May 10, 2019

WHY NUTRITION IS IMPORTANT

There is considerable truth in the adage ‘You are what you eat’. The state of your body and how well it works depends to a large extent on how appropriately it is nourished. Malnutrition can be found in contemporary Western society and is not peculiar to developing countries.

Malnutrition occurs when a person’s body is not adequately serviced by its food intake. Each individual’s needs change under different circumstances. Moreover, the foods needed by an athlete, a grandmother, a growing boy, an office worker or a pregnant woman are not the same. Nutritional needs vary even from one office-worker to another, according to genetic make-up, level of activity, general state of health and environment.

Some groups of people who are at risk from nutrient deficiencies can be generally identified. These include those who are socio-economically disadvantaged; women during the reproductive years because of the added nutritional demands of menstruation and of pregnancy; the elderly; those who have a particular health problem, such as diabetes, faulty absorption of food or who are on certain medications; those with lifestyle problems such as cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse.http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/maintext/main1b.html