While most people are aware that the lack of a well balanced diet will affect their medical condition quite significantly, most are very unsure of how this degeneration of the human body can actually take place. Moreover, with the increasing convenience of fast food comes a very acceptable ignorance to the kind of food that we eat. Let’s be honest, not many people have the time in today’s hustle and bustle world to concentrate too much on the kind of food that they are stuffing their bodies with. However, it is crucial to understand this as it could mean the avoidance of a number of problems that could greatly reduce the quality as well as the length of a person’s life. A lack of nutrients in a person’s daily diet can lead to a number of medical complications such as anemia, beriberi, osteoporosis, rickets and pellagra among others.
Anemia is the condition in which a person has a significantly low red blood cell count, resulting in a noticeable decrease in the amount of blood that is delivered the each tissue of the body. Some of the commonly experienced symptoms of the condition include fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath, lightheadedness and palpitations of the heart while more severe symptoms include dizziness and fainting. A diet rich in substances like iron, folate and Vitamin B12 will help prevent the onset of this condition. Osteoporosis is a condition in which there is an extremely low bone mass which will result in weak and fragile bones – causing a high likelihood of broken bones in even the lightest of physical extortions or collisions. The condition is very common and is known to currently affect around 10 million people in the United States of America alone. About 80% of all sufferers are women. Patients may notice symptoms of the condition only once it has reached an advanced stage. Some of the symptoms include a dull pain in the bones or muscles, particularly neck pain or low back pain. A high intake of calcium and vitamin D will significantly reduce the likelihood of osteoporosis in an individual.
A well balanced diet will include rich sources of Vitamin D, magnesium, iron, folica acids and calcium. Vitamin D can be found in foods like milk and oranges; magnesium in nuts, fish, oats and bran; iron can be found in tofu, beans and spinach while calcium can be found in milk and milk products. Folic acids can be found in foods like cereals, broccoli, bananas and spaghetti.