Malnutrition is a medical condition resulting from the body being deprived of the necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. Both people who are undernourished or overnourished suffer from malnutrition. Undernutrition happens when an insufficient amount of essential nutrients are consumed or excreted faster than they can be replaced. Overnutrition happens when people drink too much, eat the wrong foods, don’t get enough exercise, or take too many nutritional supplements. Finding the right balance of foods is key to preventing malnutrition. Take a look at some nutritional guidelines to help prevent malnutrition.
Eat enough soluble fiber.
Most people are fiber deficient. Fiber is responsible for taming insulin spikes following excessive sugar consumption and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. Adult women should consume 25 grams of daily fiber, while adult men should consume 38 grams of daily fiber. Two-thirds of your daily fiber intake should be from soluble fiber found in veggies, fruits, beans, and nuts.
Get sufficient vitamin D.
Vitamin D2 is found in plant foods, and vitamin D3 is found in animal foods and exposure to sunlight. The body’s ability to absorb this nutrient depends on age, lifestyle, and health. Adults should consume 2,000 IU daily if they get little sun exposure. A deficiency of this nutrient can compromise immunity.
The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) North America unites scientists from the U.S. and Canadian governments, academia, and industry to collaborate on advancements in food safety and nutrition science to benefit public health. ILSI’s comprehensive nutrition and health programs are designed to improve scientific understanding of nutrition throughout the lifecycle, food components that contribute more than basic nutrition, eating behavior, healthy aging, and more.
Increase your antioxidant intake.
Antioxidants are healthy cell protectors and cancer cell blockers. They are found in brightly colored berries, legumes, dark greens, sweet potatoes, and dark grapes. Any deep color fruits and veggies contain a boost of antioxidants and are high in fiber. A great way to ensure you increase your antioxidant intake is to take a natural dietary supplement. Natural Healthy Concepts offers nutritionist-approved supplements such as Nutridyn Fruits and Greens drink.
The gluten-free fruits and greens powder drink mix comprises a proprietary super blend of fruits, veggies, fiber, digestive enzymes, and dairy-free probiotics. The great-tasting flavor comes from the naturally sweet stevia. It also contains natural ingredients, including goji berries, pomegranate, acai berry, mangosteen, and noni fruit. The dynamic fruits and greens powder is available in different flavors, is non-GMO, gluten-free, and contains no preservatives.
Eat magnesium-rich foods.
Magnesium is found in over 300 different enzymes in the body. It plays a key role in removing toxins from the body and preventing cell damage from environmental chemicals and heavy metals. Magnesium also plays a key role in stress reduction and weight management. Dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, fish, beans, avocados, whole grains, and dark chocolate are great sources of magnesium.
What are the causes of malnutrition?
Access to fresh produce, low-fat dairy products, proteins, and whole grains is limited in some neighborhoods. Some urban areas, for example, have a lack of full-service grocery stores and instead are full of convenience stores that carry sugary drinks, snack cakes, high-sodium snacks, and other packaged items. This makes it more difficult for people to eat a healthy diet.
Consuming large amounts of food high in sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats and low in calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and fiber often means eating too many calories that don’t promote long-term health. Conversely, not having access to enough food to eat can cause undernourishment. It’s important to know what the common possible symptoms of malnutrition are. They include pale skin that’s thick and dry, bruising easily, rashes, changes in skin pigmentation, achy joints, soft and tender bones, bleeding gums, night blindness, increased sensitivity to light, unintended weight loss, fat and muscle loss, and lower body mass index (BMI).
