Nutrition is an important factor that impacts a person’s healthy. Most people today have busy working and school schedules, and no time to plan a healthy meals. Like me, I was unaware of how important is having a healthy diet and consuming the proper nutrients and vitamins I need. As, PA student with a very busy schedule, I had the opportunity to complete nutrition log for three days for my Health Promotion and Disease Prevention class. This is when I realized that my poor eating habits and how it has affected me. I have not had a major health problem or concerns about my weight because it was always within the normal range for my BMI.
My nutrition report shows, that my current diet is high over 60 percent in carbohydrates then what is normally recommended about 50 percent. On the other hand, my diet is low in proteins 13 percent out of 20 and low healthy fats 19 percent out of 30 percent of the recommended value. The nutrition tracker that I used gives you the range of the amount of calories that is healthy to consume based on the BMI or the daily goal, for me it was 1200-1550 calories. Then the track divides calories consumed in to categories such as carbohydrates, proteins and fat etc. I was surprised to learn that my vitamin D value was zero and also I have low values of other vitamins such A,C, and dietary fibers that was constant for the three day log.
The excessive amount of carbohydrates can lead to weight gain, type two diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. According to Medical Nutrition and Disease by Lisa Hark, Hark states “Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes and is a progressive disease that is often present long before it is diagnosed. Although approximately 50 percent of men and 70 percent of women are obese at the time of diagnosis, type 2 diabetes also occurs in nonobese individuals, especially in older adults” (page335). This show that there is a high percent of women that are affected by type 2 diabetes than men due to a diet that is high in carbohydrates. Also having a family history of diabetes make me more at risk for diet with my poor diet.
Unfortunately, a diet that is low in protein can lead to a diagnosis of malnutrition. For example, disease such as marasmus and kwashiorkor. According to Hark “Kwashiorkor describes a predominant protein deficiency. Kwashiorkor is characterized by lethargy apathy, irritability, retarded growth, changes in skin (dermatitis) and hair pigmentation, edema, and low serum albumin. Both marasmus and kwashiorkor are associated with weakness, weight loss, decline in functional status (increased difficulties with activities of daily living), impaired immune function with increased susceptibility to infection, and increased risk of morbidity and mortality” (page15). This the sever from of what a low protein can lead to over time. I am fortunate that in my case my health is not affected severely by my poor eating habits. However, malnutrition major issue in other parts of the world that need to be acknowledged affect many people that
Vitamin D deficiency is due to inadequate dietary intake or lack of sun exposure or impaired metabolism. There are two sources of vitamin D one that is from exposure to the sunlight and ingested dairy products like milk and the other is a plant based vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important role in absorption and maintaining calcium and phosphorus levels. Also it has many physiological functions such as blood pressure regulation, insulin production and help reduce inflammation. Vitamin D deficiency causes Rickets in infants and children, and osteomalacia in adults. Osteomalacia is characterized by pain and softening of the bone. The bone becomes easily breakable. Vitamin A deficiency is due to inadequate intake of the vitamin or from poor absorption due to a chronic disease. Vitamin A is important to maintain the mucus membrane, cornea and conjunctiva of the eye. Vitamin A deficiency cause xerophthalmia, perifollicular hyperkeratosis and night blindness. Vitamin C deficiency is due to insufficient intake of the vitamin found in citrus fruit. Vitamin C is important for the formation of collagen, bone and blood vessels strength, tissue repair and wound healing and it has an antioxidant effect. Vitamin C deficiency cause Scurvy that leads to joint and muscle pain and slow wound healing, swelling gum, lose teeth, fatigue and depression. As for dietary fibers, they reduce heart disease, diabetes and prevent constipation and some studies show that a diet high in fiber can decrease the risk of colon cancer. These diseases can easily be prevented with a healthy diet. Overall this assignment has taught me how a poor diet can impact an individual health. Also it has encouraged me to change my poor eating habits.
