Eating food is not only for satisfying hunger but also for nourishment for our organs to function. There really is truth to the saying that what you are is what you eat. Hence, whatever you eat has a great impact on how your body is able to function and be able to prevent diseases. The ever-increasing knowledge of a healthy, balanced diet has changed our views of food. Although fad diets are still hugely popular worldwide and body image has become a glorified and fascinating subject, there is a general acceptance of eating more fruit and vegetables, cutting down on sugar and so on. So, what is the importance of good nutrition?
The nutrition challenge
However, the global obesity challenge has created serious question marks over the success of healthy eating initiatives. In the latest UK statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, it was revealed that 29% of adults in the UK are classified as obese, and 20% of year 6 children. What’s worse is only 18% of children are eating the recommended daily fruit and vegetable recommendations. And it’s well documented how physical inactivity is negatively impacting our health.
In order to meet the suggested nutrients the body requires, experts recommend varying food sources and adding supplements that contain minerals and multivitamins to your diet. This will help make sure you won’t be deficient from other important nutrients that our body requires in order to function smoothly – something that fad diets often fail to consider. While fad diets may help lose weight fast, a more balanced diet will not only help shed those extra pounds but keep the heart and other vital organs ticking along nicely, meeting the daily nutrition demands of your body. Long-term health should be the aim.
The challenges are apparent. According to Public Health England, ‘following a healthy, balanced diet and reducing calories will help reduce obesity and the economic and social burden of its consequences‘. While Dr Alison Tedstone, the chief nutritionist at Public Health England, describes the state of nutrition in the UK as: ‘Poor diets are all too common in this country and, along with obesity, are now one of the leading causes of disease such as cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It’s clear from these data that the nation’s diet needs an overhaul’.
So, what is the importance of good nutrition? How can it affect our today and our tomorrow? And how does good nutrition impact us compared to bad nutrition?
Why is good nutrition important?
- More Energy. A healthy diet that is balanced will give you the energy you need every day. Our body is like an engine. Therefore ensure it is kept well-oiled and refuelled at all times. Hence, a change to a healthier diet can make you feel like there is an increase in your energy.
- Improved Immune System. Food contains vitamins and nutrients that increase the body’s immune system performance. An improvement in your immune system can effectively fight against common diseases, banishing those frequent and irritating common colds. Foods containing omega 3 fatty acids are good for the heart and prevents inflammation. Some foods help fight bad cholesterol, others can neutralise free radicals, and plenty of others combat numerous ailments – so getting your nutrition right can also play a key part in defying the ageing process, helping skin, hair and nails look healthier.
- Enhanced Physique. Eating the right foods, along with a proper exercise regime, can help prevent obesity as well as build your body. The modern consumer is constantly having body image thrust in their face by the media and many are now inspired by the different healthy diets that experts share in order to have the ‘beautiful body’. While perfecting nutrition intake can help achieve body satisfaction, don’t forget about the mental benefits that also come with improved diet and health.
The key facts
- A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to health.
- Healthy dietary practices start early in life – breastfeeding fosters healthy growth and improves cognitive development, and may have longer-term health benefits such as reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing NCDs later in life.
- Energy intake (calories) should be in balance with energy expenditure. To avoid unhealthy weight gain, total fat should not exceed 30% of total energy intake. Intake of saturated fats should be less than 10% of total energy intake, and intake of trans-fats less than 1% of total energy intake, with a shift in fat consumption away from saturated fats and trans-fats to unsaturated fats, and towards the goal of eliminating industrially-produced trans-fats.
- Limiting the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake is part of a healthy diet. A further reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake is suggested for additional health benefits.
- Keeping salt intake to less than 5 g per day (equivalent to sodium intake of less than 2 g per day) helps to prevent hypertension, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population.
- WHO Member States have agreed to reduce the global population’s intake of salt by 30% by 2025; they have also agreed to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity in adults and adolescents as well as in childhood overweight by 2025.
World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
Good nutrition is not just about eating the right kinds of foods to satisfy our hunger, it is about ensuring a healthy functioning body. Combined with a good exercise plan, eating healthy foods (you can eat healthy on a budget) can make us perform better in our daily activities, which all helps us achieve that ‘feel-good-factor’! Would you put diesel in a petrol car? No. So don’t do the same to your own body!
Chakula si kitu cha kutosheleza njaa tu, bali pia ni chakula cha mwili wetu. "Hakika kuna ukweli katika kauli mbiu ya ""Wewe ni kile unachokula.""" Kwa hiyo, chochote unachokula kina athari kubwa kwa jinsi mwili wako unavyoweza kufanya kazi na kuzuia magonjwa. Ujuzi unaoongezeka daima kuhusu lishe yenye afya na yenye usawaziko umebadili maoni yetu kuhusu chakula. Ingawa vyakula vya kawaida bado ni maarufu sana ulimwenguni kote na picha ya mwili imekuwa mada iliyotukuzwa na ya kuvutia, kuna kukubalika kwa jumla ya kula matunda na mboga zaidi, kupunguza sukari na kadhalika. Kwa hiyo, ni nini umuhimu wa lishe nzuri? Hata hivyo, changamoto ya kuongezeka kwa uzito duniani kote imesababisha maswali makubwa kuhusu mafanikio ya mipango ya kula vizuri. Takwimu za hivi karibuni za Uingereza za Uzito, Shughuli za Kimwili na Chakula, zinaonyesha kuwa asilimia 29 ya watu wazima nchini Uingereza wameorodheshwa kama wanene kupita kiasi, na asilimia 20 ya watoto wa mwaka wa sita. Kwa mujibu wa utafiti huo, asilimia 18 tu ya watoto wanaokula matunda na mboga kila siku. Na ni vizuri kumbukumbu jinsi ukosefu wa utendaji wa kimwili ni athari hasi kwa afya yetu. Ili kukidhi mahitaji ya mwili, wataalamu wanapendekeza kubadilisha vyanzo vya chakula na kuongeza virutubisho vyenye madini na vitamini mbalimbali kwenye mlo wako. Hii itakusaidia kuhakikisha wewe si kuwa na upungufu kutoka virutubisho vingine muhimu kwamba mwili wetu inahitaji ili kufanya kazi vizuri - kitu kwamba fad diets mara nyingi kushindwa kuzingatia. Ingawa vyakula vya kawaida vinaweza kusaidia kupoteza uzito haraka, vyakula vyenye usawa zaidi vitakusaidia tu kupoteza uzito wa ziada lakini pia kuifanya moyo na viungo vingine muhimu vifanye kazi vizuri, na kukidhi mahitaji ya kila siku ya lishe ya mwili wako. Afya ya muda mrefu inapaswa kuwa lengo. Matatizo ni dhahiri. Kulingana na Afya ya Umma Uingereza, "kufuata lishe yenye afya, yenye usawa na kupunguza kalori itasaidia kupunguza unene wa kupita kiasi na mzigo wa kiuchumi na kijamii wa matokeo yake". "Alison Tedstone, mkuu wa wataalamu wa lishe katika Shirika la Afya ya Umma la Uingereza, alisema: ""Mlazi mbaya ni ya kawaida sana katika nchi hii na, pamoja na unene wa kupita kiasi, sasa ni moja ya sababu kuu za magonjwa kama vile kansa, ugonjwa wa moyo na ugonjwa wa kisukari wa aina ya pili." Ni wazi kutoka kwa data hizi kwamba mlo wa taifa unahitaji ukarabati. Kwa hiyo, ni nini umuhimu wa lishe nzuri? Inaweza kuathirije leo na kesho yetu? Na jinsi gani lishe nzuri inatuathiri ikilinganishwa na lishe mbaya? Kwa nini lishe nzuri ni muhimu? - Nishati zaidi. Chakula kizuri na chenye usawaziko kinakupa nishati unayohitaji kila siku. Mwili wetu ni kama injini. Kwa hiyo kuhakikisha ni kuhifadhiwa vizuri mafuta na refueled wakati wote. Kwa hiyo, mabadiliko ya lishe yenye afya yanaweza kukufanya uhisi kwamba una nishati zaidi. - Kuboresha mfumo wa kinga. Chakula kina vitamini na virutubisho vinavyoongeza utendaji wa mfumo wa kinga wa mwili. Kuboresha mfumo wako wa kinga kunaweza kupambana na magonjwa ya kawaida, na kuondoa homa za kawaida zinazotokea mara kwa mara na zenye kusumbua. Vyakula vyenye asidi ya mafuta ya omega-3 ni muhimu kwa moyo na kuzuia uvimbe. Baadhi ya vyakula kusaidia kupambana na cholesterol mbaya, wengine wanaweza neutralize free radicals, na wengi wengine kupambana na magonjwa mengi - hivyo kupata lishe yako haki pia inaweza kucheza jukumu muhimu katika kupinga mchakato wa kuzeeka, kusaidia ngozi, nywele na misumari kuangalia afya. - Mwili ulioboreshwa. Kula vyakula sahihi na kufanya mazoezi ya kutosha kwa muda mrefu inaweza kusaidia kuzuia unene wa mwili na kuongeza afya ya mwili. Watumiaji wa kisasa daima wana picha ya mwili iliyopigwa usoni mwao na vyombo vya habari na wengi sasa wameongozwa na lishe tofauti za afya ambazo wataalam wanashiriki ili kuwa na "mwili mzuri". Wakati kukamilisha ulaji wa lishe inaweza kusaidia kufikia kuridhika mwili, usisahau kuhusu faida za akili ambayo pia kuja na kuboresha lishe na afya. Chakula kizuri husaidia kulinda dhidi ya utapiamlo katika aina zake zote, pamoja na magonjwa yasiyoambukiza (NCDs), ikiwa ni pamoja na kama vile kisukari, ugonjwa wa moyo, kiharusi na kansa. Chakula kisicho na afya na ukosefu wa shughuli za kimwili ni hatari kubwa kwa afya ulimwenguni. - Mazoea ya lishe yenye afya huanza mapema maishani <unk> kunyonyesha huendeleza ukuaji wenye afya na kuboresha maendeleo ya utambuzi, na inaweza kuwa na faida za afya za muda mrefu kama vile kupunguza hatari ya kuwa na uzito wa ziada au uzito na kuendeleza NCDs baadaye maishani. - ulaji wa nishati (kalori) inapaswa kuwa katika usawa na matumizi ya nishati. Ili kuepuka kuongezeka kwa uzito, mafuta ya jumla haipaswi kuzidi 30% ya jumla ya ulaji wa nishati. """Ulaji wa mafuta yaliyojaa unapaswa kuwa chini ya 10% ya jumla ya ulaji wa nishati, na ulaji wa trans-mafuta chini ya 1% ya jumla ya ulaji wa nishati, na mabadiliko ya matumizi ya mafuta mbali na mafuta yaliyojaa na trans-mafuta kwa mafuta yasiyo na saturated, na kuelekea lengo la kuondoa mafuta ya trans ya viwanda." Kupunguza ulaji wa sukari ya bure kwa chini ya 10% ya jumla ya ulaji wa nishati ni sehemu ya lishe nzuri. Kupunguza kwa chini ya 5% ya jumla ya ulaji wa nishati inashauriwa kwa faida za ziada za afya. Kuhifadhi ulaji wa chumvi chini ya 5g kwa siku (sawa na ulaji wa sodiamu chini ya 2g kwa siku) husaidia kuzuia shinikizo la damu, na hupunguza hatari ya ugonjwa wa moyo na kiharusi katika idadi ya watu wazima. WHO imekubali kupunguza ulaji wa chumvi kwa asilimia 30 kufikia 2025 na kupunguza ongezeko la ugonjwa wa kisukari na unene wa watoto na watu wazima. WHO: Habari za afya na afya ya binadamu: lishe bora sio tu kula vyakula vinavyotosheleza njaa, bali pia kuhakikisha mwili unafanya kazi vizuri Pamoja na mpango mzuri wa mazoezi, kula vyakula vyenye afya (unaweza kula vyakula vyenye afya kwa bajeti) inaweza kutufanya tufanye vizuri zaidi katika shughuli zetu za kila siku, ambayo yote hutusaidia kufikia hiyo 'kijoto cha kujisikia vizuri'! Je, ungeweka dizeli katika gari la petroli? La, sivyo. Kwa hiyo usifanye vivyo hivyo kwa mwili wako mwenyewe!