Nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Nutrition - Essay Example On the other hand, a poor one has the potential of injuring health and leading to deficiency diseases such as kwashiorkor and scurvy and also threatening conditions like osteoporosis, obesity and diabetes. This paper will research on nutrition and the implications of both poor and proper diets. Gardner and Halweil (2000) opine that a good health goes beyond the absence of disease and reflects a positive quality of physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social well being. Only an optimum nutrition that provides all the essential amount and type of nutrients can achieve good health. The food people consume and their constituent nutrients are the most significant, long-term environmental factors that influence their health, development, growth and functional abilities (Zoellner, Bounds & Yadrick, 2009). Nutritional knowledge, especially including education for health professionals and the general public, is critical if the rate of premature mortality and morbidity must be redu ced significantly from the primary killer diseases. The way people structure their lives with proper health habits, nutrition and regular exercise will cut down on chronic diseases and medical expenditure. Depending on the quantities required by the body, the six classes of nutrients may further be categorized into either micronutrients or macronutrients (Bolin, Caplan, & Holyday, 2010). The body requires macronutrients in large amounts and they include proteins, carbohydrates, water and fats. The body uses lipids to build cell membranes, and amino acids are essential for the formation of proteins while carbohydrates and fats are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Vitamins and minerals fall under micronutrients. Apart from water and the fibrous content of food, all macronutrients provide the body with structural material and energy (Bolin, Caplan, & Holyday, 2010). This is the energy used to carry out all the activities of the body and the essential support of life. A dditionally, proteins are used in the repair and formation of tissue as well as various hormones and chemicals. Water is essential in eliminating the waste products of metabolism. Every food consumed has a direct impact on a person’s health. Certain levels of variation in quantities will lead to nutritional disease, which can be defined as disease or condition related to nutrition. The variations may include both excesses and deficiencies in one’s diet. Poor or unbalanced diets, and hence bad nutrition, cause developmental abnormalities and worsen chronic diseases. For instance, research has shown that diets high in sugar, sodium and saturated fat adversely affect health and well being (Bolin, Caplan, & Holyday, 2010). Such a diet places the consumer at a high risk of developing diseases such as cancers, diabetes, heart diseases and hypertension. On the other hand, nutritionists recommend diets high in fiber, calcium, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Such diets hav e the potential to reduce chances of most diseases by up to 80 percent. The research confirms that unhealthy eating habits are the leading causes of disease and disability as well as loss of independence. More significantly, the use (or abuse) of alcohol and tobacco should strictly be avoided, especially for persons with pre-existing conditions