Malnutrition. A 12-letter word, something you can find in an ordinary dictionary. It may hold no meaning to others, but to some who had seen it, it may be a looming nightmare, ready to strike. Malnutrition may not be simple at all. As we continue to fight malnutrition, we are confronted by one Question, what causes this menace?
In every food that we eat, our body takes it in and processes it to be converted into energy and other useful materials. Proper eating is not all about quantity, its just a matter of eating the correct and complete food, something that has quality. These things are vital for the body to become healthy and carry out tasks with vigor and enthusiasm. Quality in what we eat is what we call proper nutrition.
Sadly, in the era where everyone is affected by the plague of global crisis, how can one provide proper nutrition? How can one attain quality of food when they are living under the poverty line? Earning something as little as 1.36 dollars a day. Malnutrition is indeed the very problem we continue to battle each day as our fellow filipinos feasted on a can of sardines and salt for a family of twelve.
One of alternative practice to end malnutrition is breastfeeding among mothers. It ensures the child’s mental and physical health that is brought about by the health benefits from the mother’s milk that is not available in any other substitutes. It had proven to be effective. Sadly, today, mothers themselves become breadwinners and career-oriented people, thus, they use substitutes to avoid the hassle of breastfeeding. The solution to malnutrition has added to the problem.
Not only does the problem end in lack of breastfeeding. Among children and teens, eating of junk foods had been a common practice. According to research and study in nutritive values, these food does not etiher contain useful minerals and nutrients or they are too loaded with minerals that it becomes harmful to the body. Thus, malnutrition arise from too much consumption of junk foods. ?
As we continue to face these problems in the campaign for proper nutrition, the government and the people should act as one to eliminate poverty, encourage breastfeeding and campaign for proper nutrition among children and teens. Proper nutrition may be simple, but it is not easy to achieve, one needs the drive, the willingness and the resources to lead a healthy life. Problems against malnutrition can be eliminated and can remove the hindrance that is blocking our way towards a country that has stability, peace, development, and healthy people. Malnutrition is public enemy number one, but nothing is not solved by unity with action. Nothing more, nothing less.
No comments:
Post a Comment