Causes of malnutrition

Different People, Different Nutrition

As the very title says, various types of diet differ from one person to another. Depending on their lifestyles, habits and organization in general, people either pay attention to eating regularly or do not. Also, the quality of the meals people have is also questionable. Namely, some people do their best to include all the necessary nutrients into their daily consumption while others, for many reasons, simply eat whatever they can, whenever they have adequate time to do it. For this, and for numerous other reasons, malnutrition is greatly present in the modern world, manifesting itself differently throughout it.

Possible Causes of Malnutrition

The thing that often goes hand-in-hand with malnutrition is poverty. There are more people who cannot afford sufficient, let alone proper food on a regular, and daily basis. This forced habit opens doors to numerous deficiencies resulting from one's organism being deprived of vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals etc. This results in inability to function properly and use bodily functions correctly. This type of malnutrition, or famine, as it is also called, causes many diseases as well, due to constant absence of nutrients and weakening of one's organism. Hunger most severely attacks children since malnutrition while young can lead to the development of numerous diseases as well as body and organ deformations.

On the other hand, malnutrition can go all the way to the other extreme. Overindulgence in food can make one obese and prone to numerous illnesses and medical conditions as well. This too is considered a type of malnutrition, since it does incorporate eating incorrectly and unhealthy.

Necessities and Scarcity

It has been shown that regular fruit and vegetable intake, combined with nuts and whole grains, along with proteins, is more than enough for anyone's health. Thus eating green is a must. Taking into consideration that, in the third world countries people cannot afford meat, humanitarian organizations have come up with a significantly cheaper solution. Soy beans and soy milk are included into all aid programs since this plant has shown to be an excellent substitute for protein obtained from animal meat.

Lack of protein is certainly a serious problem since, combined with the lack of vitamins and minerals, it can have severe effects on one's brain and intelligence in general. People eating fast, processed foods simply cannot get all the crucial nutrients and thus, on the long run, leave themselves vulnerable to numerous immunodeficiency and cancerous diseases. People who eat too much, do not tend to eat healthy as well, thus risking numerous heart conditions, among other things. Finally, cultural differences give way to different diets. Therefore, based on the geographical location, one may think that his or her diet is healthy while his or her eating culture demands scarcity in certain nutrients.