Name(s):
Undernutrition
Undernourishment
Food deficiencies
Unbalanced diet
Unnutritious food consumption
Deficient nutritional practices
Inadequate nutrition
Dietary deficiencies
Improper dietary habits
Unnutritious eating habits
Poor nutritional habits
Improper feeding
Nature
Observations from different parts of the world show that low protein intakes, often accompanied by low calorie intakes, occur in adults in many developing countries. In the industrialized world, excessive consumption of lipids, carbohydrates, sugars and alcohol (empty calories) without essential nutrients given by a balanced diet, make dietary considerations the major factor in most deadly diseases. The malnourished adult usually shows seasonal deficiencies, which are transient and do not cause obvious ill-health unless accompanied by acute or chronic disease. Dietary imbalance shows in reduced physical output in work among adults and developmental problems among children. An additional effect is a deterioration in the use of mental faculties - namely listlessness, lowering of initiative, lack of awareness, poor judgement, [etc]. At any age, poor nutrition means greatly decreased resistance to disease.
Background
Caloric needs determine the limits of food that can healthily be ingested. These needs are small because of the life-style of the affluent. In order to maintain desirable protective levels of nutrients in the diet consistent with the acceptable food habits of society, some 40-50% of the total diet must consist of high-nutrient density foodstuffs supplying needed quantities of the essential nutrients: amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. This means that 40-60% of the energy value of the diet must be derived from high nutrient density foodstuffs: products such as meat, milk, eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruits, and cereals. In order to further maintain nutrient density of the diet, selected enhancement of the nutrient content of some foodstuffs, such as cereals, is desirable.
Claim
Diet consciousness, reaching proportions of hysteria in the western world, has ironically propelled a wave of vitamin and mineral deficiency among affluent young people, who may only recognize their dietary foolishness later in life.
Counter-claim
Some kinds of junk food are not deleterious to health; it depends on age and on the general diet. A bag of potato crisps contains 140 calories and a lot of Vitamin C, and this may be a good snack for a child, who needs vitamins and energy, provided he eats a broad diet.