How Nutritious Is Your Food?

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRAZIL

How do you choose your food? When you buy food, what factors influence you? Is it fancy packaging? Price? Ease of preparation? Persuasive claims in advertisements? Or just the way the food looks and tastes? Making the right choices may determine whether you eat nutritious food or junk food, whether your health is improved or damaged.

POVERTY is a major cause of malnutrition. While many take food for granted, millions of others rarely enjoy a nutritious meal. “Here at home we eat anything we can get hold of,” said a Brazilian bricklayer, father of six children. That usually means stale bread and weak coffee or rice and beans. In fact, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 20 percent of the world’s population suffer from hunger. While there is widespread famine in some African countries, there is a larger number of hungry people in Asia. Even in the United States, 12 percent of the population, or 30 million people reportedly do not have enough to eat.

Not only is poor nutrition detrimental but it can kill. “Malnutrition caused by poor child feeding practices claims over 10 times as many lives as actual famine,” notes researcher William Chandler. “Coupled with diarrheal dehydration, malnutrition is the leading killer in the world.” Reports UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund): “No epidemic, no flood, nor any earthquake or war has ever robbed the lives of 250,000 children in just a week.” But that is the number of children throughout the world who die because of malnutrition and resulting illnesses, according to that UN agency. In fact, the damage caused by malnutrition is incalculable: Learning ability decreases, the labor force weakens, work production and quality decline.

Yet, adequate intake of the proper foods can overcome poor nutrition and such side effects as anemia and other ailments. Governmental aid such as school lunches and soup kitchens may alleviate malnutrition in some areas, but according to UNICEF officials, $25 billion is needed annually to reduce the deaths of children caused by diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles. ‘A lot of money,’ some might say. But that is reportedly what Americans spend on sports footwear and Europeans on wine in one year. Another challenge is to reduce waste. Though an estimated 32 million Brazilians go hungry, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture reports “that harvest waste [worth $1.5 billion] in transportation or storage causes a loss of 18 to 20 percent of the nation’s agricultural output.” There are major problems in agriculture, irrigation, food storage, and transportation in many nations; yet, the earth can still provide abundantly for all. So how can you face the challenge of feeding your family?

Money Is Not Enough

In developing countries people often manage to feed their family by having two or three jobs. In Brazil 1.5 million annually leave family or friends to migrate to large cities in search of work and food. Although health depends to a certain extent on what people eat, a large part of their budget goes for clothing, housing, and transportation.

Happily, common foods, such as rice, beans, corn, potatoes, cassava, and bananas, supplemented by some meat and fish, are the main sources of nutrition for families all over the world. Brazilian nutritionist José Eduardo de Oliveira Dutra stated: “Beans and rice are a combination with very high nutritional value. With such a simple and low-​priced diet, it is possible to end famine in [the country].” Yes, inexpensive and nutritious food may be available where you live. Or you may even grow some of your food.

Although you may have sufficient money, do you spend it on nutritious food for your family? Or are you influenced by clever and persistent advertising to prefer sweets or junk food and thus neglect the need for proteins, minerals, and vitamins? Is taste more attractive than wholesomeness? The World Book Encyclopedia notes: “To achieve and maintain good health, people must have basic knowledge about the human body and how it functions. Only then can they determine what will or what will not help or hurt their health. Learning about health should be a part of every person’s education.”

True, we do not live merely for eating, but food is a vital part of our lives. The Bible speaks of eating well as a reward for diligent work, saying: “Every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:13) Do you view wholesome food as valuable and necessary? If so, please examine the following article on how proper nutrition can benefit you and your family.

How Wholesome Food Can Improve Your Health

WHAT a joy it is to behold a well-​nourished child! Yet, a child is not healthy by accident. “Simple but nourishing food was always a high priority in our family not only in terms of our financial budget but also in the time invested in preparing and enjoying it together,” recalls Kate, a Canadian living in Brazil. “Because my mother did not work outside the home, we would arrive from school each day to be greeted with the delicious aromas of dinner being prepared and perhaps of a pie or cake that she had baked.”

Rather than being sustained by wholesome food, however, “roughly 780 [million] people in poor countries, one in five of their population, do not get enough to eat,” according to The Economist. “As many as 2 billion people who get enough to fill their bellies nevertheless lack the vitamins and minerals they need.” It is not simply that the undernourished one is weakened but also that he is less able to benefit others. Hence, regarding undernourished children, economist Eduardo Giannetti da Fonseca of São Paulo University, Brazil, is quoted as saying: “This [waste of human resources] is worse than anything else. . . . I believe that among these children there are talents and abilities that end up hidden away because of poverty. Among them, under different circumstances, there could arise an Albert Einstein.” The magazine Veja states: “The country is losing muscles that are wasting away because of poor nutrition and is throwing away a potential reserve of intelligence, creativity, and energy.” Hence, despite the high cost of living, wise parents give their children a solid foundation by investing in nutritious food.

A Wise Investment

“Invest” means “to make use of for future benefits or advantages.” How can you invest in nutrition? If needed, would you forgo luxuries or status items and use your limited budget to purchase wholesome food?

“The senses do not lie dormant until they are suddenly switched on at birth; evidence suggests that the sensory systems function well before birth,” says The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Thus, the ideal way to start nourishing a child is to have a well-​nourished mother. The next step​—after birth—​is for the infant to breast-​feed, since human milk provides complete nutrition and even immunizes against common diseases. States Facts for Life, a United Nations publication: “For the first few months of a baby’s life, breastmilk alone is the best possible food and drink. Infants need other foods, in addition to breastmilk, when they are four-​to-​six months old.”

While remarkably resilient, the human body should not be taken for granted. It is vital to build it up with wholesome food early in life. The World Book Encyclopedia says: “By the time a person is 6 years old, the brain has reached its full weight of about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). Most of the brain cells are present at birth, and so the increase in weight comes mainly from growth of the cells. During this six-​year period, a person learns and acquires new behavior patterns at the fastest rate in life.” Therefore, even if the child enjoys a good diet after its sixth year, relatively few additional brain cells will be developed. Observes Kate: “Wholesome, nutritious food is one of the greatest gifts that parents can give their children. Even if many of the so-​called necessities of life, which are often only luxuries, cannot be provided, parents who invest in the mental and physical health of their children give them a start in life from infancy that can never be replaced.”

Why Have a Varied Diet?

A child needs protein-​rich food to grow physically and mentally. Poor nutrition slows a child’s mental development in school, and the child may become apathetic and weary, unable to pay much attention or remember what is taught. At least 25 different deficiency diseases result from lack of one of the basic nutrients​—protein, vitamins, essential fats, or nutrient elements.

Consider the case of Joaquim. “Our family was poor,” he says. “But we had land and cultivated almost everything we ate. At every meal we had corn and rye bread made from whole grains, and that contributed to good nutrition. Almost every day my mother made soup that included a variety of vegetables, including beans, and this supplied many of our nutritional needs. We did not have much meat, but we did have fish, mostly sardines, cod, and herring.” He adds: “My mother had five children, and I do not remember any of us getting sick other than with colds and flu. I think that our well-​balanced meals contributed to that.” A mother of seven children explains: “We needed to provide nourishing food at a low cost. So we planted a vegetable garden, which, although it was small, produced enough for our needs.” She adds: “Our children never had a serious illness and were always very successful in their schoolwork.”

Your body requires as nutrients 22 of the 103 officially recognized chemical elements. Although it is impossible to fix the exact amount of vitamins, minerals, and proteins you need individually, a well-​balanced diet will provide your needs. One authority stated: “The key to good nutrition is a varied diet that includes every kind of nutrient.”

What if your children dislike certain foods, such as vegetables with a bitter taste? According to an experienced cook, parents should serve “the whole range of vegetables available in their region. Many grown-​ups do not eat vegetables because they were not exposed to them when they were kids. Since vegetables provide fiber and many of our vitamin needs and are inexpensive, parents should always have them available for their children.” So why not learn new recipes that make good use of fresh vegetables and fruits, perhaps served in a delicious soufflé or stew? Regarding so-​called empty calories, he suggests: “Parents should not have sweets in the house other than on special occasions. If [the children] do not have them, they won’t eat them.”

Although eating adequate amounts of proper food minimizes the danger of malnutrition, some people create problems for themselves by overeating. Excessive consumption of calories that exceeds the body’s needs may lead to obesity, which is associated with diabetes and heart trouble.a Since neither medicine nor physical activity can take the place of proper eating habits, a good suggestion is to reduce the intake of fat, sweets, salt, and alcohol. Also, says an encyclopedia, “steps should be taken to minimize hunger, loneliness, depression, boredom, anger, and fatigue, each of which can set off a bout of overeating.”

A Balanced View of Food and Health

The Bible is not a manual on nutrition; however, it helps us to be balanced in health matters. The apostle Paul warned against those who command others to “abstain from foods which God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth.” (1 Timothy 4:3) God wants us to be content and to make good use of what is available. “Better is a little in the fear of Jehovah than an abundant supply and confusion along with it.”​—Proverbs 15:16.

No one today enjoys perfect health. So why not be reasonable, neither heedless nor overly anxious? An inordinate or fanatical interest in nutrition or health matters can cause us to lose our balance.

Despite endeavors to care for our health, as things stand at present, we eventually get old and die. Happily, though, the Bible assures us that God’s Kingdom will end malnutrition and disease. Although human schemes to eliminate famine have failed, we can look forward to a world with plenty of nourishing food for all.​—Psalm 72:16; 85:12.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 7]

SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOUR CHILD HAVE GOOD EATING HABITS

◻ Set a good example.

◻ Do not allow children to eat only what they want.

◻ Avoid having junk food or sweets in the home.

◻ Train children to appreciate different kinds of food.

◻ Have a fixed hour for meals, including breakfast.

◻ Do not permit TV advertising to influence what you eat.

◻ Do not let children help themselves from the refrigerator.

◻ Train children to help prepare the food.

◻ Cultivate gratefulness for the daily provisions.