The body just like a device is a system that functions with the help of an energy source. If the machines rely on electricity for it to continue working, our body is completely reliant on the nourishment it receives like essential nutrients, vitamins and of course, water. This is all present in many foods, and it’s up to the person to choose the one that is known to have the most nutrients.

Diet is often misinterpreted by most individuals; their perception about this word is that one should skip meals in order for them to have a slender and healthy body but the truth is skipping a meal will only produce adverse effects in the body, most especially the digestive and cardiovascular system. This misconception has caused a lot of troubles to many individuals most especially teenage girls. There were studies conducted before that focused on the effects of skipping meals to the body, and they have found out that it increases the risk for developing heart problems in the future, most especially if the practice is done for quite a long period of time. Once a person skips a meal, the liver releases fats known as low-density lipoproteins. These fats are considered to be the bad cholesterol which has the tendency to stay in the body for a long period of time because it is very hard to dissolve. It blocks the blood vessels of the body that might impede the circulation. When there is a problem with the circulation of blood in the body, it forces the heart to compensate by working more and will eventually result to heart problems. The heart is a vital organ of the body that when taken for granted will cause adverse effects in the long run. For people to avoid having problems related to the heart, it is very important to have the appropriate practices and interventions. This includes eating the right food, engaging in exercise and lifestyle modification.

Diet is appropriately defined as eating the right combination of foods or having a balanced meal. A balanced meal consists of carbohydrate containing foods like rice and bread. Carbohydrates are important for the body because it is a good source of energy. The meal should also include protein, which helps in the tissue repair and muscle buildup.  Foods that are good sources of protein include meat and fish. It should also contain foods that are rich in vitamins in minerals like fruits and vegetables. This will protect the body from illnesses because it will strengthen the immune system. Fats are also included in the diet, but it should be in moderation or in small amounts. Having a balanced diet may sound expensive for most but one can still have a balanced diet without spending much. There are many foods available in the market that is very nutritious and cheap or if not one can decide on having a vegetable garden in the backyard to save more money.

Health education is a key intervention to help people understand the importance of eating the right foods and minimizing bad practices. People can be taught on how to read and understand the label of each food being bought. It is also advisable to avoid foods that contain trans fat and saturated fat because this is not good for the body. It is also important to stress the importance of minimizing the consumption of processed foods that contain a large amount of sodium and with fewer nutrients. It may be impossible to, completely eliminate the practice of enjoying foods that are not considered healthy but attitude plays an important role in proper nutrition. It will allow the person to set limits and learn when to stop and what necessary actions to pursue. This will then lead to a better quality of living wherein hospitalizations are avoided and function is ongoing with no disruptions.

People are now in a mindset that if you have a slim body you can be the center of attraction. Despite the good looking structure, there are still problems that can possibly come up. These are common for teenagers and some of the young adults. These problems include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Both are considered to be a nutritional and weight problem. As you continue reading this topic, you will gain additional knowledge about the two given disorder… You will also be learning the common diagnostic criteria.

First let us talk about anorexia nervosa. This is considered to be a life threat disorder. When you have this you will experience the inability to maintain a normal body weight. All you want is, to lose weight all the time. You will have the intense fear of gaining weight. An individual with anorexia nervosa has a body weight lesser that their expected age weight. Clients with this disorder can be classified into two types. This may depend on how they manage their weight.

The first type is known as the restricting type. These individuals manage to lose their weight through dieting, fasting, or through excessive exercise. Another type is the binge eaters. These are the individuals who eat a lot of food in a discrete manner. They don’t want other people to see them eating. The other type of anorexia nervosa is the purging type.  This includes the act of eliminating food by vomiting. The vomiting act is different that of the usual things done by common people. Instead, they achieve this by placing their digits just behind the tongue to stimulate the gag reflex. When the gag reflex is active vomiting can easily follow.

Do individuals with anorexia nervosa experience hunger? Yes definitely, but they tend to ignore it. Because of their attitude, they will soon manifest weakness, fatigue, and sometimes restlessness. In addition, these individuals are very particular about the nutrition facts in every food they eat. They also love to collect recipes, cook books, and counting calories. The most common onset of this condition is around the age fourteen to eighteen. In the early stages’, individuals with anorexia nervosa will develop denial on their body image and will soon progress to anxiety. Depression and mood changes will take place when the condition progresses further.

What are the common symptoms of anorexia nervosa that can be considered as diagnostic criteria? Here are the following symptoms: Fear of gaining weight, body image disturbance, depressive symptoms, and amenorrhea for women, constipation, and cold intolerance.

What are the medical complications related to weight loss? You will be able to manifest musculoskeletal, metabolic, cardiac, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and hematologic problems. On the other hand, the medical complication related to purging includes metabolic, gastrointestinal, dental and neuropsychiatric problems.

Another problem that can possibly occur in losing weight is the bulimia nervosa. This is considered to be an eating disorder that can cause a nutritional problem. It is characterized by recurring periods of binge eating and then followed by purging to avoid weight gain. Self vomiting, use of diuretics, enemas, and laxatives are the common methods used by individuals who purge.  The amount of food taken by a person who binges is much greater than usual meals. In bulimia nervosa clients do hide in secret places when they eat a lot than normal.

What is great about clients with bulimia nervosa is that their weights are within the normal range, although there are some clients who manifest overweight or underweight. Recurrent vomiting will gradually destroy the teeth enamel leading to dental caries. Bulimia nervosa usually occurs around ages eighteen to nineteen years old. They love to eat foods that have low caloric content. Clients with bulimia are fully aware of their condition, but they do not want to show it to others. That is why they want to go private in times of binge eating and purging. In this case, they usually hide their foods in a secret desk, car compartment, and other hidden locations within the house.

“Obesity could be one of the biggest causes of cancer after tobacco,” said an epidemiologist at a cancer research facility in United Kingdom.

An abnormally high and unhealthy proportion of body fat defines a person belonging to obese class. A formula based on weight and height, known as Body Mass Index (BMI), is commonly used by researchers to measure obesity. Studies show that patients having a BMI score greater than 35 has a ninety-five percentage rate of cancer recurrence, whereas seventy-five percent of these obese patients have died compared with the fifty-two percent of patients having a BMI score of less than 35.

The types of cancers being linked to obesity include colorectal cancer, breast cancer in menopausal women, and endometrial cancer; thus, accounted for the 65 percent of the total percentage rate of such linkage.

Scientists are not sure as to why being fat promotes the risks in getting cancer. Suspicion about its connection with the hormones has arisen because as individuals become fatter, hormones are being produced – estrogen, for instance, helps in the growth of tumors. People with bulging bellies, whose stomachs have more acid, have high risks of developing stomach, intestinal or esophageal cancer.

According to American Cancer Society, more than half a million people have been expected to die of cancer over the past year.  Cancer statistics are interwoven with obesity statistics in complex and confusing ways.  People who trim their diets and eat healthy foods appear to be less likely to contract diseases; but there are also exceptions. Just because these people appear healthy doesn’t mean they are relieved of developing cancer cells. Healthy people can still be likely to develop cancer; however, the percentage possibility rate is low in comparison to those who have been classified as obese.

There are studies being conducted, which show that weight-loss surgery can help women reduce their risk of cancer. It has been emphasized that only women are being addressed with the beneficial effects of such surgery. Based on the study, the surgery did not appear to have effects on men. Analysis suggests that there had been no direct link with the losing of weight or the reduction of food intake in the decrease of cancer risks. However, the cutting of weight through surgery reduces the amount of hormone-producing fat cells in the body; thus, the estrogen in female sex hormone is the culprit. In obese men, most common types of cancer are not so hormone-sensitive. These suggest why weight-loss surgery is known beneficial to women only.

Obesity is the result of poor diet and lack of exercise. Excuses on the lack of exercise (e.g. no time) can be acceptable. However, excuses on poor diets can never be acceptable. Reduction of cancer risk can be done with dietary tweaks.

Furthermore, what you drink may somehow add up to that bulges in the tummy area. Paying attention to what you drink and reducing the everyday liquid calorie intake can lead to a greater success in losing weight.

Obesity is therefore, a preventable leading cause of cancer. Thus, cancer issues will trim down as the epidemic on obesity decreases.