ART 3170 Civic Engagement: Social Issues "Action" Project: Josie Gallegos- Harmful Effects of Poor Nutrition

Harmful effects of poor nutrition

By: Josie Gallegos, ART 3170, Professor Aziz

"Healthy nutrition will prevent 95% of all disease" -Linus Pauling

Introduction

Nutrition is a critical part in the development of human beings. It is not only tied to preventing disease but is known to improve cardiovascular and neurological health. This means, fuel for the development of our brains and our bodies which is ultimately the foundation for a longer healthier life. When it comes to the food we consume, there is a lack of transparency between the way in which they can help us treat disease to combat the revenue for pharmaceuticals. An emphasis has been placed on diagnosing the public and prescribing strong medications, which have many side effects. Poor nutrition has been linked to severe diseases including cancer and mental health. Then, why is it that the foods that cause disease are highly advertised, easily available, and the most affordable? The only way in which we can fight disease through nutrition is by becoming aware of the harmful effects of poor nutrition, and the addiction these were purposely set to cause for financial gain. We hold through knowledge of nutrition, the power to create longer, and healthier lives.

Research

Many studies have been done to demonstrate that there is a high probability of death caused by diseases tied to poor nutrition. Studies show that 46% of adults and 56% of children have poor quality diets. In the United States, poor nutrition is the number one cause of illness and is responsible for more than half a million deaths per year.

Impact of poor nutrition on mood

Poor health can cause neurotransmitters to alter, which results in anxiety, depression, fatigue, and stress. The chemical imbalances may affect the following:

Memory
Cravings
Addictions
Sleep
attention/concentration

Impact of poor nutrition in women and adolescent girls

Women and adolescent girls have been found to suffer from malnutrition. Partly because many women feel the need to maintain a physique and so they eat less than what is required by their bodies. The result of this is that children of malnourished women may experience cognitive impairments amongst other issues.

Impact of poor nutrition in urban communities

There are also links between poverty and nutrition. In the United States, healthy food has been found to be inaccessible to urban communities. The more affluent communities have more healthy food options. This causes low-income communities to have large numbers of poor nutrition-related illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Major nutritional problems:

Poor nutrition can be divided into many categories. Malnutrition may mean lack of food which stunts growth and weight, overweight meaning obesity and non-communicable diseases, deficiencies in important vitamins and minerals, and a diet consisting of only processed foods. In obesity, some of the effects of poor nutrition are visible exteriorly, however, many of the signs of poor nutrition are not as evident. The harmful effects of poor nutrition may trigger moods and gut health.

Signs of poor nutrition:

Brain lag
slow healing
Fatigue
prematurely aging skin
poor hair health

How this impacts me and why it matters

Would you like to live longer?

The reason I find this an important issue is because nutrition not only affects our bodies but there are links between poor nutrition and mental health. Most people are provided with medications to stabilize moods, however, the remedy may very well be in what we digest. I would like to say, that this is not the case for all diseases, but too often we see people with conditions that could be prevented. In the case of links between poor nutrition and mental health, research is still being conducted. It is interesting to know that sometimes we feel ill because of the things we either eat or drink. We have all witnessed in one form or another, normal people who have experienced side effects from these drugs. In our capitalist world, we have also seen how the worst foods for our bodies are advertised. Many fried foods/fast foods have been linked to heart disease, infections, obesity, and even cancer. Modern research suggests that mental health is also linked to the harmful effects of poor nutrition.

What if you knew exactly how to heal your body?

True, we are able to express ourselves with the freedoms given to us and yes, we are free to choose what we put inside of our bodies. Nutrition has become an issue due to the fact that as much progress as we have made in our world, people are still getting illnesses that are food-related. Arguments involving nutrition and prescribed drugs have risen because often the cure is in what we eat. Herbs and natural foods have the capability to heal. For instance, for common colds you can take prescription drugs, however, natural remedies have also worked very well. I am not opposed to pharmaceuticals, however, nutrition is often the more effective option. The importance of defeating poor nutrition is to defeat the harmful effects that come with it. Our health and longer life are truly in our hands.