Importance of a Balanced Diet for Physical and Emotional Health

Diet means the kind of food a person customarily eats and this can affect someone positively or negatively, e.g. healthy eating can have a positive effect on someone. Healthy eating is consuming the right quantities of food from a range of foods. This is known as a balanced diet and this is essential to be healthy because if you don’t consume the right amount of foods, an excessive amount of sugar and salts, can result in being malnourished. It is important for us to eat healthy because it gives our body the nutrients it needs to perform physically and can strengthen our immune system. Healthy eating doesn’t only affect us physically, it can affect us emotionally, intellectually and socially. An example would be a person consuming an excessive amount of food or not eating the right proportion can make them feel insecure about their body, which would affect someone emotionally.

Physical Health

A person’s diet can have a positive impact on their physical health. I’ve already mentioned that eating the right proportion can strengthen the immune system and give us the nutrients we need to perform physically. This is important because strengthening the immune system would mean fighting foreign intruders, like pathogenic bacteria and viruses and would also destroy cells within the body that may become an illness. Eating high amounts of fruits and vegetables would decrease infections, which would fasten the healing of injuries and infections and would decrease vulnerability to symptoms and difficulties from immune system dysfunction. According to Live Science article on the ‘Good Diet, Exercise Keep the Brain Healthy’, eating a well-balanced diet would mean “protecting the brain from damage, and counteracting the effects of aging."

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This is positive impact because the brain is delicate, so it would be essential to shield the brain because damaging the brain would affect a person mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. Counteracting age would be beneficial because it would enable someone in the life stage of late adulthood be physically healthy because they can do exercise and do sports since they are counteracting age. Carolyn Robbins article on The Positive Effect of Health also shows the importance of diet. The article states that “giving your body the correct fuel will give you more energy and an overall sense of well-being.” This links to what I mentioned about nutrients providing the fuel we need to perform physically, food provides energy.

However, diet can have a negative impact on a person’s physical health. Physical activities are a great way of maintaining a healthy body, but an excessive amount of exercise would cause health problems. The person can feel tired, catch illnesses easily, is regularly sore and may have lack of sleep. This would make the person’s physical health weaken and may lead to affecting the other PIES. An excessive amount of salt and sugar can lead to illnesses such as diabetes or coronary heart disease, these bad habits can be passed on to family members. Passing on bad eating habits would result on children becoming obese and vulnerable to diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. It is important to have a balance proportion of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, dairies, and fruits and vegetables.

This is significant in diet because eating too much would result on the person becoming obese, this later can result on bigger health problems. Nursing Times article states malnourished occurs when a person “has a poor diet that provides them with an incorrect balance of the basic food groups.” This means that a person has consumed an imbalance amount of food from the food group. For example someone may eat more dairy product than fruits and vegetables. This would affect someone physically because it would result on slower immune system and reduce muscle and tissue mass.

Intellectual Health

Diet can affect people intellectually, eating a balanced diet can boost intelligence because a person is able to be more focused due to the nutrients being provided. Nutrients are important for growth. In taking the right amount of food would result on a person’s brain functioning properly. Oily fish is an example of food that boost a person’s intelligences. Disabled World article on “Why Fish Oil is Brain Fuel” states that the “long chain polyunsaturated Omega 3 fatty acids are the building blocks of the brain itself and are only found in any significant quantities in oily fish and of course fish oil.” These help strengthen the synapses in your brain related to memory.

This is a positive impact on a person’s intellectual health because Omega-3 acid are beneficial for lowering blood pressure and Dr Madeleine Portwood have steadily found that fish oil expands behaviour, concentration levels and learning in the classroom. A high concentration level is essential for learning new information because if you are not focused than you would not process the information and therefore resulting in poor intellectual development. Good behaviour would improve a person’s contribution to learning and this would lead to improving the learning atmosphere in classrooms.

However, diet can have a negative impact on a person’s intellectual health because eating the wrong proportion of food can affect someone academically. For example; a student studying for exams should stay away from processed food because it can lead to them feeling drained due to the chemicals in the ingredients. This would decrease the performance of the student in the exam and therefore, the student would achieve a grade that is not their potential. Fossette Allane article on ‘How Does Healthy Eating Affect Physical, Mental & Social Health?’ states that “you may feel restless or distracted or develop a headache, all of which can impair intellectual performance.” This means that certain food can have a negative impact on our health because if we are restless, distracted or have a headache we are less likely to learn, thus have a negative impact on our intellectual health.

Emotional Health

What a person consumes can have a dramatic effect on them emotionally. The rapid increase on the number of people that are obese worldwide is related to disorders, such as depression. Children that are obese are often insecure about their body shape. This may be because of media influences and people views on beauty, more people see skinny people to be more appealing. An increase in appetite and not enough exercise can be viewed as a symptom of depression and people with depression are twice as more likely to eat more and less likely to exercise. Due to the lack of exercise and the excessive eating, the person would be more likely to be unhealthy because they are putting on body fat and not losing any. This may lead the person in viewing themselves as ‘worthless’ or ‘ugly’ because their body is putting on weight, so therefore there stomach would grow. This may cause them to be more insecure and feel like that people are making fun of them for the way they look.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are another eating disorder that has emotionally impacted someone’s life. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia is when someone that sees themselves in being imperfect and would go into extreme measures to become perfect. Similar to obesity, anorexia nervosa and bulimia can make someone feel ‘worthless’ and insecure and not see themselves as beautiful. Eating disorders would cause someone to be emotionally unstable and broken. Help Guide had stated that with anorexia nervosa “the desire to lose weight becomes more important than anything else.” This shows that with eating disorders the person can become emotionally unstable that they crave to lose or gain weight.

Nevertheless, diet can have a positive impact on our emotional health. Some people feel satisfied when eating processed food because the food can contain substances that lift self-esteem. Alex Korb says that "your brain releases dopamine in anticipation of eating good food, and that anticipation makes eating even more pleasurable.” This meaning that food can bring a good feeling when we are eating it. Food can play with our emotions; majority of people crave ice cream when they are overwhelmed and some eat chocolate when celebrating good news. Sara Tomm states that “when you look good, you feel good and you have self-confidence and fewer inhibitions.” This means that a person can have confidence can be increased through feeling good about your image. The way you view yourself can have an important role on your self-esteem.

Social Health

Diet can affect a person’s health positively because eating the right proportion can make someone more social. When a person feels happy, their self-esteem and confidence increase and therefore, they would be more willing to social with other people; the gathering could be a family dinner. Eating a healthy balanced diet would lower illnesses related to malnourishment and hence would make the person more social. Leah Hyslop article ‘Socially Awkward? Eat Sauerkraut and Pickles’ states that “fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and yogurt, may help alleviate the symptoms of chronic shyness.” This means that certain food that are fermented, which is the process in which food is visible to bacteria and yeasts, either through immunisation or naturally through the air, can play with our moods. Sauerkraut and Pickles can make people feel more social. In the article, it mentions that a research was conducted and had found that fermented food can help us not be socially awkward. I had researched more into the studies and discovered that certain food we eat can make us approachable to other people. This would make relationships with others stronger.

If a person doesn’t eat the right proportion of food or skips a meal, this would more likely result on the person becoming irritated and annoyed at the littlest things. This can make the person more likely to become outraged or annoying to others, therefore would put more strains on their friendship with others. Majority of people would not be relevant to someone that may experience mood changes because of hunger. David Benjamin article on Social Benefits of a Healthy Diet states that “few people want to spend much time with someone who is short tempered or shows unpredictable changes in mood or behaviour.” Hunger can cause a person to become grumpy or less active because of their body craving nutrients that would give them energy to perform physically. Due to being less active a person can feel socially excluded because they may not perform their potential. They may feel that their friends or family are different playing field than them. Consuming to much sugar and processed food can also make someone easily angry.

Physical

People with injuries, such as back pain, find it beneficial to go back to work after the healing process is completed. It would be better for the person to go back to work because they would be physically active and won’t prolong the injury in worsening. For example, a teacher arriving back to work from a leg injury would walk from classrooms to classrooms, which cause the muscles not to strain. Being out of work for a long period of time can worsen the recovery period of a person with injury. Employment can also help a person’s recovery because it provides an income for the employee. There could be a finical barrier preventing a person when it comes to recovery; if they are unemployed they may not be able to afford medications or gym membership. Therefore, employment can help someone recovery period and also make them physically active because they can afford to buy gym memberships or fitness equipment.

Intellectual

Employment can make a person wiser and experienced from working in a particular occupation for a long period of time. This would mean that the person’s intellectual health would be healthier since they have become more experienced in the occupation, thus knowledge had increased. This shows the benefits of employment has on a person’s intellectual health. Another example of how intellectual health can improve with employment is if a person is returning to work after a period of illness, which can include mental ill-health. Employment can help the recovery period because it can prevent intellectual skills from diminishing. People with mild or severe mental health problems can benefit from working because their minds would be busy with work load and less likely for them to have depression.

Emotional

Having a steady job can make someone feel proud that they achieved or accomplished their goals. Thus increasing their confidents and self-esteem because they would view themselves more highly. Emotions in the workplace can play a huge role in how an entire functions in organisation. Positive emotions, such as happiness and joy, in the workplace can help the employees and employers work efficiently and have a more enjoyable atmosphere. Negative emotions, such as anger and stressed, can create a holistic atmosphere in the workplace. For example; an employee that feels that they are being used by their profession. This is more related to retail workers and teachers because they are often working overtime and are not paid for the overtime.

http://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/how-employers-can-boost-employees-emotional-resilience/ (accessed on 09/10/2015)

http://www.fastcompany.com/1311650/engaging-your-employees-emotional-benefits (accessed on 09/10/2015)

Social

Work meets important psychological needs in societies, where employment is the norm. Therefore, work becomes a key factor to individual identity, social roles and social status. A social benefit of employment would be that a person can have a friendship with their colleagues. This meaning that a bond would be established between colleagues, which would make the work environment more enjoyable. Getting paid can allow the person to go places, such as restaurants or concerts, with friends or family members. This would make the person socially more active. It offers a vibrant connection between the individual and society and allows people to contribute to society and attain personal accomplishments. Employment also offers a sense of independence to a person.

Factors that Effect Health: Unemployment

Physical

Depression can lead to affecting a person’s physical health as well. They are less likely to exercise, which would make them physically unhealthy. Robert Leahy article on ‘Unemployment Is Bad for Your Health’ states that unemployment people are “more likely to have poor health habits, characterized by excess drinking, smoking, lack of exercise, and a sedentary lifestyle.” This means that unemployment can cause a person to adapt bad behaviour, which can affect a person’s physical health. Excessive drinking can occur because of depression. If a person fails to get a job, it can result on them judging and viewing themselves as worthless. Further making the person addicted to alcohol or smoking.

This is a problem because an excessive amount of drinking and smoking can lead to diseases, such as cancer. Unemployment is a cause of early mortality. Studies show that unemployed people with no prior illness were more likely to die at a younger age than the general population. For example, one study displayed that unemployed people with no prior illness were 37% more likely to pass away over the following 10 years than the overall population. Long-term unemployment is related with socio-economic deficiency. People in poverty die younger, have fewer healthy lifestyles and live in less vigorous environments. The financial strain of unemployment also has direct health impacts, with people in debt being more prone to depression.

Intellectual

Unemployment can have a negative affect a person’s intellectual health because they would not have the motivation to rely on their academic achievement. This can be difficult for a person with mental health problems because unemployment can slow down recovery period and increase psychological distress, further worsening their intellectual health. Work is significant factor for everyone mental health because it gives a sense of purpose, income and can even promote independence. Unemployment increases the risk of developing mental health problems, such as depression. Unemployment can often result bad credit loans and people may become easily manipulated trying to earn something for a living. This have a negative effect on a person’s intellectual health because they might not be able to comprehend what they are doing due to desiring money.

Emotional

The loss of organised time, social contact and status have negative effects on health. Unemployment can make someone depressed for not having a job. Majority of people struggle to find a job due to the job market being difficult. This can result on someone viewing themselves in a negative way, such as labelling themselves ‘worthless.’ Wyatt Myers article ‘The Effects of Long-Term Unemployment’ says that “long-term unemployment brings depression, anger, stress, and a lack of self-confidence.” A person who is unemployed once runs a greater risk of being unemployed again. This means that if a person was to be unemployed for a long period of time, such as a year or two; can lead to them blaming themselves.

Unemployed people have lower levels of emotional wellbeing extending from symptoms of depression and anxiety to self-harm and suicide. This may lead to long-lasting job insecurity, an advanced than usual contact to deprived quality jobs and a lack of control over employed life. Depression, anger, stress and lacking self-confidence can prevent a person from applying for a job. This might be because they were unsuccessful in job interviews or applications previously, which would result on their confidence decreasing. The loss of ‘position’ or rank and the loss of self-esteem are related to depression. This can triggers stress mechanisms that increase risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease.

Social

Unemployment can have a negative impact on a person’s social health. Not having enough money can result on someone being socially excluded in their friendship circle because they can’t afford meals or tickets. The person’s relationships with friends and family members may change more dramatically if they rely on them for financial support, which can result on strains forming in their relationship. An example would be if someone was living off their parents. This means that their parents are paying for their living arrangement, mobile phone, food and maybe even clothing. The parents may feel that their child is a failure because in western cultures it is seen as a norm for children to leave their family home when they reach a certain age.

However, this is not the case for Asian and African culture because they tend to want to keep their children with them until they marry someone else and start their own family. Relying on someone finically can make relationships with others worst because it can make people feel like they are being used due to spending money, which is necessary to make a living. Unemployed person would not have the necessary amount of money to buy enough food or pay for their homes. Geoff Riley article ‘Revision: Consequences of Unemployment’ articulates that “unemployment is linked to social deprivation.” This means that unemployment can cause a loss of socialisation, which can make friendship circles decrease and can result on a person feeling depressed.

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