Back to: NUTRITION & FOOD TECHNOLOGY
Effects of malnutrition,You should give serious consideration to the effects of malnutrition because they take a long time to be visible. Their effects may also cause long-lasting damage which may not easily be reversible. Malnutrition results in poor brain development and inability to work well.
It also results in poor resistance to disease and malformed bodies. You should remember that most
nutrients work together in order to perform their functions. This is why it is important to have a balanced diet.
Effects of malnutrition are more pronounced in children below 5 years of age, adolescents, and mothers (pregnant and breastfeeding). One of the ways you can determine whether a
child has malnutrition or not is by taking regular measurements for weight and height.
You can then compare them with those of a normal child using normal graphs of growth
monitoring charts.
Activity 1.4: Understanding the effects of malnutrition
i) Why do you think the effects of malnutrition are more pronounced in some groups of people?
ii) Make a visit to a health center or an immunization center and study the growth charts of the children who have been brought in for examination.
iii) See how many are growing normally and how many have problems.
How you can prevent malnutrition in your community
Look around your community. Do you see any cases of malnutrition? It is your duty as an
individual to always ensure that you prevent malnutrition in your life, your family, and your community.
How can you encourage the consumption of protein foods, fruits, and vegetables besides the carbohydrates in your home and community to ensure a balanced diet?
Do you know that eating plenty of vegetables is very important for healthy living for all groups
of people? Vegetables are readily available. How can you encourage family and community members to eat vegetables? Make a decorative item to be placed in your home as a reminder of the consumption of vegetables.
Preventing malnutrition
In groups, describe different ways of preventing malnutrition in your community.
Project
Make a home decoration item with vegetables, fruits or protein foods to be displayed in your home. Skills used may be hand-stitching, drawing, painting, and collage, among others.
Feeding Habits and Practices of Different Cultures in Uganda
Have you ever thought about what or who determines what you eat? You must have realized that many of your friends enjoy eating different foods. What your family enjoys eating is most likely to be different from what another family enjoys.
This also happens to different tribes and different cultures. We value different foods that we take as delicacies. The change occurs from culture to culture and may even change from ag
group to age group.
The food you eat is part of the traditions and culture of your family. Eating has an emotional part as well. When you feel a certain way, you reach for foods you would not normally eat.
Sometimes we seem to be feeding our feelings rather than our bodies. Many eating behaviors are motivated by emotions that we are not aware of.
For many people, changing eating habits is very hard. You may have had certain eating habits for so long that you even fail to realize that they are actually unhealthy.
They become part of your daily life that you do not even think about them.
Activity 1.6: Discussing feeding habits
In groups, talk about the feeding habits and practices in your:
i) family
ii) culture
iii) age group
Factors that influence food habits and practices
Your food habits may be influenced by different factors. These include:
i) Presence of food
ii) Nutritional knowledge
iii) Money available to buy the food
iv) Addiction to drugs and alcohol
v) Environment
vi) Climate of the region
vii) Individual preferences
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