Before day 0 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

Important messages for adolescents and women of childbearing age:

​

• Consume a healthy diet and stay physically active:
  - Eat a healthy and varied diet that includes green leafy- and orange vegetables, meat, fish, beans, nuts, whole grains, and fruits
  - Drink several glasses of water each day: 2 Liters of water/liquids every day
  - Limit the consumption of fatty, salty, and sugar snacks such as candy, cookies, pastries, ice cream, chips, fried food 
  - Use iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders
   

• A healthy diet is important throughout the life cycle:
  - A healthy diet helps to prevent malnutrition in all its forms (undernutrition, overweight/obesity, micronutrient deficiency) 
  - A healthy diet helps to prevent different non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic lung disease
  ​

• The importance of healthy nutrition for women and girls:
  - Improving nutrition is important to prevent childhood obesity
  - The maternal nutrition status before and during pregnancy affects the unborn baby and appears to be linked with a higher risk of obesity in later life
  - Children born with a small size at birth show a tendency to put on more weight during the puberty growth spurt than those of normal size at birth
   

• Women of reproductive age should get enough folic acid:
  - Folic acid is important because it can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine​
  - A woman should take a folic acid supplement every day (when possible), in addition to consuming food with folate from a varied diet (including green leafy vegetables, berries, nuts, beans, citrus fruits, and fortified cereals)

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​​

​

​