6. Describe the role of diet in preventing underweight, overweight, and obesity.

Describe the role of diet in preventing underweight, overweight, and obesity.

A person's diet is very important in keeping them at their reccomended body weight.

Each of these conditions (overweight, underweight and obesity) have health implications for our population that are all very dangerous. It is very important that our bodies remain healthy, and at a weight range that is good for us. As mentioned, there are many health risks of having too little body fat, as well as too much body weight.

Underweight: When someone is under their body weight, it is called underweight.Having too little body fat can keep a body from fighting off diseases and other illnesses. Having too much body fat leads to chronic diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease. This is a problem because the body does not receive enough vitamins and nutrients to funtion at its' most efficient level. The body may not have enough energy to perform at its most efficient level, and the body's immune system won't be strong enough to fight off diseases and illnesses as it should. The body cannot function at an efficient level if we are not giving it energy through food. Bodies that are underweight cannot even exercise well and keep their body strong because there is no energy to put into the exercising.

Overweight: Overweight carries some of the same problems. Overweight is defined by Sizer and Whitney as "a body weight above a healthy weight." (Sizer and Whitney, 2011). According to Cspinet, Almost two-thirds (61%) of American adults are overweight or obese.(http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/nutrition_policy.html). This is detrimental to our health, and we need to do our best to reverse this.

Obesity: The text goes on to say that obesity is "overfatness iwht adverse health effects, as determined by reliable measures , and interpreted with good medical judgement." (Sizer and Whitney, P GL16). Being overweight can cause the body to be more prone to chronic disease, cancer and other illnesses that we try to avoid. Obesity is worse than overweight because it causes worse problems. People who are obese have a body weight that can lead to diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases even more than those who are only overweight. Mortality is another thing that is impacted by being over or underwieight. Being either overweight or underweight is a reason for premature death according to Sizer and Whitney. They go on to say that "The risk of dying young increases proportionally with increasing body weight" (Sizer & Whitney). This is because the body is more prone to diabetes, the body cannot fight off disease, and the body is more prone to heart disease and other things that decrease a person’s health levels.

We need to take precautinary measures to avoid being over or under our ideal body weight. We need to maintain a healthy body weight by eating a balanced diet that consists of healthy foods. We also need to exercise on a regular basis to keep our body strong. If someone must eat something unhealthy or processed, the portions should be small, and this should be a limited occurence. We need all of the recommended vitamins and nutrients, and we are not going to get them from fried foods and chips.

References:
http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/nutrition_policy.html

Sizer and Whitney, (2011).  Nutrition: Concept and Controversies, 12th edition