Have you ever observed the kind of food, the amount and the time you eat, experts say that feeding is beyond eating for just satisfaction, if food is taken at the wrong time, with wrong instructions and wrong proportion, it can lead to diseases. Dieticians advise you on the proper diet to feed on in order to avoid nutrition disorders because food can lead to diseases and at the same time can be medicine depending on the kind of food eaten. “Poor diet is feeding on that food that has imbalanced nutrients with what the body needs thus leading to malnutrition; this can be over or under nutrition,” says Rn Private Kamanzi, a dietician at Amazon Wellness centre, Remera Gasabo District. He also says that over nutrition is where the amount of nutrients exceed the amount required for normal growth, development, and metabolism which might lead to diseases like overweight, high blood pressure, gout(is a form of arthritis caused by excess uric acid in the bloodstream), cancer, cardioversion, among others. “Foods that are high in sodium and saturated fats, and adequate hydration in the diet, are a cause of high blood pressure,” says, Dieudonne Bukaba, a nutritionist expert at Avega Clinic, Remera. He further says that anemia occurs when the red blood cells are not able to carry enough oxygen to the body cells; this is due to deficiency in certain nutrients like iron. Kamanzi stresses that under nutrition includes being underweight for ones age, too short for ones age or stunted(especially for children below five years), riskily thin or wasted, and deficient in vitamins and minerals. “Poor nutrition can lead to Protein Energy Malnutrition; (PEM) applies to a group of related disorders that include marasmus, kwashiorkor (this is due to lack of amount of calories and protein your body needs to function),” he adds. Bukaba states that when your body lacks vitamin D, calcium or phosphate, you can suffer from osteomalacia and rickets. According to him, other diseases can be a result of micro-nutrient deficiencies like anemia or hypocapnea which is also known as hypocarbia, this is a deficiency of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood. “The solution to the above mentioned disorders is to feed on a balanced diet, eat the right food value in the right amount,” Kamanzi explains. Bukaba advises feeding on a healthy diet that provides you with the right amount of energy or calories from the right foods, fruits and drinks to maintain energy balance( the calories taken in from the diet are equal to the calories used by the body). Kamanzi notes that eating a balanced diet consists of fresh fruits for example mangoes, apples, pineapples, pumpkins, oranges, among others, fresh vegetables like cabbages, broccoli, carrot, cucumber, egg plants and tomatoes. Whole grains like millet, oatmeal, brown rice, legumes like beans and peas, lean proteins like fish, beans, eggs, milk, and beef, carbohydrates like Irish potatoes, bananas should also be consumed on a daily basis. For Bukaba, vegetables should take half a plate, and the remaining half should have energy giving foods (fruits, milk and grain product and complex carbohydrates) and protein-rich foods (eggs, fish, milk). “Salads should be eaten every after meals, however, over feeding on junk food like fast foods; for example, pizza, chips, burger, fried chicken, noodles, sausages, pancakes, ice cream, sodas and mayonnaise, can be a great risk to diabetes, pimples and overweight,” Kamanzi says. He urges those with the above mentioned illnesses to always approach dieticians to guide them on what their diet plate must have and for those that are not sick, also need guidance for the right food to consume, inorder to hinder such disorders.
