A Must Have Nutrient To Prevent Mental Disorders In Your Child

6.3 million pregnant women and 5.7 million newborn babies in India are at a risk of facing consequences of Iodine deficiency disorder. Did you know that lack of Iodine or insufficient intake of Iodine in pregnant woman can leave the child cognitively impaired and even set in a premature delivery? Apart from this, multitude of health disorders such as goitre, hypothyroidism, miscarriage, stillbirth, congenital anomalies, infant and neonatal mortality, and impaired growth are possible due to Iodine deficiency.

A balanced nutrition intake during pregnancy with sufficient amount of Iodine is the key to prevent deficiency and the related health issues in both mom and baby. An expecting mother needs 250mg of Iodine per day since Iodine is associated with the baby’s brain development that occurs between the third month of pregnancy to third year of life.

Salt is known to be an effective micronutrient carrier of Iodine, therefore making iodised food grade salt as one of the easiest ways of supplementing a diet with this vital nutrient. Hence salt should be consumed in adequate amount. Pregnant and lactating women need to ensure that they are consuming enough Iodine since the requirement of Iodine increases during these phases.

Tata Salt, a legacy name when it comes to salt, took the ”I am not #MissingI”(I for Iodine) initiative and conducted a nationwide campaign in collaboration with experts, doctors and moms in lieu of creating awareness about the significance of having sufficient Iodine in diet and its impact on overall health and development of a mother and her child. The mission of the initiative encouraged pregnant women to take a pledge to not miss Iodine in her diet and hence protect the baby from Iodine deficiency disorder.

The campaign struck a chord with mothers across nation , as moms joined hands to raise awareness on Iodine deficiency. Over 400 + BabyChakra mothers too stood up to raise awareness by taking the #MissingI pledge and posting a picture with ‘I’ on their Belly. Thousands of moms from different walks of life including influencer moms and celebrity moms like Geeta Phogat, Soha Ali khan and Bruna Abdullah took to social media like Instagram and Facebook to share their experiences on motherhood and helped spread awareness on importance of Iodine”.

The campaign received tremendous response nationwide both online and offline.

By bringing importance of consumption of Iodized salt in daily diet (also the easiest source of Iodine in India) to the center stage through #MissingI conversations, it is indeed time for each one of us to stand up and raise awareness for the health of not just India’s mothers and babies but for the health of the nation. After all, Salt Iodisation has contributed in saving 4 billion IQ points in India.

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