Food is simply defined as what one eats or drinks in order to live. It exists in form of solid or liquid, and is taken by mouth or by infusion. Food is therefore, very necessary and essential for man, animals and plants. Without food, nobody will live. Food is so basic a necessity in life that Maslow describes it as the first item in the hierarchy of need which man seeks to satisfy in life. The body requires adequate supply and intake of food and in its right proportion and quality, to grow and to undertake the necessary repair work in the body. At the same time, excessive intake of food is not good for the body. It may cause illness in the body or create momentary discomfort that could predispose the body to all sorts of physical and functional problems, especially when taken in a state of unwholesomeness. It is for this reason that from production to actual consumption of food, there should be laws and regulations prescribing conditions under which it can be said to be fit and healthy for human consumption.For instance, insufficient protein intake may be responsible for the disease of kwashiorkor (malnutrition) and other conditions of protein malnutrition. On the other hand, excess sugar in the body may predispose the body to the diseases of diabetes or aggravate the manifestation of diabetes in one who is prone to it. Similarly, over-eating may cause a temporary demobilization of the body and its functions.
WHAT MAKES FOOD HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY FOR CONSUMPTION?
According to dictionary.com , a balanced diet is that food that contains the proper proportions of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water necessary to maintain good health. Any food that lack combination of these essential nutrients can not guarantee good health.
The key to achieving good health is moderation in every thing one eat in the right time. For the fact that someone eats regularly does not really mean that the person is eating balanced and healthy diet. Most of the non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, malnutrition, overweight, cancer, heart problem, hypertension ,etc ravaging humanity today were linked to either consumption of wrong foods ignorantly, unhealthy eating habits or accumulation of these unhealthy foods in the body system.
To ensure a healthy life for all in the family;
- parents should increase the amount of starchy-based foods as against processed carbohydrates their children takes,
- instead of processed minerals and vitamins, such as soft drinks , increase the intake of vegetables and fruits eaten daily, mostly, before or after afternoon meal as this will serve as medicine and immune booster to your system when naturally eaten,
- instead of too much consumption of industrial vegetable oil that contains high percentage of fatty acid as trans fats, olive or red palm oil should be applied,
- instead of skipping breakfast to make up with junk food, one should try as much as possible to eat break fast as this will help retain your normal energy metabolism through out the day, but constant intake of snacks will cause the individual to burn fewer calories,
-eating large amount of food at a closed interval or at a sitting is unhealthy for such habits result to accumulation of fat in the belly,
- eating too closed to bedtime will also cause indigestion and accumulation of decay undigested food in intestine.This increases the rate of intestinal malfunctioning.According to expert, meals should be taken three or four hours before going to bed and must not be late in the night,
-instead of eating too much oil from animal sources, it is much healthier to consume oil from plant sources,
-it is more healthier to consume palm oil natural than bleaching ,. Bleaching saturates and loses out its essential nutrients,
- processed foods like noodles are always advised not to be consumed alone as meal. Adding other ingredients to it makes it balanced for good health.
The way food is prepared may affect its quality and consequently, the health of its consumers and the public at large. There could be enough food to eat but by its preparation and the environment where it is kept and served, it could be a source of contamination and danger to the health. For instance, the over-boiling of some food items, say, vegetables, palm oil, may bleach and reduce their nutritional value and quality. Similarly, if food is not well-cooked, its quality is reduced and this may predispose it as a source of infection to its consumers. For example, if beef infected with liver fluke or tapeworm is eaten raw or half-cooked, it may serve as a source of infection to its consumer. There are, on the other hand, diseases of meat, fish, crab, crayfish and other seafood diseases, which could be contracted when eaten raw or ill cooked. There are instances where vegetables grown in a contaminated soil have been contaminated by human or animal waste; it follows then that if vegetables or fruits harvested from such places are not properly washed with clean water and salt, they may constitute a source of infection to consumers.
Any food , whether fresh or leftover, which is not well preserved, loses its quality and may become a source of infection at a later date in the body,
FOOD PRESERVATION
Food can be preserved in various ways, including drying in the sun or through a heating system, curing or putting in clean water till next use. Food could also be preserved in brine (a solution of salt and water), refrigeration at recommended temperature, caning or sterilization , bottling and smoking are all systems of preserving food to give it longer life and make it stable for future consumption. In all, therefore, food must be properly cooked and preserved to make it safe and valuable for healthy consumption.
DISEASES CAUSED BY UNWHOLESOME FOOD CONSUMPTION
The consumption of unsound and unwholesome food has been linked with all kinds of health problems and disease conditions. Diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid and paratyphoid fevers, tapeworms of beef, pork and fish and all sorts of food-borne diseases are responsible for a variety of food poisoning. Similarly, conditions that increase the chance of food poising may be created or promoted by man through his intended or unintended actions, including poor environmental and hygiene practices and habits . Thus , instances of poor food handling practices and deviation from standard rules of food hygiene, food safety and feeding habit may make food items act as body destroying rather than body building items for man.
There are other references that could help one to know the importance of eating quality/clean and healthy food in a hygiene environment .
