Link between Disease and Nutrition

 Unless you have lived beneath a rock for the last decade, you should be well aware of the strong link between what we eat and how healthier we are. We are what we eat; therefore, if we eat healthy, we are healthy. The contrary is also true; if we eat unhealthy, we are unhealthy. Our diet is the third most influential lifestyle choice on our health, next to tobacco and alcohol use. The important part of lifestyle choices is that they are choices. We choose what we eat. One argument is that eating healthy is too expensive. This is not always the case. Fruits and vegetable are available to us at a low cost. According to the USDA, the least expensive fruits and vegetables are potatoes, lettuce, eggplant, greens, summer squash, carrots, tomatillos,watermelon, bananas, apples, pears, pineapples, and peaches. The USDA has created a sample menu to help people eat healthy. Click on the link below.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/Sample_Menus-2000Cals-DG2010.pdf

            Eating unhealthy can have dire consequences. Of the ten leading causes of death in the United States, four of them can be linked directly to poor nutrition. These include the number one cause; heart disease, followed by cancers, strokes, and diabetes mellitus (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). More specifically, the cancers link to poor nutrition are stomach cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate, ovary, and endometrium (Weisburger, 1997). Be especially careful when adding n-6 polyunsaturated fats to your diet. It has been recommend to replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats; however, some show a high incident rate of colon, pancreas, and breast cancer by forty percent increase of these fats (Weisburger, 1997) These fats can be found in sunflower oil, corn oil, animal fats, and whole grain bread.

            Lastly, malnutrition has many negatives affects on your body. Malnutrition occurs when your body is deficiency of energy or nutrient intake. Malnutrition weakens your body’s immune response, which make you more susceptible to illness and injury. In addition, malnutrition causes your skin to become thinner (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). Following the 2010 Dietary Guidelines is a great source to help avoid deficiencies in vitamin, minerals, and nutrients that can lead to malnutrition as well as combating chronic diseases.

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2012). Nutrition: Concepts and controversies, MyPlate Update (12th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Package

Weisburger, J. H. (1997). Dietary fat and risk of chronic disease: Mechanistic insights from experimental studies. American Dietetic Association.Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97(7), S16-23. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218390661?accountid=32521