Achieving Optimal Health: Diet, Nutrition, and Disorders

What Is a Healthy Diet?

A good diet is important for our health and can help us feel our best. No single food contains all the essential nutrients the body needs to stay healthy and work properly. Our diets should contain a variety of different foods to help us get the wide range of nutrients that our bodies require.

Energy Balance for a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet should provide us with the right amount of energy balance, where the calories consumed from the diet equal the calories used by the body. We need these calories for all the functions of the body. Consuming extra calories will cause weight gain.

The Mediterranean Diet

It is a traditional diet originating from the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

• Reduces the risk of heart disease; the diet has been associated with a lower level of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.
• Following the diet is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality as well as overall mortality.
• It is also associated with a reduced incidence of cancer, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
• Major scientific organizations encourage healthy adults to adopt a style of eating similar to this for the prevention of major chronic diseases.

Understanding Malnutrition

Malnutrition results from a poor diet or a lack of food. It happens when the intake of nutrients or energy is too high, too low, or poorly balanced. This can lead to delayed growth or wasting.

Symptoms of Undernutrition

Signs or symptoms of undernutrition include:

• Lack of appetite or interest in food or drink
• Tiredness and irritability
• Inability to concentrate
• Always feeling cold
• Loss of fat and muscle mass, and many other issues.

What Is an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders describe illnesses that are characterized by irregular eating habits and severe distress or concern about body weight or shape. Eating disturbances may include inadequate or excessive food intake, which can ultimately damage an individual's well-being.

• Anorexia Nervosa: Individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa typically have an obsessive fear of gaining weight, a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, and an unrealistic perception of body image.
• Bulimia Nervosa: This is characterized by repeated binge eating followed by behaviors that compensate for the overeating, such as forced vomiting, excessive exercise, or extreme use of laxatives or diuretics.
• Obesity: This condition puts people at a higher risk for serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It is defined as having a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or more. (BMI is a calculation that takes a person's weight and height into account.)