Correlation of Nutrition and Income Level

Correlation of Nutrition and Income Level

Nutrition refers to access to food with all nutrients. There are two types of nutrients, namely macronutrients and micronutrients. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fat are the three main categories of macronutrients, while vitamins and minerals are the main types of micronutrients. Malnutrition is the opposite of nutrition, and it refers to a lack of access to nutritious meals. World Health Organization explains that diet is a significant part of health and human development. It is related to the excellent infant, child and maternal health, active immune system, and lower risk of having nutrition-related disorders like diabetes, kwashiorkor, marasmus, cardiovascular, and obesity. A report released by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2017 indicated that more than 100 million adults in the US had diabetes or prediabetes. Another report in 2016 showed that around 70 million US adults were obese, equivalent to 39.6 percent of all adults in the US. This illustrates there is an excellent problem in the US and the world concerning nutrition. What causes malnutrition, and it is related to financial income? Studies have had contracting results related to nutrition and money. Some studies have indicated that people with money have an option to access nutritious food, while others stated that having money leads to malnutrition. This paper discusses the people with money and who doesn’t have in connection to nutrition and what hinders them from consuming the right food.

People with money are thought to have access to most things, but not in the case of nutrition. Yes, it is true that if a person with money makes the right nutrition decision, he or she has a high chance of accessing the food, thus living a healthy life. This is because they can afford nutritious meals even when it’s expensive. However, there are also high chances that people with money are likely to experience malnutrition due to the food choices they make (Boncinelli 51). They are prone to certain foods that suite their class, and most of them are considered unhealthy. For example, most wealthy families frequently visit hotels for lunches and dinners, and as it is known, most hotel meals do not constitute the right nutrition values as they try to make it delicious to attract customers (Zhu 29). For instance, Pizzas may be affordable to the rich, and thus to show their social class, the rich will frequently feed on them and other expensive but unhealthy food. Though obesity is common in all people, either the rich or the poor, it is more abundant among the rich.

Malnutrition among the rich is caused by over nutrition. Though the rich can access nutritious food, in most instances, they tend to overfeed on the nutritious food, which causes nutrition disorders. For example, since a family can afford meat which has an excess of proteins, they are likely to feed on it several times a week, and thus, it may have health impacts (Zhu 14). The rich are not expected to suffer from anemia, a disorder caused by a lack of iron in the body. However, they are likely to have gout, a condition caused by having excess uric acid in the bloodstream. People in this class mostly consume food worth of calories.

In most developed nations, people rarely go hungry, but this does not mean they eat healthily. They suffer from what is known as hidden hunger. Their diets likely constitute the three major nutrients, which are proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, but they are likely to lack micronutrients (minerals and vitamins) as they may not feed on food with the nutrients. For instance, vitamin E is abundant in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oil and most people with money do not feed on these foods. This explains why most rich people suffer from micronutrients related disorders. For instance, children from wealthy families rarely suffer from kwashiorkor, protein deficiency, or marasmus, which is an outcome of lack of all macronutrients.

The main reason hindering the poor from accessing nutritious food is because they cannot purchase food rich in the nutrients. A good explanation is in the case of developing countries. In most poor countries, the nutrition-associated diseases are kwashiorkor, marasmus, and rickets (Frank et al. 1298). According to research, kwashiorkor and marasmus are among the dangerous conditions that affect young children. The disorders were also among the top killer diseases in children. In the case of pregnant mothers, poor nutrition due was associated with giving birth to children with underweight and other nutrition deficiency children (Bain 102). In most instances, families depend mostly on stable food, which may a particular type of nutrition. For example, in most African countries, the staple food is maize, bananas, and yams, which are rich in carbohydrates, and thus protein food is rarely accessible. In such instances, the children will mostly suffer from kwashiorkor (Iversen 5930). Additionally, children in developing countries are also under attack vitamin and mineral-related diseases. Iron deficiency, iodine deficiency disorders, and vitamin A deficiency are common in developing countries. In China rural, a study showed that most low-income families were less likely to consume fiber-rich bread, skimmed milk, and fish than wealthy families Stone 402) .

In developed countries, nutritious food is expensive, and it can only be afforded by people occupying the upper socio-economic class. According to research, a well nutritious meal costs 1.1 Euros more than typical meals per person. This is because of additional requirements such as vegetables, fruits which are excellent sources of minerals and vitamins. This is expensive, especially when only one individual in a family is earning (Iversen 5942). As a result, most of the low-income earners in developed countries eat fast or junk foods because they are cheap and affordable. Foods such as avocado, broccoli, whole grains, vegetables, fish, among others, are expensive than junk food, and thus low-income earners make quick decisions in preference of fast food. Also, according to research, poor parents say yes to junk food requests by their children than wealthy parents who could often say no to junk food because they could afford healthy food for their children.

Both the rich and the poor have access to nutritious food; however, the socio-economic level is an excellent determinant of whether a person can be able to engage in healthy eating lifestyles. In this case, the rich can significantly engage in healthy eating as they can afford the expensive foods rich in various nutrients (Hawkes 2431). For instance, fish can be costly in towns, but the wealthy can access them with much ease. On the other hand, poverty leaves people without any choice but to buy only affordable food, even when it’s unhealthy as that is what they can afford. A balanced diet can be added to achieve for such families.

There are external factors that may be linked to unhealthy feeding lifestyles. One of the factors is access to information about the nutritious values of the meals. Most fast food, especially take away, did not have the nutritional information, and thus most people both the rich and poor considered them healthy food until they were enlightened on the nutrition value of the food. Some states in the US require fast-food sellers to attach correct nutritional information to ensure that the buyers know about what they are taking (Boncinelli 48). This was specifically intended to create awareness on the unhealthiness of the food, thus enabling many people to make the right eating lifestyles. Also, this was specifically meant to reduce obesity in the US.

Malnutrition has a lot of impacts in society. First, it causes chronic diseases like hypertension and heart attack, which eventually may cause death. As observed above, junk food is consumed by both the wealthy and the poor, though for different reasons, and thus it possesses great danger to both classes. Junk foods have excess salt, fat, and sugar, which are directly connected to diseases like hypertension, heart attack, and obesity (Schlosser24). Despite causing chronic diseases, malnutrition causes other diseases like marasmus, kwashiorkor, and rickets, which also cause deaths in children. Second, nutrition can affect one’s ability to perform certain activities. This is specifically associated with obese people. Some are unable to do simple tasks like jogging or physical exercise, which further leads to health complications. Third, malnutrition can affect a family expenditure on medication during the treatment of some diseases like hypertension and obesity. Unfortunately, the conditions are not covered by insurance companies, and thus they may be expensive.

Fortified food refers to foods that are enriched with nutrients that did not naturally occur in the initial diet. The most fortified foods are highly consumed foods that have specific nutrients. The most fortified foods are cereals, milk, beverages, dairy products, and infant food. The main aim of fortified foods is to prevent nutritional deficiency diseases, and in the US, fortified food has been manufactured since the 1920s. For instance, bread is enriched with calcium, which does not occur in flour. In another example, child milk may be supplemented with nutrients such as vitamin D, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamin C (Gharibzahedi, Taghi, and Jafari 123).. Cereals are mostly added vitamins because most people feeding on the cereals may not consume foods rich in vitamins. In such a case, when a child feeds on, it will have minimal chances of having nutrition deficiency diseases (Pounis et al 684),. Fortified foods are affordable, and this is an advantage to the poor who cannot afford the expensive individual foods rich in the nutrients. For instance, buying fish to access omega-three fatty acids is costly compared to purchasing cooking oil enriched with the nutrient.

A food desert refers to geographical areas that have an insufficient supply of healthy or highly nutritious foods. The foods include fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fish. In such regions, groceries are rare, and following the rule of supply and demand, the high chances are that the prices for the foodstuffs are high, making it affordable to only the rich (Whitley 48). However, in such areas, junk or unhealthy foods are standard, and thus most poor people feed on them due to the high prices. The key factors leading to the food desert is the location of an area and the socio-economic levels of the residents. Food deserts are likely to be found hard to access areas and also in low-income earners.

Nutrition is essential for the excellent development of children as well as adults. In the US, both the wealthy and the poor are experiencing the issue of malnutrition. Though the rich are at an advantage of feeding on nutritious food, they are factors that still hinder them from doing so. The main issue is overfeeding on nutritious foods, which also causes diseases. The second issue is the desire to feed on expensive junk food and laziness to cook healthy meals in their homes. On the other hand, the reduced feed on malnutrition foods because they cannot afford healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, especially in food desert areas. In conclusion, the poor should ensure they feed on fortified foods to boost their nutrition intakes and avoid nutrition-related diseases.

Work Cited

Bain, Luchuo Engelbert, et al. “Malnutrition in Sub–Saharan Africa: burden, causes and prospects.” Pan African Medical Journal 15.1 (2013).

Boncinelli, Fabio, et al. “Warning labels on junk food: experimental evidence.” International Journal of Consumer Studies 41.1 (2017): 46-53.

Frank, Deborah A., et al. “Heat or eat: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and nutritional and health risks among children less than 3 years of age.” Pediatrics 118.5 (2006): 1293-1302.

Gharibzahedi, Seyed Mohammad Taghi, and Seid Mahdi Jafari. “The importance of minerals in human nutrition: Bioavailability, food fortification, processing effects and nanoencapsulation.” Trends in Food Science & Technology 62 (2017): 119-132.

Hawkes, Corinna, et al. “Smart food policies for obesity prevention.” The Lancet 385.9985 (2015): 2410-2421.

Iversen, Per Ole, et al. “Assessing nutrition intervention programmes that addressed malnutrition among young children in South Africa between 1994-2010.” African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development 12.2 (2012): 5928-5945.

Pounis, George D., et al. “Consumer perception and use of iron fortified foods is associated with their knowledge and understanding of nutritional issues.” Food quality and preference 22.7 (2011): 683-688.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

Stone, Richard. “Despite gains, malnutrition among China’s rural poor sparks concern.” (2012): 402-402.

Urke, Helga B., Torill Bull, and Maurice B. Mittelmark. “Socioeconomic status and chronic child malnutrition: wealth and maternal education matter more in the Peruvian Andes than nationally.” Nutrition research 31.10 (2011): 741-747.

Whitley, Sarah. “Changing times in rural America: Food assistance and food insecurity in food deserts.” Journal of Family Social Work 16.1 (2013): 36-52.

Zhu, Amy. “Drive for Junk: An Investigation of the Correlation Between Income and Education to Junk Food Consumption Patterns Amongst US Adults from 2003–2006.” (2009).