DIET AND HEALTH

Nutritional disorders
• Obesity : Obesity is a medical condition that occurs when a person carries excess
weight or body fat that might affect their health.
• Diabetes Mellitus: More commonly referred to as "diabetes“ a chronic disease
associated with abnormally high levels of the sugar glucose in the blood

• Heart Diseases: Generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked

blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke.
Other heart conditions, such as those that affect your heart's muscle, valves or
rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.

• Cancers: a disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of

the body.
• Hypertension: Blood pressure is the force that a person's blood exerts against the
walls of their blood vessels. This pressure depends on the resistance of the blood
vessels and how hard the heart has to work
Effects of high consumption of salt, fat and sugar.
• Overweight and obesity generally result from too much food in the diet or not enough
physical activity. Early onset obesity starts with the young child. About fifty extra
calories per day can result in a few pounds each year. Maturity onset obesity usually
begins about 20 to 30 years of age.
• Research has shown that many people are over stimulated by the food environment
and other social factors and that causes them to over eat.
• Television advertisements constantly bombared the viewer with mouth watering foods
and snacks readily available in the most convenient forms in the supermarkets. Fast
food are easily available, many with high fat, high salt content. Soft drinks are
plentiful and cheaper than fruit juices. Highly carbonated drinks are usually higher in
sugar.
• High consumption of fat, sugar and salt predispose the eater to conditions such as
overweight, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and associated diseases, such as
heart disease.
Reduce of high intake of fat
• Use less fat in eating and cooking. For example, a cheese sandwich does not need
additional butter or margarine, Instead use condiments such as mustard or a low fat
cheese.
• Avoid frying foods. Use healthier cooking options such as steaming, baking, grilling,
broiling or boiling.
• Use low fat margarine and spreads instead of butter or regular margarine. Regular
margarine has 100 calories per tablespoon whereas reduce calorie margarine has 50
calories and low-calorie margarine has 30 calories.
• Use low fat or skimmed milk and its products such as low fat yogurt instead of whole
milk.
• Use white meats that are lean instead of red meats. “Lean” means 10g of fat and less
than 95mg of cholesterol per 3oz.
• Use herbs, vegetables and fruit salad dressing mixtures instead of oil. Avoid
mayonnaise and sandwich spreads.
• Use canned fish in water instead of oil.
• Avoid high carbohydrate foods that contain fat, such as pastries and chocolates.

How to reduce sugar in the diet

 • Use milk, unsweetened fruit juice or mineral water instead of sugar drinks.
• Eat fruits and consume water afterwards.
• Those who dislike water should use sugar substitutes and obtain their liquid from
juices and drinks. A diet soda contains 1-2 calories compared to 160 calories for
regular soda.
• In cooking, reduce sugar content of foods, Many recipes still work well even if the
sugar is reduced by about half. Dried fruits and even fresh such as ripe bananas can be
used to sweeten breads, cakes and stewed fruits instead of sugar
• Use canned fruit in natural juice instead of in heavy or light syrup.
• Look for alternatives to sweet or sugar foods, for example natural yogurt, fruit bread
and fresh fruit.

How to reduce salt in the diet

• Avoid chips, cured meats and condiments that are high in salt
• Use unsalted butter or margarine.
• Avoid using the salt shaker during cooking or at the table
Reduce the use of commercial seasonings and flavour enhance. Salt is generally the first
ingredient on the list

Behaviour Motivation
• Changing behaviour is one approach to weight loss that is recommended. The term
used is “behaviour modification”. Since overeating is a learned habit based on
environmental situations, situations relating to eating can be controlled so as to reduce
the eating, Some of these behaviour modification practices are:
• Avoid shopping when hungry
• Do not purchase high calorie, low nutrient- density snack foods.
• When shopping for groceries, prepare a list and purchase essential items.
• Avoid snacking and eat at mealtimes.
• Eat more slowly, and put down the fork between bites
• Serve small helpings on small plates that look full.
• Do not watch TV or read while eating
• Learn to say no when food is offered.
• Have low calories foods available.
• Learn something about nutrition.

Benefits of exercise-
• Fat stores are used for energy and lean body mass is increased.
• Reduced fat and cholesterol in the blood
• Reduce risk of heart disease
• Reduce blood pressure
• Improved appearance
• Physical and mental energy
• Improved ability to cope with stress
There are some factors associated with coronary heart disease; some are not
controllable, while others are.
Non- controllable factors
• Age
• Gender
• Heredity
 
Controllable factors
• Obesity
• Hypertension
• Cigarette Smoking
• Sedentary lifestyle
• High cholesterol
• Impaired glucose tolerance.