Health Fitness

The essence of nutritional health

It is a fact that the fundamentals of healthy eating are well documented in academic textbooks, scientific journals, and government literature. However, this basic knowledge has not been conveyed to the general public in a comprehensive and understandable format that enables people to make well-informed decisions to change their eating habits and lifestyle. Despite the sheer volume of information available, there is a huge gap in the knowledge of those who need to know.

Diet and health advice is often incomplete or biased, leaving people somewhat confused or unsure how to put the concept of healthy eating into practice. Understanding such a message is only one side of the story; putting it into practice on a day-to-day basis is another matter. It has become obvious to me over the years that people, while familiar with general healthy eating messages like “eat less fat and more fiber,” lack a clear understanding of the makeup of a healthy diet. One of the many reasons these healthy eating messages remain just messages is because they are preached everywhere. For example, filling a shopping cart with fat-free or low-fat products does not guarantee the absence of health problems and chronic degenerative diseases, unless the diet as a whole is balanced.

While people are busy reaching life goals and building their careers, the insidious process of narrowing and hardening of the arteries may be taking place. This is particularly likely in those who are inactive and/or have little concern for what they eat. Nutrition-related diseases, today called non-communicable diseases, are quite different from infectious diseases; they take a long time to make themselves known, and by the time they are diagnosed, it may be too late to reverse the damage. Surprisingly, most obesity-related diseases, including coronary heart disease and diabetes, are often only recognized when experiencing a non-fatal heart attack or angina, or when people are in the hospital for other reasons. including annual checks. An interesting point is that most of these health problems could have been prevented if some time had been invested in assessing and maintaining nutritional health, before they came to fruition. Everyone should seek means to assess nutritional status, such as cholesterol and blood sugar tests.

Today, there is much interest in the relationship between food and health and more and more efforts are being made to improve the health of the nation. There is particular concern about fat, sugar, salt, dietary fiber, and calcium, but the science of nutrition is much broader than that. The main objective of this article is to inform and shed some light on the main constituents of food and how a healthy, balanced and nutritious diet can be achieved. This is not just for losing weight, but also for achieving and maintaining good health. This article is intended for those who are “health conscious” and therefore interested in appreciating the role of nutrition in overall health. It goes beyond the brief and often incomplete message of ‘eat less fat’ and have a ‘high fiber diet’, to discover the practicality of starting over and eating for health.

Only in the last two centuries, with the rise of the science of Nutrition, has it been possible to accurately quantify the content of the optimal diet for the maintenance of health. Food provides energy and nutrition for both survival and enjoyment. Too little food can cause disease, but too much can also cause health problems. Therefore, it is important to strike the right balance between the amount and type of food we consume.

The last few decades have also witnessed remarkable changes in eating habits and patterns. There is now a huge variety of affordable food available year-round. But just because it’s easier to get good-quality food doesn’t always guarantee a healthier choice. In fact, the bewildering variety of foods available can make it difficult for some people to choose the components of what is considered a healthy, balanced diet. As a consequence, the incidence of so-called diseases of the rich has increased dramatically, particularly in Western society, although developing countries are now following the same trend. Many common health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, type II diabetes, arthritis, and various forms of cancer (endometrial, breast, and colon) are related to diet, either directly or indirectly.

The fast-paced world around us seems to have left us with no time for food preparation and allocating specific times for meals is something that rarely happens. Despite the deluge of information on diet and health, people are getting fatter and out of shape. Such a trend could be due to the availability of a wide range of ready meals, both in supermarkets and in take-away food outlets. In addition, this type of food is usually promoted through strong advertising in all types of media. The modern kitchen is well-equipped with all kinds of appliances (food processors, microwaves, etc.) and these make food preparation easy, fast, simple and certainly more enjoyable than it was a few decades ago. However, cooking is increasingly becoming one of our last priorities, and the younger generation seems to have forgotten how to cook.

I believe that understanding the basic principles of nutrition and the impact of food and its nutrients on health will equip people with the knowledge and skills to choose, prepare and consume a better diet, paving the way to a healthier and more of better quality. of life. What is also important is the willingness of people to adopt changes in their eating habits and lifestyle in order to reap the health benefits of eating.

The ways in which the adequacy of any diet can be assessed are part of the science of nutrition. Therefore, knowledge of its principles is important, especially for those who plan and provide meals. Before continuing, it is necessary to define the sources of energy in the diet.

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