Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Importance of Nutrition and Vitamins



Nutritional status is closely linked with health status. Malnutrition is when a person does not have the proper nutrition. Proper nutrition can be too much, too little, or the wrong kind of nutrition. Undernourished is when a person does have insufficient food to maintain a normal growth. Overnourished is when a person has too much food or unnecessary food. Most people think that malnutrition is associated with underweight people, but malnutrition is also associated with people who are overweight or obese. People who are undernourished are weak, they have a hard time eating, absorbing nutrients, and they are more vulnerable to infection. Pregnant women who are undernourished are at a higher risk of delivering premature babies and at a higher risk of death. Vitamins are vital for our health and longevity. There are two categories of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins
 Vitamin A is important for development, growth, and the immune system. It is needed for good vision and healthy skin. It also improves the body’s healing ability. Vitamin A deficiency is linked with blindness and may eventually cause permanent blindness. Vitamin C is required for healthy skin, bones, and muscles. It helps to protect the body from viruses and allergies. Vitamin E is essential for the absorption of iron, slowing of the ageing process, and fertility. Vitamin D is important for the growth and development of strong bones and teeth. It helps prevent high blood pressure, cancer, and heart diseases. Vitamin B helps prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and the growth of the nervous system.  Finally, Vitamin K helps the clotting of blood and the healing of wounds. Everything we eat is linked to our health and productivity. To receive the proper nutrition and vitamins you must eat healthy fats and eat less unprocessed foods. It’s important to receive the right proportion of nutrients and not too much or too little. 

As college students, do you think you get your daily dose of vitamins?


2 comments:

  1. First of all, I love this blog. Nutrition and its affect on children is a very interesting topic to me. Gluten-free diets can help children with Aspergers do better and children who don't get any vitamin A are going blind all over the world - a tablet costs less than 25 cents!

    Anyway, I definitely get enough vitamin C. I work with kids every day, so I take it to try to keep from getting sick. I take a multivitamin every now and then but, I don't think I (or most college students) are getting the proper amount of vitamins. I heard of a project working on genetically modifying foods to get all the vitamins you need in one serving - like a potato. Of course, these are more for poor countries but, I did find it interesting.

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  2. I found your blog very informative, and I love the layout. Nutrition is a very important factor, and should be discussed more especially in schools. Children nowadays are more overweight than before. It would be effective if children learned more about nutrition in schools. I think children learning about nutrition and vitamins will help decrease the amount of overweight children. Its bad enough that there are steroids in the foods, which contributes to obesity, so nutrition is a very important factor. Honestly, I don't take vitamins like I should. At one point I was taking vitamin D everyday, but stopped. After reading your posts, you've made me realize the importance of vitamins.

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