By Dr Meghana Pasi 

Happy Mother’s Day! “My mom knows me the best and loves me the most!” While it is known that a mother’s love is unconditional, conditions might restrict us from acknowledging the same and giving it in return. We got so busy exploring our life and independence that we failed to notice our mother was growing older too.

Mother’s Nutrition

Remember how your mother would present you with a grand illusion of a yummy mouthwatering dish only to have you find out later that it was filled with healthy ingredients you wouldn’t eat otherwise? Looking back in nostalgia, the tiffin your mother made for you of yummy parathas had all the vegetables and dals needed for your health. But have you ever had a look at her thali? While trying to give us a nutritious meal, was she able to meet her own nutrient requirements?

Prioritize Mother’s Health

Ageing brings with it several physiological, psychological and metabolic changes in our body. These include a decline in physical activity, decreased immunity, weak digestion and metabolism. Obesity increases the risk of chronic degenerative disorders like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Our moms are also prone to suffer from bone and muscle loss as they age. The estrogen hormone, (responsible for maintaining bone density) drops considerably after menopause leading to higher risk of Osteoporosis.

Does this remind you of any complaints that your mom has had in the past?

Observational studies provide compelling evidence that adopting a healthy lifestyle i.e. a nutritious diet with physical activity is linked with a reduced risk of premature death due to degenerative disorders.

Here’s your turn to look after her! Let’s help our moms stay healthy by helping them make right food choices by eating a balanced diet. It’s okay if you cannot cook a healthy meal for your mom on Mother’s Day; make her attend a talk show on nutrition or take an appointment with a nutritionist.

Some important nutrition tips for all mothers for good health:

Eat Right by Balancing your Meals: Include all 5 food groups: cereals/grains/millets, pulses/dals/legumes/egg/meat/fish, milk /milk products, fruits and vegetables in your meals which provide all the nutrients (carbs, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Do not forget to include:

• Drink 2-3 litres of water every day. Include lassi, buttermilk, green tea, lime juice, and coconut water too.
• Ensure that you include 3-4 katories of veggies along with 3 fruits every day.
• Include millets, whole grains instead of wheat flour and maida in your cooking.
• Limit intake of salt to 1tsp and intake of oil to 3tsp per day.

Physical Activity:

• Go for walks, at least 30 min every day.
• Do yoga, play with your grandchildren.
• Ensure 30 minutes of sunlight exposure for Vitamin D.

This Mother’s Day let us thank all the mothers for their selfless and tireless devotion towards our health. It is time that we too take care of their health. Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!

The author is a nutrition consultant with Arogya World’s MyThali program. Views expressed are the author’s own.