Where Can Poor Eating Habits Lead You?

April 25, 2011

The changes that our collective lifestyle and culture have undergone over the last few years have caused a drastic shift in our eating habits. Emulating their parents, children have started to inculcate bad eating habits. These habits continue through school and then through high school and then college, and the quality of the diet keeps deteriorating.
It is well known that bad eating habits can easily lead to obesity. Obesity, both in children and adults, has led to a proportional increase in the incidences of lifestyle diseases.

Research has shown that children who have poor eating habits, continue with the same habits throughout their life. In fact, the habits become more pronounced as the children grow into adults and then become a part of the family lifestyle.

The relationship between good food and health is very simple.

Obesity caused due to improper eating habits has now grown to epidemic proportions. A meal should consist of different food groups. You may not be eating a lot of junk or unhealthy food; however, not keeping a balance between the different food groups is also categorized as having bad food habits.

There are, for instance, many health problems related to excessive consumption of sugar.

Some of the common health ailments associated with unhealthy eating, are diseases of the gums, heart, and muscles. In addition, there can be vision loss issues, impairment of hand eye coordination, problems in focusing and concentration, decrease in mental acuity, short term memory loss, and finally, anorexia.

To maintain the healthy functioning of the body, a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals is required. If you do not receive these through your meals, you may need to take supplements. When the body gets used to unhealthy foods, the functioning of the body no longer functions at optimum levels. As a result, you get tired quickly and there is a decreased resistance to diseases.

Resent research has also brought to light the fact that unhealthy eating habits can alter the genetic makeup of a person. In fact, a recent journal reported that a sugar hit can be remembered by genes for a longer period of time than was thought possible. When poor eating habits become chronic, they permanently alter the genetic material. This genetic material is then inherited by the offspring and the mutations or genetic disorders are also manifested in their body.

Further studies have shown that there are increased signs of stress and depression in those who have poor eating habits or eating disorders.