Optimized nutrition is achieved through eating a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods to maintain proper physiological functioning. Nutrients play many important roles as energy sources, structural components and enzyme cofactors – essential ingredients in maintaining good health.
Nutrition plays an essential role in physical and emotional wellness and disease prevention. Nutrition recommendations have traditionally focused on eliminating deficiencies; as lifespans continue to extend, however, more emphasis must be placed on creating diets which support resilience and good health throughout life.
Deficiencies
Nutrient deficiencies are one of the leading causes of disease and poor health. They often stem from eating poorly, with deficiencies often caused by eating less. A blood test can determine if you’re missing essential vitamins such as A, E, C or iron deficiency.
Low and middle income countries tend to experience the greatest rates of micronutrient deficiency. But even high income nations may suffer due to selective eating habits or diet patterns which do not include variety – including meat or dairy products being excluded altogether from diet plans.
Even when following a healthy eating regimen, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can arise due to factors like poor dietary quality, absorption problems, age and illness conditions such as medication. Therefore it’s crucial that an in-depth wellness evaluation includes an examination of these deficiencies as they could be at the core of chronic symptoms or illness conditions.
Excesses
The concept of adequate nutrition is currently experiencing dramatic transformation. Attention has shifted away from nutritional deficiencies towards optimizing intake based on individual caloric requirements and food properties such as supporting physiological processes and decreasing disease risks; this concept is known as functional foods (FF). Functional foods (FFs) refers to foods that provide health-related properties beyond providing nutrients, such as controlling appetite or weight, or helping prevent certain illnesses; observation of diet patterns associated with disease processes are leading to new food formulations with functional components.
Age
Age-related physiological changes increase the necessity of optimal nutrition. Metabolism declines, muscle mass decreases and chronic conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease surface over time.
These changes result from both physiological and lifestyle factors, with inactivity, living alone, poor dental health and access to nutritional foods all increasing the risk of an unhealthy diet in older adults.
Studies have also demonstrated the dangers associated with eating diets high in advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These AGEs come from sources like meats, solid fats, full-fat dairy products and processed foods; overeating of these has been found to negatively impact insulin sensitivity as well as cause oxidative stress and inflammation within the body; therefore limiting AGE intake has been shown to promote healthy aging in numerous studies.
Lifestyle
While the classical understanding of adequate nutrition emphasized only eliminating deficiencies, recent research has explored more ambitious goals such as optimal nutrition. Optimal nutrition takes into account how food can support overall health while decreasing risks of chronic disease.
Ideal nutrition refers to a diet which meets caloric and nutrient requirements simultaneously, and includes eating an array of nutrient-dense foods as part of a varied daily caloric intake while limiting sodium, fat and sugar consumption. According to contemporary thinking, individuals should strive for this ideal.
This means eating a diet replete with vegetables, whole grains and a range of nuts and seeds; fish with extra virgin olive oil as the centerpiece; minimal meat consumption (with modifications made based on medical diagnoses or food sensitivities); salt reduction; sugar avoidance and limit alcohol intake – these all make for a balanced, healthy lifestyle and can support long and prosperous lives.
