Introduction
Health is the most important part of our life. Without good health, it is impossible to enjoy life for a prolonged period of time. Health has two components; lifestyle and nutrition. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle goes a long way to keep a person fit. Nutrition is another factor to cherish good health from deep within the body. In recent times, the global health is showing an uptrend in many factors all over the world. The number of child deaths per year has reduced drastically. More people have access to potable water and the maternal deaths per births have reduced significantly in the last few decades. Though most of the medical parameters have seen an uptrend, the individual health quotients have seen a downturn. The number of obese people around the world is on the rise. Number of people dying of high blood pressure related diseases and stress are increasing with every passing year. On one hand due to scientific advancement, we have seen improved health outcomes but on the other hand due to poor individual lifestyles the individual health quotient is going negative. This essay will discuss the building blocks of good health for each individual and how healthy lifestyle and nutritional awareness contribute to a healthy body, simultaneously highlighting different health problems faced by the UAE government and a probable solution.
Why Health and Nutrition are Important?
It is important to remain healthy to remain functional, enjoy life and live for a long period of time. The definition of being healthy is changing with the changing lifestyle. Type of body structure, weight and height ratio thought to be ideal few decades back are no longer considered as a benchmark. With people having become less mobile, the ideal health quotients have changed. It is important to understand the meaning of a healthy body to make efforts to remain healthy.
Nutrition is a factor that keeps our body healthy and running. Nutrition is not only about eating the appropriate calories but the right kind of food. For example, it is seen that people from both Mediterranean countries and USA eat excess calories than required (Davidson, 2012). In fact, it is also seen that people from Mediterranean countries eat a heavy dinner than people in the United States. A heavy dinner is not recommended just before going to bed. However, it is observed that people from Mediterranean countries have less number of health issues arising out of lack of nutrition or eating disorders. This is primarily because American food has less of a variety than that of Mediterranean food. In US, a big meal often has one big dish (Pizza, Pasta, and Burger) and then 1 or 2 side dishes whereas people in Mediterranean countries usually take 5 or 6 different types of foods in both lunch and dinner which include vegetables, fruits, meats and different types of grains (Davidson, 2012). Nutrition means maintenance of the right balance between all types of food we consume so that all the requirements of our body are met. Then only the overall sound health is possible.
Consequences of Unhealthy Lifestyle
Despite extensive media coverage on the necessity of regular exercise, most of the people choose a sedentary lifestyle happily depending on cars and vehicle for their daily commute and watching television in their free time. This choice of not doing exercise can lead to an array of health related complications one of which is obesity. According to a recent report published by BMC Public Health journal, UAE is the fifth nation in the world with a higher rate of obesity (Saberi, 2012). As per this report, the average adult in the UAE eats over 3000 calories every day, about 25% more than the daily need. The recommended calorie consumption for an adult man is 2500 calories daily while, for a woman it is 2000 calories. Sedentary life style and lack of exercise not only lead to obesity, but also to great many diseases. Lack of physical activities slows down the process of transferring oxygen from the blood stream to the cells and also decreases the number of power activating mitochondria (RE). The 10 most horrifying health conditions which could result from the lack of exercise include cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stroke, cognitive degeneration and dementia, muscle loss, osteoporosis, weak immunity and even mental problems like depression.
The eating habit of UAE people has changed over the decades as the country experiences a rapid phase of development. With more and more people working long hours or in extended shifts, people have less time to prepare foods at home, and they begin to heavily depend on fast food easily available in UAE market. UAE is regarded as the hottest destinations for fast food with plenty of American and European fast food retailers dotted around the nation. The young population of UAE is hooked onto fast food like burgers and fries, potato chips, French fries, fried chicken, cups of Coke, ice cream and so on (ABPL, 2012). Fast food has a high amount of saturated fat, white flour, sugar and salt. Fast food is often heavily processed. Regular consumption of fast food can lead to weight gain and obesity. It can also increase the level of blood pressure and cholesterol in the body leading to cardiovascular diseases. Consumption of fast food can also add to the sugar level causing diabetes (Wise Geek, 2014).
Health and Food
Food is one of the main components of health. Food helps us get the required calorie and required nutrition. Our body requires vitamin, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, cellulite, fibers, sugar and fat in right quantity (Davidson, 2012). Overconsumption of one type of food and under consumption of another type for a prolonged period of time can cause serious health problems. For example, eating a lot of cheese, meat and very less amount of vegetables may fulfill the overall calorie requirement and even the protein, carbohydrate and fat requirements but the body may remain deprived of the minerals, cellulite and fibers in proper quantity. It may lead to multitude of problems in the body. Firstly, the excess fat consumed is stored in the body leading to weight gain. In the long run it can increase the level of cholesterol in the blood stream contributing to high blood pressure and diabetes. Besides, less consumption of vitamins and minerals may reduce the hormone secretion in the body, slowing down the process of bone and cell growth and regrowth and as a result a lot of health issues might surface over a period of time. That is why it is important to eat the right food in the right quantity. There are two main things to be kept in mind while choosing food – 1) eat a variety of food and 2) eat at least minimum quantity of different types of foods (Davidson, 2012). Milk, vegetable group, oils and sweets, meat and poultry, fruits, bread and cereals are different types of foods providing different nutrition to our body. A minimum quantity of food from each group is essential to stay fit. However, consumption of oil and sweets should be kept at a minimum while vegetables and fruits can be consumed in larger quantity. Even large quantity of cereals is not harmful to the body.
In UAE in the recent decades, it has been observed that people snack more and eat less food during lunch and dinner (Belal, 2009). Even it is observed that the menus for lunch and dinner are also changed to accommodate more snack oriented foods than substantial meals. A traditional meal consists of a variety of food groups including cereals (breads), rice, meat, fruits, vegetables, yoghurt and sweets. This type of meal provides wholesome nutrition to the body but in recent years the emphasis has shifted to small snacks like fried meats, sweets, carbohydrates and rice. The consumption of vegetables and fruits has reduced drastically. This is reflected in the growing number of cases of blood pressure and obesity. A traditional wholesome meal with less oil probably will be a better option for the current generation than small snacks.
Health, Physical Activity and Balanced Lifestyle
Physical activity is equally important as food. Only taking balanced food without any physical exercise may subject the body to various diseases. In the past people used to do more physical activity than the current generation. In most of the developed and developing countries, these days the amount of physical activity has reduced considerably but the calorie intake has increased. This has led to an obesity epidemic significantly across the world. For example, more than 30% of the male and female population in UAE is obese (BMI more than 30) (Belal, 2009). The number is increasing fast, and it is estimated that, by 2015 almost 45% of the adult women in UAE will be obese (Belal, 2009). There is only one way to reduce this epidemic and that is physical activity. Curbing the food cravings is very difficult for most of us and hence it is important to include physical activity in the daily regime. 30 minutes of walk per day can help one stay healthy; reduce the risk of blood pressure and blood sugar. It will also keep the body weight in check and open up the blood vessels. In this generation when people spend a significant amount of time sitting in front of a computer for more than 3 hours per day to perform jobs, it is necessary to add physical activity to the daily routine.
UAE Health Trend
UAE has made huge strides economically in last 50 years. It has become one of the most sought-after countries for many people across the world. However, with the improvement in economy many have chosen to come to the cities and lead an urban life. This urbanization has reduced the requirement of physical activity of an individual owing to better transportation facility, better economic condition of people and more office based jobs than in the past. Furthermore, UAE has also seen a shift in the food pattern. Due to the open market many international food chains have started their operations in UAE. This has created a paradigm shift of food habit among the people of UAE. The fast food culture has made the new generation nutrition starved leading to an increase in diet related diseases. Diseases like cardiovascular disorder, diabetes, cancer and obesity are on the rise. UAE government is trying to incorporate multiple measures to make people aware of their own health and how balanced nutrition and physical activity can help achieve that. Health related curricula in the colleges, translating nutrition related materials in Arabic and making them available to all and creating health campaigns via public media are some of the measures UAE government is taking to improve the health of its people (Shu, Zaghloul and Popkin, 2011)
Conclusion
Health and nutrition are two necessary components to live a long disease free life. A healthy lifestyle requires the intake of a variety of food in the right amount so that all the nutrient requirements are fulfilled. A healthy lifestyle also demands that we incorporate physical activity in our daily routine. Almost all the developing and developed nations are seeing an upward trend in diet related diseases and obesity. UAE is no different. In the last 50 years, UAE has seen a negative trend in terms of individual health quotient. It is very much important for the government to spread awareness of eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
References
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Shu, W.N., Zaghloul, S. and Popkin, B. M. (2011). Nutrition Transition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Retrieved on 22nd January 2014 from < http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304306/>
Belal, A. M. (2009). Nutrition-related chronic diseases Epidemic in UAE: can we stand to STOP it? . Health Education and Promotion Department. Ministry of Health – UAE. Retrieved on 22nd January 2014 from <http://www.sjph.net.sd/files/vol4i4/SJPH-vol4i4-p383-392.pdf>
Davidson, Frances ( 2012). Nutrition and Health. Office of Health and Nutrition, U.S. Agency for International Development. Retrieved on 22nd January 2014 from <http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/16167/1/nb02004e.pdf>
