There are seven major classes of nutrients, five of which are needed in large amounts (macro-nutrients), i.e., carbohydrates, fats, protein, fiber and water – the first three being sources of energy – and the remaining two are needed in smaller quantities (micro-nutrients), i.e. vitamins and minerals.
Our bodies need all of the above nutrients. To maintain a healthy body it's important for us to get all of the nutrients by eating a variety of foods in a balanced diet. A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of foods including plenty of fruit and vegetables, plenty of starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice, some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils and some dairy foods. It should also be low in fat (especially saturated fat), salt and sugar.
A lack of adequate nourishment, or minimum amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients essential for health and proper growth may lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an insufficient or excessive or unbalanced diet or from impaired absorption or metabolism of foods diet that may lead to underweight, stunting (or low height for age) and wasting (or low weight for height) among children, and diseases, such as kwashiorkor, marasmus and oedema. Malnutrition can occur because of the lack of a single vitamin in the diet, or it can be because a person isn't getting enough food. Starvation is a form of malnutrition. Malnutrition also occurs when adequate nutrients are consumed in the diet, but one or more nutrients are not digested or absorbed properly.
While the expansion of obesity and diabetes around the world is presenting international health experts with a new agenda, malnutrition remains a global health problem that underlies 54 percent of childhood deaths each year. The abandonment of traditional diets filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in favor of diets with processed foods and simple carbohydrates is taking hold even among the middle class of the world’s poorest nations.
Malnutrition may be mild enough to show no symptoms. However, in some cases it may be so severe that the damage done is irreversible, even though the individual survives.
Worldwide, malnutrition continues to be a significant problem, especially among children who cannot fend adequately for themselves. Poverty, natural disasters, political problems, and war all contribute to conditions -- even epidemics -- of malnutrition and starvation, and not just in developing countries.
For millions of people living in least developed countries, the effects of rising food and energy prices has exacerbated a living situation already filled with vulnerability and uncertainty.
Where resources are scarce and prices are high, families have had to scale back on nutrients, often sacrificing quality food for the cheapest and most accessible provisions.
The global food crisis impacts roughly one third of children in developing countries. Lack of micro-nutrients hinders physical and cognitive development. According to WFP, a child dies from malnutrition and hunger related diseases every six seconds.
In most hunger-related deaths, the terminal event is an infectious disease, such as pneumonia or diarrhoea, because severe under-nutrition reduces resistance to infections.
If the problems persist, we may lose a big part of our next generation or raise poor quality children to overcome the more and more challenging world. Hunger is the root of many evils; let’s do something to fight it, and hope for the better future.
Excerpted from many sources as a participating blog post for Bloggers Unite agenda of Unite for Hunger and Hope, April 29, 2009.
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