Here Are The Consequences Of Poor Physical Health

Physical health is directly related to the nutrition provided by the food you eat. It means providing the body with the required nutrition and having a healthy, working, muscular system.

Consuming nutritious food with a healthy amount of physical activity doesn't just reflect on your body weight or looks, it is essential for reducing the risks of cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, cancer, bone diseases, etc.

It is essential for lowering cholesterol and improving fitness levels, energy levels, mental health, etc. Good physical health is like looking into a mirror and truly seeing yourself for who you are.

But some of us have a different definition of a good physical health. We assume that we need to be slim, lean, or muscular in order to look good. And hence, instead of eating what is required, we start forcing our body to function without these essential nutrients; we basically starve ourselves to look good. This leads to poor nutrition and all the consequences that come with it.

Poor eating habits could be because of overeating or not eating enough. This variation of diet impairs our daily health which could lead us to not enjoy life to its fullest.

Since physical health directly affects the way we look, feel, act and think, a bad diet and no exercise will lead to these-

• Tooth decay

• Anemia

• Osteoporosis

• Poor health of hair

• Change in appearance

• Reduced immunity and strength

• No mental alertness

• Lesser problem-solving ability

• Decreased muscle activity

For a female who's followed such a lifestyle of poor nutrition for losing weight, when pregnant, the child could be born with the following: anemia, unhealthy weight, pre-term birth, developmental risks and several other birth defects.

And these are just the minor consequences, to begin with. Below are the major ones-

1. High Cholesterol

2. Cardiovascular Diseases - Stroke

3. Obesity

4. Hypertension

5. Cancer

6. Gout

7. Diabetes

8. Depression

9. Eating Disorders

10. Mental Health Risks

1. High Cholesterol:

High-fat diets are the leading cause of high cholesterol. Seeing the lifestyle change, with finding food on the go instead of cooking at home, we tend to look for options that can be eaten and found faster. And these lead to a high-fat-content meal which ultimately leads to high cholesterol.

2. Cardiovascular Diseases - Stroke:

Consuming food that is less nutritious, high in fat content, and has no fibre along with lack of physical activity are all resulting in higher risks among individuals to be a victim of strokes and other heart diseases. The plaque that builds up in blood vessels should not be taken lightly.

3. Obesity:

Majority of the American citizens have a Body Mass Index or BMI which is higher than 25. This is what obesity is. Having a body mass that is not in proportion to your height. Poor nutrition is a leading cause of obesity.

4. Hypertension:

Eating foods that are too sugary, salty, high in caffeine content, junk or refined foods are major factors that lead to hypertension, another name for high blood pressure. And this is usually something that cannot be detected. It comes, complicates, sometimes kills.

5. Cancer:

Many cancers like colon, breast, and bladder have been partially associated with consuming food that is not nutritious. The first step to preventing these cancers would be by limiting the intake of foods that have refined sugars, hydrogenated oils, too much processed meats, bacon, doughnuts, and nitrates.

6. Gout:

Due to poor nutrition, your body starts to produce too much uric acid. This uric acid crystallizes in the joints causing a complex form of arthritis called gout. This is linked with consuming food that has a lot of fat, seafood like sardines, oysters, etc. Even too much poultry, red meat, and whole milk can result in gout.

7. Diabetes:

Consuming a lot of refined sugar, processed foods, and a high-fat diet for too long causes diabetes. This is the most common disease that occurs due to poor nutrition.

8. Depression:

Obsessing about your weight, eating mindlessly, or eating too quickly, basically consuming food that provides no nutrition to the body leads to mental disturbances, which could eventually lead to depression when combined with other lifestyle choices.

9. Eating Disorders:

Undereating, overeating, and not eating are what everyone is getting obsessed with as they follow the trendy diets. If you find yourself being too conscious about what you eat, how much you eat, how it affects your weight, checking your weight every day then you have an eating disorder. This could lead you to eating very less food that's very low in nutrition.

10. Mental Health Risks:

When you don't provide your body with the nutrition it requires, you start to think too much about food instead of other important things. This leads to obsession, depression, and other mental health problems.

To avoid such complications, we need to start understanding what our body needs to function properly. Start by understanding different types of foods and how they are beneficial for our body. Make sure you eat a meal that is balanced with a little of everything - carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fibre.

Instead of going for a takeout, cook at home. This will let you see what all goes into the dish you are eating. Foods with refined sugars, too much salt, too much caffeine and processed foods should be avoided completely to recover from the consequences of poor nutrition.

Drink a lot of water and develop a passion for physical activities; this will naturally make you want to eat more healthy food and also eat in the right quantity. This will improve your physical and mental health drastically. Make goals to move around for a certain amount each hour to avoid getting lethargic.

Be active. Eat healthily. Live healthily.