The Role of Nutrition in Preventing Disease - Essay Example

The Role of Nutrition in Preventing Disease Health dose not only imply absence of disease, but is positive quality that emphasizes physical and the overall well being in humans. Optimum nutrition that provides sufficient nutrients to the body is termed as the foundation of good health and ensures that the body stays free from disease. Research proves that the food people eat and the nutrients these foods provide have a great impact on growth development, functional capabilities and good health. Personal health will be greatly determined by how people’s lifestyles are structured by ensuring proper nutrition, health habits discipline and regular exercise which will play a crucial role in reducing the expenditures on health care and the high death rates caused by diseases such as heart disease, cancer and stroke (Coulston and Boushey, 11). Therefore, nutritional knowledge plays a crucial role is reducing the high mortality rates caused by various diseases that affect the humans. Nutrition can be termed as the intake of food, and the knowledge about the nutrients that are found in those foods, in the relation to body’s needs to facilitate its proper functioning. Scholars and scientists have proven that nutrition is of vital importance and that, a healthy diet and a proper understanding of nutrition can greatly decrease or even eliminate the incidence of disease. Various diseases can be greatly prevented if proper nutritional methods were adhered to. This is because the foods will provide nutrient that the body requires for proper metabolism and this in return creates a balance in the body, which is a cornerstone of good health. The nutrients people receive daily enable us to effectively undertake and maintain daily activities like working, breathing and all the other activities that the body undertakes on a daily basis and, improper nutritional habits and greatly hamper these seemingly ordinary functions. A healthy intake of food is important to facilitate and maintain body functions and thus a proper intake of fats, proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals is necessary facilitate daily functioning and growth of its organs (DeBruyne et al, 34). These nutrients need to be enough and in kind as too much or too little is the cause of some diseases affecting humans. Vitamins and minerals are also of vital importance to facilitate the body’s daily chemical reactions or metabolism in the body (Coulston and Boushey, 22). Nutrition is also important so as to control or even treat some chronic medical conditions like high blood pressure, obesity, strokes and even some certain types of cancers. Obesity and heart disease are increasingly becoming very major health concerns in the United States of America and many Nations of the world. These two medical conditions can be easily prevented just by the proper observance of diet. The cause of obesity for example has been identified to be caused by an intake of more calories than the body has the capacity to burn. The intake of junk food much of which is rich in calories has resulted into a high population of an obese society. Consumption of high level cholesterol diets has also translated into an increase in incidences of heart disease in the United States and many other nations of the world resulting in many deaths and incapacitation which could have been easily avoided if proper dietary habits were observed such as eating low energy foods like vegetables and fruits which have few calories per unit, where a large volume will only contain few calories (Coulston and Boushey, 15). On the other hand, high energy foods like fats, eggs and other high cholesterol foods should be eaten in small quantities to avoid their health risks. The incidence of these diseases is noticeably lower in areas where the populace comprises of hunters and gatherers which show that the type of diet one eats has a direct relation to health. The above mentioned illnesses which have come to be referred to as diseases of”civilization’are thus illnesses and disease which come about as a result of the type of diet that is eaten in the United States of America and other developing and developed countries. The intake of fewer nutrients for example vitamins, will also result in deficiency related illnesses like scurvy, beriberi and blindness and they are prevalent in poor countries but rare or non existent in developed countries like the United States of America. It is important to note that health entails more than the mere absence of disease or illness from the body and thus the proper and correct amount of food should be two integral factors to be always adhered to if one is to maintain good health. These factors have a great impact on development, growth, functional capability and health in general (DeBruyne et al, 45). The proper nutritional knowledge is thus of critical importance if the consequences of poor nutritional practices are to be avoided and if the large expenditure both by the government and individuals to cater for health care are to be avoided. Surveys like the dietary guidelines for Americans for example recommend that half of a person’s daily intake should come from carbohydrates. If a person knows how many calories they need each day, it will be possible to eat the right amount and to avoid unnecessary calorie intake which will have no nutritional value and which also is hazardous to health (Coulston and Boushey, 82). This unnecessary intake has impacted very negatively in the lives of many people in The United States of America and other developing and developed countries with the level of obesity in constant rise. Many illnesses could have been avoided if people took precaution concerning their daily intake of nutrients to avoid more than the body needs. Much attention is being given to nutrition today, with scientists and doctors proving that altering diet and nutritional habits have a great bearing and impact on the health of individuals. Adopting the proper nutritional habits will not only have an impact on an individual’s present health status but can also hamper the onset of disease like cancer, heart disease and diabetes in the future. Physical activity or exercise is closely linked to the intake of food and cannot be ignored as nutrition and health are addressed. There is a great lack of physical activity especially in developing and developed countries and especially among the poor who cannot afford exercise facilities. Motorized transport even for short distances and introduction of labor saving devices in homes, and the phasing out of physical undertakings. Exercise is important as it helps in reducing extra body fat and the maintenance of muscle tone. Proper nutrition entailing a proper balanced diet combined with proper and regular physical exercises are very strong pillars of pillars of good health and will greatly reduce future medical bills in their preventive capacity (DeBruyne et al, 89). On the other hand, poor nutritional habits will decrease the body’s capability to fight disease, increase the level of contracting disease, impair physical and mental development and hamper greatly the body’s productivity. The diets people eat will to a great extent define people health by having an influence their growth and development. In addition to this, risk behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and lack of exercise will heighten the risk of getting diseases. Research shows that nutrients lack of physical activity have a great influence on gene expression and this determines a person’s susceptibility to disease. Research has proven that a combination of variety foods rich in nutrients, physical activity and social interaction optimizes health and ensures healthy ageing. It is not easy to control diseases caused by exposure to environmental pollutants as they are persistent and will accumulate in the body. However, diet and lifestyle changes will have a profound effect on the health of an individual and ensuring the two are at a balance ensures good health. Works Cited Coulston, Ann M. and Boushey, Carol J. Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, 2008. California: Academic Press. DeBruyne, Linda Kelly, Pinna, Kathryn, Whitney, Eleanor Noss and Ellie Whitney. Nutrition & Diet Therapy, 2007. Belmont: Cengage Learning . Read More