I believe all people have the right to food and a healthy diet. A healthy diet is essential for a healthy life. Unfortunately, despite the abundance of food in the world, many people are not well nourished and do not have access to food. At the same time, those with access to all kinds of food, suffer from poor nutrition. Why is this so?
According to the World Health Organization “Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. Good nutrition – an adequate, well balanced diet combined with regular physical activity – is a cornerstone of good health. Poor nutrition can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity.”
Good nutrition requires a balanced diet. This involves eating the right combination of proteins, fruit, vegetables, dairy products and grains so that our bodies get the nutrients they need to keep us healthy. Fresh foods are always best. It is also important to drink lots of clean water. These are the compenents to a healthy diet.
But not everyone has a healthy diet people all over the world are poorly nourished. In rich countries where most people have access to a wide variety of healthy food there are still problems of poor nutrition.
Many people suffer from diabetes, heart disease, obesity, anemia and other diseases.
Lack of information. Some people are not aware of what makes a healthy diet. So their food choices may not be smart ones. For example most children would prefer soda over water a healthier choice. Even if you wanted to drink something else, you would be hard-pressed to find it as prominently displayed in vending machines, at fast-food chains, and supermarket checkouts. Aswell as the fact that soda is pretty inexpensive when compared to fruit juice and milk (healthier options). Soda contains drastic amounts of sugar, chemicals and calories. Another reason is the abundance of junk and processed food. Kids fancy “fastfood”. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, etc. However the consumption of fastfood is very unhealthy. Fast food is inexpensive,prepared and served quickly. Fastfood is processed, full of fats, salt, sugar and lacking in essential nutrients.Unfortunately some people consume to much fast food that they have forgotten what real food tastes like.In countries like America, where fast food consumption is on the rise, diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart attacks are very common. 9 out of 10 americans think that they have a healthy diet, when in reality 68% of americans are obeise. This suggests that people are ignorant about their diet, and need more nutritional knowledge. “Processed foods not only extend the shelf life, but they extend the waistline as well.” ~ Karen Session
People in poorer countries also suffer from nutrition related diseases like diabetes, heart conditions and obesity. Sometimes local diets contain a lot of fats and sugars. This is true in Malaysia for example where 1.2 million people have diabetes. In other countries the situation is more serious. According to the UN World Food Programme, over 1 billion people in the world don't have enough to eat. Every 6 seconds a child dies from malnutrition and related causes.Malnutrition is a rising empidemic in severals countries. People with malnutrition lack the nutrients necessary for their bodies to grow and stay healthy.Countries in sub Saharan Africa are often the worst affected because of drought. When there is a drought, people cannot grow food and this can lead to famine and death.Because many of these countries are very poor, people also do not have the money to access purchased food. Several poor people also do not have access to clean drinking water. The combination of no food and unclean water leads to malnutrition.
The sad reality of this is that people who have access to the best and most nutritional food in the world often chose to eat junk while at the same time a child dies every 6 minutes from malnutrition. And we should be grateful that we get the oppurtnuity to have our own preferable choice of what we would like to eat, wether it is healthy or not. Part of the solution is better nutrition education. Also the world’s food needs to be better distributed so poor people have access and don’t starve.There are many organizations in the world, like the World Food Programme and World Health Organization that believe that this is a right worth fighting for. All people have the right to a healthy diet and enough food to eat. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. It is unthinkable that any child should go hungry, with the amount of food produced, grown, bought and consumed everyday. Malnutrition is a rising empidemic that should be solved “But If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.” Mother Teresa.
Sources
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40907754/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/me-fat-americans-denial-about-weight-survey-finds/http://news.discovery.com/human/americans-diet-weight-110104.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/299975-why-is-it-important-to-include-both-exercise-healthy-eating-habits-in-your-lifestyle/
According to the World Health Organization “Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. Good nutrition – an adequate, well balanced diet combined with regular physical activity – is a cornerstone of good health. Poor nutrition can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity.”
Good nutrition requires a balanced diet. This involves eating the right combination of proteins, fruit, vegetables, dairy products and grains so that our bodies get the nutrients they need to keep us healthy. Fresh foods are always best. It is also important to drink lots of clean water. These are the compenents to a healthy diet.
But not everyone has a healthy diet people all over the world are poorly nourished. In rich countries where most people have access to a wide variety of healthy food there are still problems of poor nutrition.
Many people suffer from diabetes, heart disease, obesity, anemia and other diseases.
Lack of information. Some people are not aware of what makes a healthy diet. So their food choices may not be smart ones. For example most children would prefer soda over water a healthier choice. Even if you wanted to drink something else, you would be hard-pressed to find it as prominently displayed in vending machines, at fast-food chains, and supermarket checkouts. Aswell as the fact that soda is pretty inexpensive when compared to fruit juice and milk (healthier options). Soda contains drastic amounts of sugar, chemicals and calories. Another reason is the abundance of junk and processed food. Kids fancy “fastfood”. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC, etc. However the consumption of fastfood is very unhealthy. Fast food is inexpensive,prepared and served quickly. Fastfood is processed, full of fats, salt, sugar and lacking in essential nutrients.Unfortunately some people consume to much fast food that they have forgotten what real food tastes like.In countries like America, where fast food consumption is on the rise, diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart attacks are very common. 9 out of 10 americans think that they have a healthy diet, when in reality 68% of americans are obeise. This suggests that people are ignorant about their diet, and need more nutritional knowledge. “Processed foods not only extend the shelf life, but they extend the waistline as well.” ~ Karen Session
People in poorer countries also suffer from nutrition related diseases like diabetes, heart conditions and obesity. Sometimes local diets contain a lot of fats and sugars. This is true in Malaysia for example where 1.2 million people have diabetes. In other countries the situation is more serious. According to the UN World Food Programme, over 1 billion people in the world don't have enough to eat. Every 6 seconds a child dies from malnutrition and related causes.Malnutrition is a rising empidemic in severals countries. People with malnutrition lack the nutrients necessary for their bodies to grow and stay healthy.Countries in sub Saharan Africa are often the worst affected because of drought. When there is a drought, people cannot grow food and this can lead to famine and death.Because many of these countries are very poor, people also do not have the money to access purchased food. Several poor people also do not have access to clean drinking water. The combination of no food and unclean water leads to malnutrition.
The sad reality of this is that people who have access to the best and most nutritional food in the world often chose to eat junk while at the same time a child dies every 6 minutes from malnutrition. And we should be grateful that we get the oppurtnuity to have our own preferable choice of what we would like to eat, wether it is healthy or not. Part of the solution is better nutrition education. Also the world’s food needs to be better distributed so poor people have access and don’t starve.There are many organizations in the world, like the World Food Programme and World Health Organization that believe that this is a right worth fighting for. All people have the right to a healthy diet and enough food to eat. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. It is unthinkable that any child should go hungry, with the amount of food produced, grown, bought and consumed everyday. Malnutrition is a rising empidemic that should be solved “But If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.” Mother Teresa.
Sources
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40907754/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/me-fat-americans-denial-about-weight-survey-finds/http://news.discovery.com/human/americans-diet-weight-110104.html
http://www.livestrong.com/
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