“Good Nutrition is a foundation of a child’s survival, health, and development”.
As I read the quote, the first thought that came into my mind is that good nutrition is essential throughout our life for our body to function optimally. Every child has the right to good nutrition however, in our country, poverty is prevalent hence, a continual rise in malnutrition cases, especially in children affecting their growth and development.
The first 1000 days are an opportunity to lay the groundwork for long-term health, growth, and neurodevelopment. Several factors contribute to the development of undernutrition however, nutrition is one facet that we can control.
The first 1000 days are can also be referred to as the brain's window of opportunity. It is part of the specific period where brain development is at its most rapid rate. A child having malnutrition in this time of life may experience detrimental long-term effects on physical and mental development (Unicef, 2013). As a consequence, the individual's educational performance and future career opportunities are also negatively impacted. On the contrary, good nutrition provides endless benefits to the individual such as addressing and correcting these deficits can potentially improve the world's intelligence quotient by 10 point stand, according to studies. In supplement to this, good nutrition in the said period in life does not only reduce mortality and morbidity in infants, but also stimulates constant development physically and mentally, and lowers the risk of developing chronic diseases throughout their lives (WHO, 2019).
Reference:
Infant nutrition. (2019, November 14). WHO | World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/health-topics/infant-nutrition
UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti. (2013, April 12). The first 1,000 days of life: The brain’s window of opportunity. UNICEF-IRC. https://www.unicef-irc.org/article/958-the-first-1000-days-of-life-the-brains-window-of-opportunity.html