members.

Some tips that can be followed by woman of the house are:

• Healthy food combinations should be kept in mind and used while making food. Like for better absorption of iron, one must have vitamin C along with it. Thus, healthy food sources should be included, and it is essential to avoid consumption of tea or coffee along with the main course as it hinders with the nutrient absorption. So, you can always combine spinach or fenugreek with some lemon to extract the maximum iron
• Consumption of seasonal vegetables should be promoted as they are affordable, fresh and healthy to be consumed during that specific season
• Cooking methods such as frying should be avoided instead methods like steaming, baking, boiling, stewing or roasting should be used
• Utensils like cast iron dishes could be used within which one can get direct availability of iron into the food which is being cooked into them
• Vegetables should be cooked in less oil. Moreover, a blend of oils should be used. You may choose oils like mustard, groundnut, flaxseed, soybean, canola, coconut and olive oil or even a healthy fat like ghee
• When cooking rice or any similar dish, lots of vegetables should be added into it, just to provide with that extra bunch of fiber
• Fresh fruit and vegetable juices should be promoted instead of carbonated drinks or processed fruit juices
•  Meal timings are as important as meal preparations. Make sure your family is consistent  with their meal timings
• And lastly, it is wisely said that "a family that eats together, stays together." You can ensure that your family is having at least one of the meals together, and focus on keeping the usage of television or mobile phones to the minimum and let your family focus on mindful eating

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(Nmami Agarwal is nutritionist at Nmami Life)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.