By: Dr. Nosheen Ali, Bureau Chief-ICN Madhya Pradesh
BHOPAL: Women Life Start with a ‘’Little Girl’’ A girl is a female child, Second Phase; – Start after Marriage and Third Phase; – Start when Menopause occurs.‘’ Girl’’ The point at which a child becomes an adolescent is defined by the onset of puberty or the beginning of the teenage stage
Pubertal Girl: Puberty often begins earlier than parents think. Breast budding in girls—their first sign of puberty—starts at age 10 on averages, with some girls starting as early as 8 and others not start until 13. The peak growth period (in height, weight, muscle mass, etc.) in girls occurs about one year after puberty has begun.
Menstruation (period) usually starts about two years after the onset of puberty; on average, the first menstrual period occurs just before girls turn 13.
Pubertal changes in a girl by age 13.
Talk to your daughter about the following physical changes that will happen during puberty. The changes are listed in the order in which they generally occur.
- Body fat increases
- Breasts begin to enlarge
- Pubic hair grows
- Height and weight increase
- First menstrual period occurs
- Hips widen
- Underarm hair grows
- Skin and hair become more oily
- Pimples may appear
Period frequency
Many women get their periods every 28 days and can set their watches by its arrival. However, there also are many women whose periods do not fit into such a regular schedule. Every woman’s menstrual cycle is different. It may take a while for your cycle to become regular, but keeping track of your periods is a great way to become familiar with your cycle. By tracking, you might notice a pattern every month. You should carry tampons, pads or panty liners in your backpack or purse so you won’t be caught unprepared.
NUTRITION MANAGEMENT
Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and adulthood, a window of opportunity for the improvement of nutritional status and correcting poor nutritional practices. This is about the same period puberty sets in, typically between the ages of 10 and 13 years in girls.
Adolescence is characterized by the growth spurt, a period in which growth is very fast. During this time, physical changes affect the body’s nutritional needs, while changes in one’s lifestyle may affect eating habits and food choices.
Adolescent nutrition is therefore important for supporting the physical growth of the body and for preventing future health problems. All parents should therefore pay particular attention to the nutritional needs of their teenagers.
Why nutrition is essential for adolescent girls
Any nutritional deficiency experienced during this critical period of life can have an effect on the future health of the individual and their offspring. For example, failure to consume an adequate diet at this time can result in delayed sexual maturation and delayed or retarded physical growth.
The rapid physical changes of adolescence have a direct influence on a person’s nutritional needs. The growth spurt that occurs in adolescence, second only to that in the first year of life, creates increased demands for energy and nutrients. Nutritional status and physical growth are dependent on one another such that optimal nutrition is a requisite for achieving full growth potential.
Energy needs of adolescents are influenced by activity level, basal metabolic rate, and increased requirements to support pubertal growth and development.
Protein :Protein needs of adolescents are determined by the amount of protein required for maintenance of existing lean body mass and the development of additional lean body mass during the adolescent growth spurt.
Most teens easily meet this requirement with their intake of beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and dairy products. Protein is also available from certain vegetable sources, including tofu and other soy foods, beans, and nuts. These foods should be included in the diets of vegetarians especially.
Calcium: Calcium, teens are encouraged to consume three to four servings of calcium-rich foods each day. Milk provides the greatest amount of calcium in the diets of adolescents, followed by cheese, ice cream and frozen yogurt.
Iron: Iron is vital for transporting oxygen in the bloodstream. A deficiency of iron causes anemia, which leads to fatigue, confusion, and weakness. With the onset of adolescence, the need for iron increases as direct consequence of rapid growth and the expansion of blood volume and muscle mass. As adolescents gain muscle mass, more iron is needed to help their new muscle cells obtain oxygen for energy. The onset of menstruation imposes additional iron needs for girls.
Folate: Folate plays an integral role in DNA, RNA and protein synthesis. Thus, adolescents have increased requirements for folate during puberty. Rich sources of dietary folate consumed by adolescents include ready-to-eat cereal, orange juice, bread, milk, and dried beans or lentils.
(To Be Continued.…..)
