To stay alive, the human body requires proper nutrients. These nutrients are absorbed from the food we eat. The absorbed food will help the cells in the human body stay alive and function optimally.
Nutrition is important to all human beings. One cannot survive without proper nutrition. However, nutrition is more important in certain stages of life than others (Wardlaw & Smith 2011). Nutrition is very important during childhood.
The reason for this is that children require more energy than adults. The macronutrients and micronutrients that the body needs are absorbed according to the body size. The smaller the body size the more nutrients the body will need. Children also have a higher growth rate.
Proper nutrition is also important to the elderly. This is due to the slow growth of their body cells. Proper nutrition is required to maintain normal cell growth and improve the rate of cell growth (Insel 2011). They also need proper nutrition to maintain good mental health, immunological health and cardiovascular health.
The lifestyle of most people will affect them in future. The food we eat today will affect our health in future. The consumption of healthy foods minimizes the chance of contracting certain diseases (Wardlaw & Smith 2011). These diseases include; cancer, arthritis and stroke. Obesity is also among the diseases that can be avoided if we eat healthy.
Recent research has shown that more people are at risk of suffering from these diseases due to lack of proper nutrition. Their lifestyles have forced them to consume fatty foods commonly referred to as junk food. Eating healthy food will help boost the body’s immune system while reducing the risk of trauma. The ability of the body to grow and operate optimally depends on the food we eat.
Recent findings have revealed that obesity is the most common health condition affecting young adults. The number of overweight children has been growing day by day. The reason behind this is poor nutrition. Change in lifestyle has also been found to be the main cause of this problem (Insel 2011). Most parents are now fully employed. This leaves them with no option but to take their children to fast food joints to have meals. Fast food joints are expanding daily and relocating to more strategic places.
The government has an important role to play in order to control this menace. They need to come up with various legislations that will help put a stop to this worrying trend. A good example would be banning all fast food joints within a certain radius from educational institutions (Wardlaw & Smith 2011). This will make it harder for children to access these joints.
The government should also encourage awareness campaigns that will help in the fight against obesity. These campaigns will focus more on sensitizing parents and children on the need for proper nutrition. The effects of poor nutrition should also be addressed during these campaigns. With time, this will raise the awareness levels and help in the fight against obesity (Insel 2011).
The recent statistics leaves the government with no choice. The productive population of the society is slowly dying from health related diseases (Wardlaw & Smith 2011). These are the future leaders, employees and workers that will help grow the economy when the current leaders have retired. It is also the responsibility of the government to make sure that all citizens are healthy and protected from all health issues that would endanger their lives.
References
Insel, P. M. (2011). Nutrition. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Wardlaw, G. M., & Smith, A. M. (2011). Contemporary nutrition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.