In the year 1982, the Government of India started National Nutrition Week in India. Widespread poverty resulting in chronic and persistent hung is the single biggest scourge of the developing world today. The physical expression of this continuously re-enacted tragedy is the condition of under-nutrition which manifests itself among large sections of the poor, particularly amongst the women and children. The national nutrition week is celebrated from September 1 to September 7th of every year, to spread awareness about the under-nutrition conditions and the effects of nutritional deficiency. This year’s theme is “celebrate the world of flavours”. Under nutrition is a condition resulting from inadequate intake of food or more essential nutrients resulting in deterioration of physical growth and health. The inadequacy is relative to the food and nutrients needed to maintain good health, provide for growth and allow a choice of physical activity levels, including work levels, that are socially necessary. This condition of under nutrition, therefore educes work capacity and productivity amongst adults and enhances mortality and morbidity amongst children. Nutrition refers to everything that we eat and drinks. Our body uses nutrients from food to function properly and stay healthy. Nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. In the right amounts, nutrients give your child energy to grow, learn and be active. Calories are the amount of energy in the foods and drinks, we consume. We need a certain number of calories to grow and develop. But I you take in more calories than his or her body needs, the extra calories will be stores as body fat. Like a finely-tuned racing car, your body needs the right fuel and regular maintenance to achieve its true health potential. Nothing is more important than healthy eating. Put in the wrong fuel or let it go without regular use and there’s no way it can deliver its full power and performance. Without healthy eating, your body’s engine will cough, splutter and eventually stall. Poor nutrition can cause health problems, over weight and obesity. Some if the health problems associated with poor nutrition can be very serious, especially as we grow into an adult. We should understand healthy eating habits so that we can help our self to prevent these health problems. Maintaining a balanced diet by healthy eating can:
- Give you vitality and energy for life.
- Help you stay at a weight that’s right for you.
- Boost your immune system.
- Improves sports performance.
- Keep you active and fit into old age.
- Help beat tiredness and fatigue.
- Protect teeth and keep gums healthy.
- Enhance your ability to concentrate and possible alter mood.
- Ward off serious illness like heart diseases, certain cancers, mature-age onset diseases and gallbladder disease.
The foods we eat provide the energy our body needs nutrition to function. Just like we need to put fuel in our car or recharge your cell phone battery, your body needs to be fed energy providing foods every day. The main form of energy for your body is carbohydrates. Our body has the easiest time digesting carbohydrates like sugar and starch. Carbohydrates are broken down into the individual glucose, fructose or galactose units. Glucose is your body’s favourite form of energy. If we don’t het enough carbohydrates your body can make glucose from protein or fat and if we get too many carbohydrates, our body is very good at storing them as fat.
Kerala Academy of Pharmacy believes that a healthy diet will give our body the right amount of energy, enough raw materials and all of the little helpers we need to stay healthy. Good nutrition will also provide phytochemicals and antioxidants that will help keep us feeling young, looking great and perhaps even diseases free. A bad diet will give us too many or too few calories not enough vitamins and minerals and will actually make us need more of the antioxidants that we aren’t getting. Good nutrition is the foundation for good health.
Eat healthy & be healthy!!
