Thank you for supporting women and children in rural India

Okay we talk about health a lot, we know! But it's because we are incredibly passionate about arming as many people as possible with the knowledge and the tools to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle. This mission isn't confined to the UK and selling probiotics. We have found ways to support vital projects further afield that share the same mission and values as we do. For the last two years, Microbz, and anyone who has bought a health product, has directly helped SCAD to support the first 1000 days of a child's nutrition in communities of rural India.  

We want to thank you directly, anyone who has bought a bottle of microbz liquid probiotics; not only are you helping your own health, but you are helping others too.

Here is how 50p from every bottle sold contributes to this important nutrition and health project in Tamil Nadu.

About the Programme

Social Change And Development (SCAD) is an organisation founded by Dr Cletus Babu. Its mission is to help rural communities in India become self-sustainable with happy healthy women and children, by educating them and supporting them in all areas including health, farming, skills training and income support.

Two years ago we partnered with SCAD to contribute to some of the health clinics and programmes they're running in Tamil Nadu. In this specific programme, SCAD helps well over 200 mothers and their children, from pregnancy to pre-school and across ten villages, to receive nutritional support. Some women and infants are given direct nutritional support in the form of Nutrimix. The SCAD staff also deliver regular clinics in the villages to monitor any health and nourishment changes, as well as educate families on food, nutrition, sanitisation, diseases and personal hygiene. This service was especially crucial during the pandemic.

Life in Tamil Nadu for mothers

Tamil Nadu is a large state in southern India and home to over 60 million people. Like the rest of India, there is a mix of city life, rural living, wealth and poverty. Sadly, there has historically been a significant problem with maternal health in this state. According to the National Library of medicine, although the Indian constitution grants women equal rights as men, strong patriarchal traditions still persist, with lives of women shaped by old customs and traditions. Optimistically however, maternal and neonatal health has been a priority for the Government of Tamil Nadu for over a decade, and as a result there has been a reduction in the maternal mortality rate (MMR) from 380 per 100,000 live births in 1993 and to 90 in 2007.                

Nutrition and gut health in pregnancy

One of the many reasons we're so pleased to be able to support this project for mothers and their infants specifically is because we recognise what a vitally important stage of life it is for both mother and baby. Babies inherit their microbiome (their own community of beneficial bacteria) from their mother and their environment. Your microbiome, or gut flora as it's sometimes called, is linked to disease prevention, allergies, immune system, mental and physical health to name just a few, so if you're pregnant it's worth making sure that your gut health is tip top to give your baby the best possible start. Here are 5 simple ways that you can use nutrition in pregnancy for optimum gut health:

1. Use prebiotics (food that the bacteria like to feed on) and probiotics (containing good bacteria directly, like our microbz drinks.)
2. Eat a variety. It's the spice of life, and 'good' gut bacteria thrive on having a diverse range of foods going into your system.
3. Eat fermented food, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha or natural yoghurt.
4. Avoid toxins in food like processed foods, or low quality coffee.
5. Get collagen enhancing foods in: collagen is a binder and really useful when growing new life - try vitamin C containing foods which will encourage and collagen production such as peppers, citrus fruits, sweet potato and broccoli.

Thank you very much to everyone who has bought a bottle in the last two years. You have directly contributed to women and children in Tamil Nadu getting crucial access to healthcare.

Resources: https://www.healthygrocerygirl.com/blog/how-to-promote-gut-health-during-pregnancy-postpartum/ https://www.scad.org.in/what-we-do/health/ https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/07/fermented-food-diet-increases-microbiome-diversity-lowers-inflammation https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-nutrients-for-eyes#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2 https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2022/apr/04/why-is-maternal-mortality-rate-so-high-in-tamil-nadus-tirupattur-district-2437705.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2761773/