Malnutrition and the Harm It Does to the Body

Our bodies are designed to extract nutrients from the food we eat. When we fail to intake the proper nutrients our bodies become less efficient and health problems can arise. These problems can include malnutrition. In order to maintain proper health we need to eat a balanced diet from a variety of food groups to promote proper health and all-around fitness. It is when you don’t intake the proper nutrients from our diet that serious problems can rear their ugly head. The effects of malnutrition will take their toll on our bodies and the impact of malnutrition can be serious.

What is Malnutrition?

A healthy diet consists of the intake of nutrients from food groups such as carbohydrates, protein, dairy, and even fat (as long as it is the proper fat). We all remember the four food groups when we were growing up and now the proper diet is represented by a food pyramid (see above) to explain the proper foods we should be eating. It is also crucial to include fruits and vegetables to your everyday diet since they have essential vitamins and minerals we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It does go without saying that a healthy existence also includes exercise. But what exactly is malnutrition? Malnutrition is commonly caused by someone who does not intake enough food or is eating improper food that is unhealthy. Many of these foods are high in fat and do not have the required vitamins and minerals our bodies need. These inadequate diets (such as a fast food diet) can lead to obesity or a deficiency of vitamins or minerals or even both. As you can imagine, this is unhealthy and leads to malnutrition. Some of the symptoms of malnutrition include:

• Reduced muscle mass
• A decrease in mobility and stamina due to reduced muscle mass
• An increased risk of respiratory infection and failure
• Increased risk of hypothermia due to less muscle mass
• Wound healing time increases
• A slower immune system response
• Can lead to mental health issues (depression and/or apathy)

Avoiding Malnutrition

It’s easy to say “eat better,” but the reality is it’s not that simple. Sure, you can go to a nutritionist, but that costs money doesn’t it? So how do we achieve proper nutrition? In order to avoid malnutrition we should be conscientious of what we eat, but we can supplement our food intake with nutrient rich options. These can include:

1. Abbott Ensure Plus Therapeutic Complete Balanced Nutrition: The supplement can be used in between meals or even as a meal substitute in order to ensure a patient’s healthy weight. It has an 80% DV of vitamin D for good bone health and is an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids to support heart health. It is also an excellent source of 24 essential vitamins and minerals. Available in a variety of flavors, you can avoid malnutrition and not give up taste!!

Abbott Ensure Plus Therapeutic Complete Balanced Nutrition

2. Abbott Promote High-Protein Nutritional Drink: This complete nutritional drink has a balanced, high-protein formula for patients who need a greater proportion of calories from protein. Perfect for those with low caloric needs and are at risk for protein-energy malnutrition and for those who may benefit from a formula that contains medium chain triglycerides as part of their fat source. This drink is ideal for lean body tissue maintenance and repairs and can be used for tube feeding or oral feeding. Not only is it vanilla flavored, but it meets 100% of the RDI’s for 24 essential vitamins and minerals. It is appropriate for kosher and halal diets and is gluten-free!!

Abbott Promote High-Protein Nutritional Drink

3. Abbott Promote with Fiber High-Protein Nutrition: While offering complete, balanced nutrition, this vanilla flavored drink has a fiber fortified formula and is perfect for those with a low caloric need and wound healing needs. The fiber blend in this nutrition drink is 85% oat fiber and 15% soy fiber. This produces a product that is low in viscosity and high in dietary fiber (14.4 g/L). High-protein for muscles and high fiber for dietary regularity!!

Abbott Promote With Fiber High-Protein Nutrition

4. Aptalis Scandishake Weight Management Nutrition Shake Mix: This calorie rich shake mix is designed to assist patients who need to gain or maintain a healthy weight. Each serving contains approximately 600 cal when it is mixed with 8 ounces of whole milk. To avoid taste fatigue, this nutritional shake mix can be blended with a variety of other beverages which helps with patient compliance and efficacy. Not only is this lactose free, but it can be used in casseroles, sauces, and even desserts. They should not be considered a meal substitute but a supplement used along with a well-balanced diet.

Aptalis Scandishake Weight Management Nutriton Shake Mix

Avoiding malnutrition may not be as easy as it seems, but it can be achieved. True, fruits and vegetables are expensive so eating better may seem like a daunting endeavor. By supplementing our food intake with nutritional beverages we can avoid malnutrition and the harm it can cause to our body. Avoiding the long-term effects of malnutrition requires a possible lifestyle change and you should work with your doctor/nutritionist to find the right supplement so you can avoid the effects of malnutrition.

 

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