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When it comes to the most common causes of death in the world, a 2017 study published by The Lancet found that poor diet brought about the highest number of deaths as compared to smoking and high blood pressure.
Poor diet is a precursor of other diseases which can lead to untimely death. Some forms of cancer, stroke, diabetes and obesity can be brought about by eating an unhealthy diet. Diabetes comes about when your blood has more sugar than your body requires. Sugar in your diet is gets into your blood and is converted into energy which enables you to go about your daily tasks. A diet rich in unhealthy fats leads to high cholesterol which can lead to high blood pressure and stroke.
The study found that a poor diet is not only restricted to eating fast food or too many processed foods. Poor diet also includes malnutrition and this kills just as many people as the former. People either don’t get enough to eat or they eat too much of the wrong foods.
A healthy diet consists of eating adequate amounts of fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains vegetables and omega-3 fats. On the contrary, an unhealthy diet consists of eating too much salt, sugary drinks and processed meat.
Junk food is everywhere. It doesn’t help that its packaging is so attractive making it even harder to ignore it when you go shopping. They are not only easy to find but also cheaper than healthy foods.
On the other hand, fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish are sometimes in low supply and more expensive making them less accessible to the poor who then suffer from malnutrition.
The above study called for coordinated efforts between farmers and governments to make healthy foods more affordable. It also stated that there is a need to emphasise a healthier diet focused on eating the necessary nutrients per day rather than on counting calories. Eating a poor diet might give you the calories you need for the day but you will lack good nutrition.
A healthy diet calls for moderation when you eat, balancing the different nutrients to provide for the body what it needs to function properly. Eating healthy will enable you to live a longer, healthier life, avoiding the diseases brought about by a poor diet.
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