Feature: Why nutrition is important
Ni Salvador R. Serrano
MANILA, May 18 - Is nutrition really
important? We need to explain to ordinary people why nutrition is essential
because they need to know how this affects health. Nutrition is the food we eat
and how the body uses it, while health is a state of complete physical and
mental being and not merely the absence of illness or disease. If we are eating
right, this contributes to good health because we are able to provide all the
nutrients the body needs.
So what does "good" nutrition mean?
Good nutrition is achieved when the body gets all the nutrients it needs in the
right kind and amount. This is realized when the body is able to process all
the foods and the nutrients are well-utilized by the body’s system.
Malnutrition, on the other hand, is a disorder
which you get from eating too little, too much, or not eating the right
combinations of food.
We often hear, read about or often talk about
nutrients, but what are they? Nutrients are what we get from food that the body
needs to grow and repair our cells, provide heat to move, work and play; and
regulate body processes.
Energy, like the one produced from fuel to power
cars, comes from carbohydrates, fats and protein which provide heat that the
body needs to perform basic functions of work and play. Proteins are the
building blocks of tissues for growth and development and repair of worn-out
cells. Fats or lipids also give energy and help in the absorption of vitamins
A, D, E, and K. Vitamins and minerals solely come from food and are responsible
for regulating various body processes. Other essential substances in the diet
are water and dietary fiber which are vital in digestion, absorption and
elimination of waste from the body.
Malnutrition:
There is also such a thing as "bad"
nutrition. We call this malnutrition. When one eats too much food or the wrong
kinds of foods, or too much of one kind of food, there is excess of nutrients.
This is overnutrition. When we eat very little, a deficiency develops. This is
equally a problem and we call this undernutrition. Too much or too little of
anything including food is bad for the body.
Malnutrition still persists in the Philippines.
Many people are not eating enough of what they need so they are often sick.
Others eat too much and they also get sick. For the entire country, there are
many factors that contribute to malnutrition. These include faulty food intake,
poor distribution of the food supply, inequitable food distribution among the
family members, large family size, and low food expenditure as affected by high
prices of food and poor income. There is malnutrition also because of poverty,
low education level, urbanization as well as infectious diseases and parasitism
due to poor sanitation.
Among Filipino children, the other factors are
inadequacy of the diet in terms of quality and quantity, declining
breastfeeding practice, improper complementary feeding, and lack of
immunization. If mothers are not careful when they are not pregnant and when
they do not submit themselves for regular pre-natal check-ups when pregnant,
this, too, affects the health of their children.
Malnutrition exists in three forms. One is
undernutrition which results from inadequate amount of food for a long period
of time. Second is overnutrition which
results from a excessive intake of nutrients. An imbalance results from a
disproportion of the essential nutrients that one needs. When we eat too many
foods with the same nutrients and neglect others that our body needs, an
imbalance occurs. For example, too much carbohydrate, too much protein, but too
little or inadequate amounts of vitamins from fruits and vegetables is bad for
the body.
The kinds of malnutrition are acute and chronic
malnutrition. Acute malnutrition refers to one's present state of nutrition as
indicated by weight loss, while chronic malnutrition is related to past state
of nutrition as indicated by stunting and underweight.
There is also what we call primary and secondary
malnutrition. Primary malnutrition happens when a person does not eat enough.
Secondary malnutrition is when a person eats enough food but factors like
illness and environmental factors affect one’s nutritional status.
In the Philippines, the major nutrition problems
are chronic energy deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, iron deficiency anemia,
and iodine deficiency disorders.
All population groups are affected by
malnutrition but most vulnerable are infants, pre-schoolers, and the pregnant
and lactating mothers. They are most vulnerable because of changes in their
bodies which are related to food intake. Infants and pre-schoolers grow very
fast, both physically and mentally; pregnant women experience, body changes due
to fetal development in their wombs; and lactating mothers produce milk for
their babies.
Malnutrition affects one’s physical and mental
development. When a person is malnourished, infections are easily contracted.
The body becomes weak, appetite deteriorates and nutrients needed by the body
are not absorbed and used efficiently. A sick and malnourished person
experiences difficulty in thinking and learning. The child's IQ or
intelligence, for instance, relies heavily on the kind and amount of food eaten
plus the health condition. So, if a child is slow in learning, moody or
inattentive, there is a probability that he or she is malnourished.
Because of malnutrition, we have weak students
who do not perform well mentally, while others drop out of classes.
Malnutrition also leads to physical weakness, absenteeism, sickness, and death
in severe cases. Workers in offices and factories who are malnourished are not
as efficient and easily get tired on the job. This leads to low work
performance stemming from absenteeism and shortened working hours. Therefore, a
weak work force equals weak economy and weak economy equals slow progress of
the country.
All of us should be concerned about
malnutrition. Malnutrition is a multi-faceted problem so that every sector
should contribute to its reduction. Malnutrition is food-related, but there are
also other environmental factors aggravating it. One's culture, one's economic
state and ecological events like natural and man-made disasters - all directly
or indirectly affect the family's nutrition. Fighting malnutrition has been the
traditional concern of mothers who are responsible for preparing the family
meals everyday. However, women themselves are more affected by malnutrition
than men because they give birth year after year and take care of babies one
after another, thus becoming more vulnerable to malnutrition. They also produce
breastmilk that infants need. Women, too, in developing countries like the
Philippines, have multiple domestic or household responsibilities and hardly
have enough time to take care of themselves as the husband and children are
often their priority concerns.
Achieving proper nutrition:
By instinct and through nutrition program
involvement, mothers will know that no single food contains all the nutrients
in the amounts that our body needs except breastmilk for infants below six
months. Therefore, to be sure that the family gets the nutrients the members
need for growth and repair of tissues, for energy and to maintain body
processes, the mother should ensure that everyone eats a variety of food in
every meal everyday.
Good nutrition means satisfying the needs of
each family member. Every member of the family has need for the same nutrients
but in varying amounts. From the time a child is born, he or she needs all the
nutrients increasingly up to old age. For instance, women need more of iron
because of their menstrual periods and because they deliver babies, while men
especially teenage boys need more energy for sports and other vigorous
activities.
Food means a lot to people aside from
nourishment. Food is not only something which we eat to make our bodies full
and satisfy hunger. Food also means much more to other people. It carries
social and cultural meanings. For example, food can be a sign of wealth and
power, a form of celebration, a symbol of love, a status symbol, a reward or
punishment, or a religious sacrifice. Thus, we have celebration foods, prestige
foods, cultural superfoods like staples, and even sex-linked foods.
Proper food preparation is important in relation
to nutrition. The way food is handled, cooked and prepared affects its
nutrients, and in the long run, what the body eats and absorbs. There are
different ways of preparing food for each family member to make sure they enjoy
food and eating. It is also important to consider the likes and dislikes of
each member of the family every time a homemaker prepares the meals.
Let us remember that proper nutrition is
important because it translates to better health and well-being as well as
improved productivity which is vital to economic progress.
For more information on food and nutrition,
contact: Dr. Mario V. Capanzana,
Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and
Technology, General Santos Avenue, Bicutan, Taguig City; Tel/Fax Num: 8372934 and 8373164; email:
mvc@fnri.dost.gov.ph, mar_v_c@yahoo.com; FNRI-DOST website:
http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph. (FNRI-DOST S & T Media Service/PIA-Caraga)
PHO conducts search for Healthy Buntis
By Brian Jay Ceballos
BUTUAN CITY, May 18 (PIA) - Pregnant mothers
from all over the province acquired essential knowledge on safe motherhood and
newborn care at the Search for the Healthy Buntis of Agusan del Norte here.
Led by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) in
partnership with the Department of Health Caraga Region, this year’s activity
carries the theme, “Luwas nga Pagmapdos ug Pagpanganak Pangandaman ug Husto.”
PHO chief Dr. Elizabeth N. Campado said the
event seeks to promote greater awareness among pregnant and “would be pregnant”
mothers on maternal and infant health, Safe Pregnancy, Delivery and Post Partum
Care.
Participants also gained knowledge on the
importance of giving birth in accredited health facilities, being made aware of
the risks of giving birth at home or in unlicensed facilities, among other
requirements.
The program also featured selected pregnant
women from all over the province who participated in the search for the
healthiest buntis of Agusan del Norte, walking the ramp in their elegant
attires.
Ms. Aime Leah D. Autor from the municipality of
Carmen was awarded and crowned the Most Healthy Buntis of 2014. (LGU-Agusan del
Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
