Nutrition for Health and Social Care

Unit 21: Nutrition for health and social care

M2) Assess how influences on dietary intake may affect the nutritional health of individuals

Throughout this assignment I will be assessing how the influences on dietary intake may affect the nutritional health of individuals the dietary intake which I will be focussing on throughout this assignment will be social policy, dietary habits and life style.

Other factors that influences the individual nutrition is the social policy. Social policy influences the individual health in positive way because it approaches health education to the public.  Social policy creates and gives opportunity to individuals to choose healthy diet.  Social policy has some legislation and polices that ensure every person to intake healthy food which is beneficial because it prevents heal issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Some of those legislation or policies that are made for the public are every child matters 2003, healthy weight and healthy life and food standard agency. All those policies ensure and provide message to public to eat healthy, reduce weight, obesity and reduce the overweight in children.  The food standard agency ensures that every company should provide clear labelling such as the much of sugar and salts that food contains in the packages so that people read and choice the one they think is healthy.

The dietary habit is another factor that has plenty effects on the nutritional of an individual. Dietary habit is the food that an individual’s consumes it every day and they face hard to stop eating it.  People stick with eating the same food and same meal pattern every day. In most cultures people eat 3 times a day where people in the UK consume food 5 times a day.  People that do not work or go in other places have the chances to eat their 3 meal / 5 meals a day with their family but there is an increase of individuals not balancing their eating pattern due to busy or might not find the food they want. Not following the same meal pattern can lead health issues because the body might not cope with the change. Not balancing diet leads risk to the body such as increase of weight and obesity.

Lifestyle has negative impact on the individual health. Lifestyle can be things that a person chooses such as social eating, drinking, activity levels and occupation.  When a person eats from restaurants, or other places they will be influences to eat unhealthy food because it’s an easy alternative and they do not want to feel left out most foods that are prepared outside contain more carbohydrate, oil, sugar and salts which affects the person health.  Coronary heart disease is caused by eating too foods which are high in saturated fat such as animal protein. Eating diets which are high in saturated fat has been linked to high levels of cholesterol in the blood.Coronary artery disease is the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis (sometimes called “hardening” or “clogging” of the arteries) is the build-up of cholesterol and fatty deposits called plaque on the inner walls of the arteries that restricts blood flow to the heart. Coronary heart disease causes Angina, Sweating, Nausea, Breathlessness, Heartfailure, Heartattack, Stroke. Also this type of life style could cause an individual to suffer from type 2 diabetes which is when there is a lot of glucose present in the blood plasma and not enough insulin is being produced so it’s due to the individual’s diet. Doing exercise has great impact on the individuals as it control blood sugar reduce the chance of developing diabetes, prevent blood clotting and  reduce the risk of  having stroke.