Introduction
Rise of Comfort Food
With the advancement of new technology, which has resulted in many conveniences, people have resorted to cheaper but less nutritious food sources. These technologies have led to the development of cheaper tantalizing treats. These foodstuffs have contributed to a rise in lifestyle illnesses that silently affect countless individuals.
As we continue to rely on conveniences that encourage poor dietary choices, we compromise our overall well-being and that of future generations. Eating unhealthy foods is detrimental to human life. Good nutrition, in general, is key to protecting both current and future generations throughout their lifespan.
Role of Healthy Nutrition
A healthy diet is critical in helping children grow and develop, as it reduces the chances of chronic illnesses. According to the CDC (2022), older people who consume healthy foods can live a prolonged life as they have a lower risk of contracting obesity, heart disease, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes. Healthy eating is also crucial in supporting individuals already struggling with chronic illnesses.
Through proper diets, people suffering from these conditions can manage them and avoid complications. Despite the benefits of healthy eating, many people still rely on unhealthy foods. This occurs due to a lack of options and resources; therefore, people often settle for foods that are low in nutrients but high in calories.
Reasons Behind Unhealthy Eating and Implications for Healthcare
In the United States, for instance, people from low-income communities and also others from racial and ethnic groups live in environments where they cannot access areas where they can purchase affordable, healthier foods, leading to unhealthy eating. The majority of Americans eat foods that are high in sodium, saturated fats, and sugars. These products have been associated with the risk of causing chronic illnesses.
Nine in ten people in the United States consume foods with excess sodium, and five in ten adults drink at least one beverage daily (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). The country also spends approximately $ 173 billion annually on obesity-related care. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Therefore, this paper aims to investigate if unhealthy eating has a profound and detrimental impact on individual physical and mental health, leading to a rise in chronic diseases and a decline in overall well-being.
Impacts of Poor Nutrition on Human Health
Cause of Obesity
One of the detrimental impacts of poor nutrition is the rise of obesity and overweight, which harms individual physical and mental health. Unhealthy eating, lack of sufficient sleep, and inadequate physical activity contribute to poor health due to obesity and overweight among children. In the United States, it is estimated that about 20 percent of young people between the ages of 2 and 19 and 42 percent of adults are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). This has a high likelihood of leading to the development of preventable lifestyle diseases.
Risk of Cardiovascular Conditions
Unhealthy eating also has the potential to lead to the development of heart disease and stroke. Poor nutrition, for example, excess sodium consumption, often increases blood pressure, which can result in heart disease and stroke (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). It is estimated that 70 percent of Americans’ excess sodium is obtained from processed and packaged foods. Other sources of this sodium are store-bought and restaurant foods (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).
Heart disease can also be attributed to eating foods high in saturated fats and low in fiber, resulting in high blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, which harm human health. Unhealthy eating can result in the development of type 2 diabetes among people.
Obesity-Related Diabetes
As explained earlier, unhealthy eating is the primary cause of obesity. Obese people are at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes as compared to people who eat healthy food (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). This is attributed to the body’s inability to effectively utilize the excess insulin it produces. More than 1 in 3 adults in the United States has prediabetes, and about 8 in 10 are unaware of their prediabetes condition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Despite the data, the country has made progress in reducing the rate of new cases in recent years.
Oncological Threat
Unhealthy diets are also associated with the risk of developing some cancers. Consumption of food products, such as sugar-sweetened beverages and highly processed foodstuffs, contributes to weight gain, obesity, and other chronic conditions. According to the CDC, unhealthy eating puts people at risk of developing approximately 13 types of cancers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Some of these cancers include endometrial or uterine cancer, breast cancer in women who have reached menopause, and colorectal cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Colorectal cancer is also associated with consuming red meat and processed meat apart from beverages. These diseases can be financially draining and also lower an individual’s quality of life.
Ways to Promote Healthy Eating
School Lunch and Education
One way of promoting healthier eating is by providing food options in early childhood education facilities and schools. According to the CDC, nearly 56 million children in the United States are enrolled in early childhood facilities and public schools (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). They spend most of their time in these institutions; therefore, these settings influence what learners consume and are intensely involved in building healthy eating habits.
Learning institutions can promote healthy eating by training learners and childcare providers in nutrition best practices (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). In return, learners can influence their parents to adopt these best practices and avoid unhealthy eating. This can be achieved by training school staff to select, prepare, and serve fruits and vegetables.
Learners can also be trained to grow vegetables and fruits, increasing accessibility to healthier foods. CDC, for instance, is implementing healthier eating programs in schools through partnerships with national groups to increase the number of salad bars in schools. In 2021 alone, this program achieved success by delivering approximately 6,000 salad bars across the United States, providing access to healthy food for approximately 2.6 million students, their teachers, and other staff members (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). This will enable them to adopt a healthy diet by reducing their consumption of processed foods linked to lifestyle diseases.
Improving Access to Healthy Food
Millions of American adults are engaged in work and often buy food and drinks while at work. This provides easier accessibility to healthier food options by adopting the CDC workplace and food service guidelines. Apart from the working population, there is also a need to provide health services within low-income communities to promote healthy living (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).
The low-income communities, such as tribal communities, often have minimal access to nutritious foods, leading to an increase in cases of obesity. The state and other organizations concerned with promoting healthy living can fund projects that encourage healthy eating to improve access. This might include campaigns that aim to raise awareness about the dangers of unhealthy diets and promote healthy living.
Conclusion
The country’s primary cause of unhealthy eating is a lack of sufficient resources that prevent people from affording healthier food options. This has contributed to an increase in the issue of obesity and overweight, and other lifestyle-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. The government, through its agencies such as the CDC, has, however, developed relevant guidelines that can be used to ensure healthier eating in the country.
However, further research is needed to explore other potential solutions to the problem of consuming unhealthy foods, such as government policies regulating food marketing targeted at children, the accessibility and affordability of healthy food options, and the impact of cultural factors on dietary choices. In this manner, the government can identify and address potential weaknesses in its policies and guidelines through its various agencies.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Poor nutrition. Web.