Food is one of the basic needs of man. From the creation of the world through the medieval ages until this period of globalization, this inevitable need has not left the tables. Besides other needs like shelter and clothing, food is one of the elements of survival. Nutrients available for human actions are obtained from food. As a living thing, man performs such functions as movement, respiration, irritability and response to the environment, growth and development, as well as excretion. Energy is needed for these functions. It is obtained from food.
Without food, man starves and eventually dies of starvation. Worst still is a deadly death when he is exposed to bad nutrition. The question is: what is nutrition? What constitutes good nutrition? What is the concept of bad nutrition? What difference is there between good and bad nutrition. What are the effects of bad nutrition on the individual and locality where it is prevalent? What factors promote bad nutrition? What steps can be taken to reduce the incidence of bad nutrition? Definition of concepts Nutrition is the process of obtaining nutrients from the food we eat.
It is one of the basic functions of man. Nutrient is obtainable from carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water, roughages and fats and oil. Each of this class of food is indispensable and anything that constitutes an imbalance in its proportion will cause bad nutrition. Good nutrition is when one consumes these classes of food in the right quantity; this implies that it is not too much and not too small. It also included balanced diet; this is ensuring that all classes of food are eaten in a meal session.
Each class of food has specific role in the individual: carbohydrates are good sources of energy obtainable from rice, sorghum, yam, wheat, grains. Proteins can be of animal or plant source; they are found in meat, fish, egg, and are the precursors of amino acids, the building blocks of life. Proteins provide the framework for growth and development. Fats and oil are also effective energy sources; while vitamins are useful for metabolism, minerals and water help to maintain homeostasis of electrolytes and fluids within the internal milieu of an individual. Taking each class in every meal in the appropriate proportion is good nutrition.
On the other hand, bad nutrition is eating too much or too little. Epidemiology This problem is a cosmopolitan problem with a global distribution. Because of the affluence and wealth of developed countries, the challenge is that of consuming too much food. Most people patronize eateries and fast food centers to eat burgers and similar food stuff which do not contain all the classes of food in the right proportion. This leads to an increasing trend in the incidence of eating disorders such as anorexia and obesity with their concomitant psychological and physical ailments.
This underscores the fact that bad nutrition is not restricted to any region of the world as it affects all. In view of this, bad nutrition is even a worse problem in less developed and developing nations where food is not readily available. Bad leadership constitutes the top factor here; it promotes corruption and misappropriation of public funds. Money allocated to provision of food is diverted to public pockets and who suffers for this? The citizens of course. They are left with no other option that to manage and service on the little meal they can provide for their family from subsistence farming.
Wars and political instability in these nations also constitutes plaques that consume the land, productive forces and will that could have been useful in agriculture. Poverty and illiteracy form inseparable twins that perpetuate their bad nutrition. Besides, bad Nutrition plagues a large number of people in America. It is profound to note that quite a number of people in this country do not know what constitutes good nutrition; they only eat! The combinations of food they consume do not enrich the body with essential nutrients in a way.
The age of fast foods, snacks and McDonald burgers have made life apparently ‘easy’ but this ease gradually paves the way for the accompanying effects of bad nutrition. Besides the fact many are not aware of good nutrition, those who know do not actually vigorously encourage its practice. The health education in this aspect of our lives is not sufficient. As a result, the problem persists. Unhealthy Nutrition Unhealthy foods are usually very easy to distinguish from healthy meals. The quantity is either insufficient or excessive. Bad food can be described as anything that produces an excess of nutrients or a shortage.
The quality of meal also matters. When we eat the same type of food for a long period, it Is very likely that bad nutrition is in practice because some peculiar nutrients may be absent from what we eat. Food with large amount of fats and oil are not healthy; they are toxic to the blood vessels and promote obesity. Foods with copious amounts of carbohydrates, fast food, and sweets need to be avoid or eaten in small amounts. People respond to nutrition and the pressures of society in different ways. Food cannot be divorced from prevailing environmental conditions and social circumstances.
While some people are able to adapt properly, others do not. Sometimes, social pressures force people to change their dietary habits especially when they see eating as an escape route from their life’s challenges. Such people end up becoming obese and with poor self-image. Apart from obesity, there are other eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, psychogenic vomiting and eating disorder not otherwise specified. Eating disorders Anorexia is a mental disorder causing the person to uncontrollably lose weight by refusing food. It is common among school girls and female university students.
Its prevalence is more in the upper social class than the lower class, and more a problem in the developed nations. Factors that usually promote this include personality traits that drive the individual to look pleasant and fashionable; social belief that thinness is attractive among young ladies. Psychological basis for this disorder is more important: a struggle for control and a sense of identity lead affected individuals to relentlessly pursue thinness by eating too little. As a result, they are thin and weigh less than the standard for age and gender.
There could also be other symptoms like depressed mood, social withdrawal and lack of sexual interest. To maintain this shape, they induce vomiting and engage in excessive exercise. On the other hand, Bulimia refers to episodes of uncontrolled excessive eating. The central features here include an irresistible urge to overeat and accompanying extreme measures to control body weight. There is also an overvalued idea concerning self-image and body shape. It is often confused with anorexia because both can occur at the same time. Episodes are usually preceded by stress and breaking of self-imposed dietary rules.
Overeating relives tension but is soon followed by guilt and disgust. Subsequently the individual induced vomiting. In many cases, there are symptoms of depression but menstrual abnormalities are absent. Obesity constitutes an important disorder: it is a medical condition characterized by excess body fat. When the body mass index is greater than 30kg/square meters, the diagnosis of obesity can be made. At least, 20% of adults in the States will meet this criterion, as the case is in UK. It tends to be aggravated by environmental and social influence that encourage overeating of high calorie foods and lack of exercise.
The psychological aspect is not significant, as the case is in anorexia and bulimia. Hazards of bad nutrition Certainly numerous problems can occur because of improper dietary habits. Some of these can be psychological as it is in cases of anorexia and bulimia. This will necessitate mental state and psychiatry assessment. These conditions usually also present with disturbances of mood especially depression. They usually require behavior and cognitive therapies because of the devastating effects of the eating disorder may have on the individual.
Obesity is closely related to diabetes mellitus as both conditions promote insulin resistance and a state of increased glucose level in the blood. The pancreas is therefore overworked and later ceases to produce insulin. Diabetes is a chronic debilitating disease that affects every organ of the body; it usually presents with neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy as a result of micro vascular disturbance caused by the abnormally elevated plasma glucose level. Patients are predisposed to infections, ulcers and immunosuppression.
Bad nutrition also adversely affects the heart and blood vessels. Excessive consumption of foods with fats and oil can cause an elevated level of cholesterol. This leads to formation of atheromatous plaques that thicken and block blood vessels. Heart disease occurs when arteries near the heart are blocked by cholesterol. There is also increased level of bad cholesterol in form of low density lipoproteins LDL but an expected reduction in the level of good cholesterol in the form of high density lipoproteins HDL. This is closely related to the onset of high blood pressure-hypertensive diseases.
Aggressive health education on what constitutes is a primary prevention strategy. Legislation to stop/reduce sale of ‘bad’ food can also help. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders and the sequelae of bad nutrition is equally important. Reference ? Frances Sizer and Eleanor Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. Thomson and Wadswoth Publishing House. Ninth Edition. ? Good Nutrition. www. revolutionhealth. com/healthy-living/food-nutrition/food-basics/facts ? Breaking Bad Nutrition Habits. www. eating-healthy. org/breaking-your-bad-nutrition-habits
