The Importance Of Nutrition

Malnutrition is being reported by medical professionals everywhere and is of major concern in almost every state in the nation. Children who suffer the effects of malnutrition contribute to a high number of those with negative health problems. Obesity is being associated as a side effect of malnutrition, as children who don’t get enough to eat regularly eat foods that are less healthy. Childhood hunger also contributes to health conditions like a deteriorated immune system, chronic fatigue, developmental problems, and behavioral issues. Many poor children in the United States today, experience an uneasy or painful sensation caused by lack of food, or hunger.

In the United States many citizens face hunger, starvation and malnutrition on a daily basis. This food insecurity affects millions of Americans. Food insecurity is caused when Americans don’t have enough money to purchase food for themselves and their family. When children experience hunger if affects them both physically and psychologically. “Children who are denied an adequate diet are at a greater risk of not reaching their full potential as individuals. Undernourished youngsters have trouble concentrating and bonding with other children and are more likely to suffer illnesses resulting in school absences.” (Karger, p 371) It is important for children to meet their full potential in order for society to continue thriving into the future. If children are not receiving an adequate education because they have an empty stomach, then they will not continue to higher education or they will do poorly. In order to combat hunger in children the federal government responded with several major programs. Two of the programs the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) are targeted towards school age children. These programs provide students with breakfast and lunch while they are at school.

Hunger has been a prevalent issue in both established communities and struggling nations around the globe. It seems that there has never been a time when every person on the planet was food secure, and while it is typically assumed that hunger is an issue only in developing nations, malnutrition and hunger are concerns even in the United States. Millions of children across the country live in homes where food is scarce and meals are skipped on a regular basis. Because research supports the connection between nutrition, good health, and cognitive ability, it is critical that methods of addressing food shortages for minor children be found. One solution, the School Breakfast Program, seeks to provide healthy breakfast meals for children

Children in need of these nutrients can suffer from stunted growth never reaching potential height. Statistics have shown stunted growth children score significantly lower on intelligence tests than do normal children. Hunger interferes with physical, emotional and academic development. According to Freedom from Hunger, “more than 4 million children will die due to hunger related causes.” NASW(2016) shows an important connection food security and nutrition play in physical and mental health.

According to National Heart Lung and Blood institute, in America, 1 in 6 kids are obese. Although obesity might not seem that much of a big deal, it is. Childhood obesity can lead to much worse health problems later in adulthood, such as higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and even cancer, among many chronic health issues all caused by obesity. Many kids get about half of their daily calories at school, and for some, school is where they get all of their daily calories. Since school plays such a big part in affecting the lives of many kids across America, special attention should be shown to nutrition. This can help kids with obesity, as well as kids that don’t have much food at home to eat and only rely on school food. For many poor kids, they don’t have a lot of healthy foods at home, because they can’t afford it. So, they rely on cheap school food for their vitamins and nutrients. Because cafeteria foods, like hamburgers or beef and cheese nachos, are highly processed and filled with unnecessary fat ,those kids that rely on school for food won’t get the nutrients and vitamins they need and will go home hungry. Since kids are growing up, it is especially important for them to get the right food they need to grow up healthy and strong, and in a place full of kids that are growing up, it is only right to provide them with good and healthy food that will allow the kids to grow up into healthy adults without obesity, malnourishment, or any kind of health

Like any country, there are a variety of health concerns. About 50 percent of the children are malnourished-phsycially and mentally. When people experience malnourishment, often times it can stunt people’s growth as such a young age. Some illnesses are heart disease, kidney damage, and anemia, which can lead into adulthood.

Hungry children are sick more often and more likely to visit the hospital and these costs result in higher health insurance rates and taxes. Health problems also carry into adulthood, which leads to additional health care costs, absenteeism, and poor performance at work. Hungry children experience lower academic achievement and have social and behavioral problems that carry over into the workforce. As a result, America's workforce is less competitive and less productive. Since the nation's growth depends on the health of America's children, eliminating child hunger should be a priority. Like a vaccine, good nutrition can prevent health problems and increase American productivity with the cooperation of public and private food assistance programs

Many problems plague the United States as a country that spans a vast swath of land, contains many over exploited natural resources, and houses 320 million people that come from all stretches of the globe, but one of the single biggest problems is hunger. Child hunger in the United States is at the forefront of this issue. The helpless youth of today quite often become the hopeless adults of tomorrow when their basic needs are not met. This country has enough food to provide its citizens with all of their nutritional needs, but just like so many other expansive problems, distribution is the crux of the matter. With children as the focus, we must hone in on a means to bring the food and children together on a consistent basis. Education in this

Nutrition is essential for everyone, especially for children. It affects their physical growth and mental development including behaviors, cognitive abilities, weight, and habits. Therefore, food is important for a child to develop cognitively and physically. However, not all families are financially capable of providing their children with healthy and nutritious meals. They are relying on the government throughout various programs to help fulfil their physiological needs and those of their children as well. This paper will demonstrate the effects of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Act on school-age children.

The health and well-being of our nation's children is of paramount importance to the future of the United States as well as the individual futures of our nation's children. As such, one of the most important measures that we as a country can utilize to aid these children in their journey into adulthood is to provide them with nutritiously beneficial meals within the nation's schools to help these children fully immerse themselves in their education as well as in their own personal growth and happiness. Recent changes to the nation's breakfast and lunch programs are providing children with meals that are nutritionally sound in order to better serve the overall population and most importantly, the children in this country that are not afforded such nutrition in their home lives, and as such, these food programs are an essential part of the fostering of American children's health and well-being.

Good nutrition is important for everyone in every age group. It is an essential part of leading a healthy lifestyle, not only physically but also mentally. In public health, child nutrition is especially emphasized for multiple reasons. First, children are

When people think about malnutrition, many think of the children who don’t have food to eat. Which is a huge problem, and a problem that can be prevented. “Malnutrition afflicts an estimated 34 million children worldwide, and results in the loss of 1 million children under five every year.” However, in the US, malnutrition as a result of inadequate food intake is rare, although it may occur if a child is neglected, living in poverty or being abused. Moreover, a lot of children become malnourished because they are picky about what they eat, or refuse to eat due to issues with body image.

Have you ever heard the term “You are what you eat”, your body metabolizes food to provide the building blocks that allow our bodies to function and repair itself every minute of every day. In the short-term, poor diet decreases your energy levels, increase your risk for injury and decreases your body’s ability to heal itself. Your body is very good at compensating for a poor diet, but your diet does and will impact your ability to exercise, perform your job as a soldier and to live a long and healthy life. In the long-term, poor diet increases your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and much more. If you want to perform like a racecar you need to fuel yourself with high octane food – real food that

Malnutrition as defined by Groark & Song (2012) is a state of nutritional imbalance most often related to undernutrition. They go on to explain that malnutrition is both when a child is eating too little or too much and not getting essential nutrients in early childhood, which can lead to obesity (Groark & Song, 2012). The short term effects of malnutrition are more noticeable in early childhood education settings in the form of behavioral and mental health issues. A poorly nourished child may become disruptive or extremely withdrawn in the school setting, which can negatively affect their learning as well as the learning of their classmates (Groark & Song, 2012). Micronutrient deficiency is a major effect of malnutrition. Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) is associated with poor mental and motor development, poor cognition and school achievement (Prado, & Dewey, 2014). The long term effects of malnutrition become more evident later on in childhood. These effects manifest themselves more in the child’s physical and cognitive development. One of the major effects of malnutrition is childhood obesity. Obesity, if untreated, is known to lead to serious health problem later in life affecting the physical, cognitive and affect development of children and adults. Another significant effect of malnutrition is growth failure, as defined by Groark & Song (2012) describes a growth pattern that is abnormal and is the result of taking in too few calories. Children who suffer from growth

Improved nutrition and health enhance the learning ability of children. In the long run it leads to an increase in the strength of the labor force and thereby it contributes positively to the economic growth and a good nutrition is essential for healthy, thriving individuals, families and a nation. Moreover, the nutritional status of children is a manifestation of a host factors, including household access to food and the distribution of this food within the household, availability and utilization of health services, and the care provided to the child (Dereje, et al., 2015).