Bad nutrition is when you don't consume enough nutrients from the foods in your diet and can lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition and poor nutrition can cause potentially serious and sometimes permanent health problems, even death. If you're concerned about poor nutrition and its related health issues, seek the advice of a health care professional or registered dietitian.
Identification
You may experience effects from poor nutrition due to an inadequate diet or a medical condition that interferes with your digestion and absorption of nutrients, explains the University of Maryland Medical Center. You can also have malnutrition from eating too little food or starvation. People or children who consume diets with little variety, diets that exclude whole food groups or diets consisting of mostly nutrient-poor "junk foods" are at the greatest risk of having poor nutrition, notes the University of Michigan Health System. If you have malnutrition, you may experience weight loss, fainting or dizziness and fatigue.
Risk Factors
Children and people who live in regions with extreme poverty, natural disasters or war are at a high risk for poor nutrition and starvation, states UMMC. Children who have emotional problems or a limited variety of food choices are also at a higher risk for malnutrition than other children, notes the University of Michigan Health System. Like children, elderly people are at risk for poor nutrition. Due to the prevalence of health problems among senior citizens, elderly individuals are more likely than those in other age groups to have dietary restrictions and take medications that affect digestion or appetite, as well as have health problems that cause difficulty eating, swallowing, chewing and absorbing nutrients, MayoClinic.com states. Also, elderly people are more likely to have income limitations and less social contact, which can make obtaining groceries difficult. Certain health problems and depression among older adults can lead to a loss of appetite as well.
Complications
Malnutrition can lead to poor growth and development in children, hair loss, and lack of menstruation in women, warns UMMC. Poor nutrition can also cause health issues like chronic illnesses, physical or mental disabilities, and even death. Children who have bad nutrition in their diets have suppressed immune systems, as well as an increased risk of developing diabetes, hypertension and heart disease as adults, explains the University of Michigan Health System. According to MayoClinic.com, elderly individuals with poor nutrition also tend to have weakened immune systems and can develop anemia; depression; fatigue; or problems with their lungs, heart and digestive systems.
Prevention/Solution
Enriching your diet with nutrients that you're lacking and addressing any underlying medical conditions are the main treatments for poor nutrition, states UMMC. Eating a healthy, nutrient-rich diet and taking any needed nutritional supplements can correct malnutrition. In children, you can offer a wide variety of food choices and provide your child with healthy snacks to correct poor nutrition, notes the University of Michigan Health System. In some cases, your doctor may be able to help by recommending meal plans or switching your medications that affect your appetite or nutrient absorption, MayoClinic.com states.
Considerations
Children and elderly people who don't have some kind of impaired access to nutritious foods may develop malnutrition due to a poor appetite. You can increase your child's appetite by encouraging him to increase his physical activity level and limit his computer or television time to fewer than two hours per day, recommends the University of Michigan Health System. Increasing exercise can also improve appetite in elderly people, even light, daily physical activity, MayoClinic.com notes.
