International Women\’s Day is a global celebration of womanhood which is focused on celebrating women\’s achievements worldwide. it also aims at striving to attain an equal importance for women in the society. Each year this day is celebrated using a theme and the theme for this year is
Break the Bias. We have taken this opportunity to share healthy tips for women to be able to break the bias in the society and move forward.
A bias is a feeling of discrimination or an unfair attitude/ behavior. Women at times are subjected to several biases which may include bias in schools/ colleges/ workplaces/ families, etc. Such biases may make it difficult for them to keep calm and move ahead. These biases should be dealt with firmly and this is possible only with the help of social awareness and education.
In order to build a healthier community or nation and in turn a healthier world, it is important to focus on the health of women. This should start from childhood and girls should be given equal rights to education, food, recreational activities, sports, social development, etc. Today on the occasion of International Women\’s Day, we herewith wish to share a few health tips for women to break the shackles and biases that may pose as hindrances in their future health:
#Breakthebias_1: I will promote exclusive breastfeeding for girls with age of less than 6 months
It is usually taken for granted that a girl child may need less breastmilk as compared to a boy or she can be weaned earlier than a boy. However, this is a myth. Every child has specific nutrient needs be it a girl or a boy and they have to be met with through breastmilk. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months is extremely essential for the overall growth and development of children and should be given irrespective of the gender. Mothers should be counseled for the same along with their families including mother-in-law, husband, etc. This is one of the most important health tips for women that should be advocated on events like Women\’s Day/ Health day/ Children\’s day, etc
#Breakthebias_2: I will educate parents on the role of nutrition for a girl child
Nutrition plays a very important role in the right from the early ages for the overall growth and development of children. Hence, boys and girls both should be given equal nutrition care so that they become healthy individuals.
#Breakthebias_3: I will help an adolescent girl overcome body shaming
Body shaming is an act of indicating something negative or offensive about someone\’s body. It may be in the form of a joke or a comment or social media troll or an offensive action. However, when it comes to girls who are overweight/ obese; it may not go well as at times there may be boys who may not wish to easily marry someone who is not thin/ lean.
At times, girls with health issues like
polycystic ovaries may be struggling with loosing weight. It is different matter altogether that anyone who is overweight/ obese should look forward to loose weight; however, body shaming may prove to be a hard hitting event, hence girls should be motivated to accept them the way they are and then set realistic goals. They should be inspired to eat healthy, eat clean and nutritious food and exercise on a daily basis rather than get intimidated by trolls.
#Breakthebias_4: I will celebrate fitness achievements of my female colleague
One of the most motivating health tips for women is to celebrate the achievements of their female colleagues. Lets say if your female colleague has just completed a 10 km Marathon or has completed a difficult trek, you should look forward to celebrate her achievement. You may prefer that in public by posting her achievement on your organizations social media groups. Motivation is always welcome and when it comes from female friends, it inculcates a spirit of strong womanhood.
#Breakthebias_5: I will educate my maid to avoid eating stale/ contaminated food
Womanhood is not just about celebrating achievements, it is also about sharing a helping hand with the needy. When it comes to struggling countries like India where we have scarcity of food and pure drinking water, we all should extend a helping hand to the people we employ. This not necessarily needs to be done by donating money, it can also be done by sharing some healthy and useful information.
The workers may not always have an access to healthy food items but one can always guide them to prepare fresh food and consume it. Alternatively, if they are given food from their employers; they should check for its freshness and contamination by smelling or touching it or through visual assessment. For example: a mould on chapati/ bread is visible, if the leftover rice is stale -it becomes sticky, if a dal/ non-veg gravy is stale-it may smell offensive. One can guide their workers to always cover the food after cooking it. Small health tips like squeezing lemon on food to improve its vitamin content or preferring eating vegetables like cucumber, potato, tomato, bottle gourd, etc with skin to improve the fiber content can prove to be extremely beneficial to enhance health of our maids/ workers.
These were few important health tips for women that should be considered to Break the Bias and look forward for a healthy future.
