Diet

Conception & Development in the womb

● Having a healthy diet is equally important not only for the growth of the fetus but it has an essential
role in the production of the sperm cells and the regular menstrual cycle.
● Unfortunately, where people don’t have access to a proper diet and can’t afford a diet that contains all
the nutrients can reduce the sperm production and stop the menstrual cycle which could be a problem
for fertilization if there aren’t enough egg and sperm cells.
● If conception however occurs, then, just like we need all the nutrients to keep ourselves growing and
able to resist from diseases, though the poor diet of the mother does not support the growth of the
fetus and hence, when the baby is born it is smaller than normal and weak to fight against diseases.
● Even if a pregnant woman has access to a proper diet, but the mother should know what is health for
her and the foetus like- having small cheeses including camembert contains microorganisms and
should not be eaten as it causes listeria which can be inoperable for the fetus. Foods contaminated
with bacteria or parasites should never be eaten by a pregnant woman.
● Having too much caffeine leads to the slowing down of the growth of fetus and leads to low birth
weight.
Growth and Development in young people
● Nutrition is important at all ages but very crucial at a young age because that is the time when
the body is developing. The organ systems are growing, without a balanced diet, the child
becomes weak or obese making them prone to diseases.
● When suffering from famine, the growth of young people’s growth slows down, their bodies
take time to develop, their bodies are smaller and less well developed than those who have a
proper diet.
● When the child lacks protein and energy at an age of under 1 year old, a condition called
Marasmus develops; the body’s stored energy will be used up, this causes the body fat to
disappear and muscles waste away. This can be fatal if not treated.
● Another condition known as Kwashiorkor develops in children over 18 month. When a the child
is fed the breast milk and then the mother has another child then the 1st child is fed starchy
food like yam which results in poor development in muscles and causes swelling in the area just
below the chest.
Behaviour
1- People with lack of diet have less energy and a lower confidence.

2- A childhood condition called as hyperactive is due to the children’s eating foods and taking drinks which
contain additives like allura red which is a drug red in color. ALLURA RED could be found in soft drinks and
also ice-cream

3- People who suffer from obesity will feel depressed and will be unable to sleep properly

4- children who have poor mood are often observed that they have been without food for too long which
could affect their behaviour.

5- unhealthy eating patterns like nutritional imbalances causes change in behaviour.

Growth and Development in young people

★ Obesity is caused when a person eats a high calorie diet, and doesn’t exercise
★ As the person uses less energy than before but continues to eat more calories causes more body
Effect on general health
● A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition, deficiency diseases, obesity, and chronic diseases
like diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer
● Diet can affect a child’s development. Children between 6 months and 2 years need food that supports
their rapidly growing bodies. If not, it puts them at the risk of poor brain development, low immunity,
increased infections and sometimes even death.
● It can also affect the child’s behavior. It can worsen behavioral problems like ADHD and other learning
disorders
● A person who is suffering from malnutrition might look overweight/normal because the abdomen
expands and swells due to the absorption of water(water retention)
● These days, young(mostly overweight) kids become obese during the transformation during
adolescence
● Therefore, it is prefered to eat a healthy diet with the right amounts of nutrients to stay away from all
types of diseases