In: Nursing
Discuss the effects of diet on health concerning at-risk populations.
Diet effect on population health:
Over the past few years the fast
food industry has grown dramatically. People eat fast food every
day, as though fast food is healthy. Fast food restaurants care
about one thing only, their business. However, fast food
restaurants serve food that is unnatural. Health problems are
increasing amongst consumers because restaurants are selling
processed unhealthy food. The obesity level across the world
continues to rise each year. Therefore, fast food restaurants
should recover their food qualities in order to prevent further
disease. Unless we cook at home, we do not have any other option to
eat healthy food. People these days lead busy lives, with a low
income. Organic foods are much more expensive than processed foods.
Fast food restaurants provide necessary calories for low-income
families. People who are in low-income can’t effort organic food,
but fast foods restaurant is inexpensive and convenient. This is a
problem because fast food restaurants cause many diseases, as well
as the biggest problem we are facing in our society is
obesity.
The majority of people in the United States believe that fast food
restaurants are harmful as they are the majority contributors in
rising obesity level each year. According to the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention, obesity in adults has increased 60% for
that last twenty years and obesity amongst children has tripled in
the past thirty years. According to CDC article, “Since the 1970s
the consumption of food eaten away from home has also increased in
the United States. Eating out may lead to overconsumption and
increase the risk of obesity in part because of larger portion
sizes, high–energy-dense foods, and increased variety and preferred
taste of the foods. Fast-food consumption in particular has been
associated with poor diet quality and adverse dietary factors
related to obesity, including higher intakes of calories, fat,
saturated fat, and sugar-sweetened drinks. Fast food is associated
with higher body mass index (BMI), weight gain, and less successful
weight-loss maintenance
A long term eating fast food may increase risk of developing diabetes. Nowadays, a poor diet leads children into health problems and they are more likely to develop diabetes. The fast foods lack of nutrition’s may cause creation problems as like: menstrual, Irregularities, stress, psychological disorders, such as depression, increased surgical risk, increased mortality. Fast food uses synthetic preservatives they are harmful to gastrointestinal system, absence of high fibers leads to constipation, hyperacidity. According to NIH News , “After 15 years, those who ate at fast-food restaurants more than twice each week compared to less than once a week had gained an extra ten pounds and had a two-fold greater increase in insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease”
Other dietary habits effects on population health:
Some people like to smoke after
having dinner. However, if people smoke immediately after they have
dinner, the toxic substances contained in cigarettes can easily
enter into the human body. This is because the gastric and
intestinal peristalsis and blood circulation have been accelerated
at this time and the absorptive power of the body can also be
improved. In order to keep your body healthy, you should stop
smoking cigarettes in your daily life.
Drinking liquor excessively can induce the inflammation of liver
and affect the reproductive system. In order to prevent unnecessary
harms, you should learn how to drink liquor. The varieties of
liquor are rather diverse. Generally speaking, the nutritional
value of wine is rather higher than that of beer and white spirit.
Therefore, you should use wine to replace beer and white spirit. At
the same time, you should grasp the best time of drinking.
Generally speaking, you can drink wine after 2 p.m. in the
afternoon. In addition, the intake amount of wine must be strictly
controlled.
Many people like to eat fruits instead of main food for dinner. It
is true that fruits can provide abundant vitamins and sugar for the
body. However, fruits can not provide protein and some trace
elements for you. A lack of protein in the body can seriously cause
the nutritional imbalance which can further induce various
diseases. Therefore, you can not use fruits to take the place of
formal dinner.
Supper has already become the most important dinner for the office
workers. However, it is unhealthy to have a substantial supper.
Generally speaking, the supper should be composed of fresh
vegetables and the foods containing carbohydrates. You should
decrease the intake of protein and fat in the evening. What’s more,
you should have supper as early as possible so as to decrease the
risks of getting lithangiuria. In addition, you can not eat too
much in the evening.
Many people like to drink carbonated beverage. However, carbonated
beverage usually contains phosphoric acid. The density of
phosphorus and calcium must be maintained at a balanced level in
the human body. If the body absorbs too much phosphorus, the
content of calcium will be decreased. In addition, carbonic acid in
the beverage can be integrated with calcium ions to accelerate the
discharge of calcium from the body