Nestle: #First1000Days

The common conception about the existence of each child in this world is considered to be since the day they are born. However, Nestle Pakistan’s Start Healthy, Stay Healthy bloggers meet held on 12^th September, 2015 at Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi, gave it a new approach.

Dr. Huma Fahim, who is a Medical Advisor in Nestle Nutrition, revealed that the #First1000Days start as soon as the baby develops in the mother’s womb and last till the child is about 2 years old. The nutrition that one consumes in this pre and post natal phase is very crucial and plays an important part in shaping the health of an individual later on in life. Some eye opening insights being:

• Taste buds are developed in the first 270 days when the baby is in the womb.

• A child achieves 50% of total height in the first 2 years, it just doubles over time.

• Lack of proper diet in the last 5 decades has decreased the average height by 4inches.
• Most of the brain development is complete by the time a child is 2 years old.
• Weaning is recommended till at least 6 months of age.
• And lastly, potatoes are not considered as vegetables. (My life ends there, Sigh!)

Waqar Ahmad, the Head of Corporate Affairs, said, “Nestlé has an expertise in nutrition and believes it has a responsibility to share that expertise. We want to promote better health through good nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life. Research shows that children who don’t get proper nutrition in their early years can’t fully develop their physical and cognitive potential and are at an increased risk of poor health as adults."

Team Nestle with Team TDF

 The presentations were wrapped up with a quiz; which surely brought back science test scenes from back in the day, only difference these weren’t graded, so hurray, and everyone still got a goody bag, more cheers. The evening ended on a delicious hi-tea spread (vegetarian woes were taken care of, thankfully) and socializing with likeminded folks, also known as friends.

The Digital Factory is to be credited for organizing this event and inviting bloggers and key opinion influencers who all pledged to use their influence to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition in the First 1000 Days of a child’s life on behalf of Nestle Pakistan.

The bloggers and KOLs with the organizers

For more details, follow #First1000Days on all the social mediums.