Child Health And Nutrition(DECE2) IGNOU Unit Wise Solution Day 2(ENGLISH)

behavior to any significant extent. At restaurants or homes people frequently eat
reheated food which in the Vedic tradition has the lowest status.
You must have now realized why nutrition concerns itself not only with the body’s
handling of nutrients and other food components, but also with food acceptance.
We cannot expect members of a community to immediately accept a food just
because it is rich in nutrients. We have to consider the food from their point of view.
Is it a food rejected by their culture? Is it a food considered to be a “prestige” food
(here we are referring to foods which are accorded a high status because they are
expensive or because they are consumed by people of higher status in society) in that
community? Are all population groups belonging to that community allowed to
consume the food item or is it forbidden in the case of some, for example pregnant
women? This shows us how important it is to keep a person’s socio-cultural
background in mind whenever we talk of improving or modifying food-related
practices.
The psychology of eating: Psychological factors have a significant impact on what
we eat. Consider the following examples:
EXAMPLE A: Ahmed, a five year old boy, loves to watch television. He saw numerous
advertisements for foods like instant noodles, soft drinks, toffees and chocolates every single
day. His mother frequently gets annoyed because he wants her to purchase the food he sees on
television even though she tries to convince him that they are not good for health.

EXAMPLE B: Saroj, when she was still a preschooler, was convinced by her mischievous
elder brother that bitter gourd (karela) was actually a rat that had been fried. Actually, the
way Saro’s mother prepared the vegetable, there was some resemblance ! This created such a
long lasting aversion in her mind that even as an adult, when she knew that this was not
correct, she could not bring herself to eat it

EXAMPLE C: Sarla has just given birth to a baby boy. She readily consumes til laddoos,
panjui and ghee as she believes that these stimulate the flow of breast milk. (Til laddoos are
sweet balls made of jaggery and sesame i.e. til seeds; panjiri is made of whole wheat flour,
sugar, nuts and fat.)

Have you gone through the three examples carefully? You must have noticed the
importance of people’s attitudes in determining what they eat. Many factors
influence our choice of foods such as advertisements and the attitudes of other
people around us. Our reactions to these influences often determine the type of
foods we select and the quantities we eat. . Thus our individual reactions to

our eating pattern
The economics of food: Food costs money. The amount of money we can spend on
food is a major factor that determines what we eat and how much we eat. In other
words, by and large, our diet includes only those foods which we find available and
affordable. This aspect is very important in practical terms. There is no point
recommending expensive foods to a person who can barely afford low cost foods. In
such a situation, one would obviously need to look for cheaper substitutes that are
equally nutritious. However, there may be situations where a person cannot afford
even those. It is therefore essential that food be within the reach of people and
equitably distributed to all sections of the population. The availability of food and its
proper distribution are of great importance. In India, for example, even though
agricultural production has consistently increased, food is not available to all. Even
today, there are many who do not get enough food. This is one of the larger
economic issues of concern to everyone.

Child Health And Nutrition(DECE2) IGNOU Unit Wise Solution Day 2(ENGLISH)
Q5. Discuss the relationship between food, health and disease.(7 MARK)
Ans. Nutrition is closely interlinked with health: In fact, good nutrition is essential
for good health. Eating the right kinds of foods in the required amounts is very
important for an individual to develop normally and to remain healthy throughout
life. When the diet is inadequate, there are chances that the individual’s health
would suffer; the likelihood that some organ of her body may start malfunctioning
or that she may acquire some disease. A glaring example is the fact that thousands of
young children in our country go blind every year because their diet does not
provide them with sufficient vitamin. Given the fact that the various aspects of
health are inter related, poor nutrition may also influence the mental and social well-
being of the person.
Nutrition is one of the major factors influencing the health of an individual. Since
food is the source of nutrients, consuming the right types of foods in the right
amounts becomes important. If the diet is poor, ill health will result due to the
deficiency or excess of one or more nutrients. It must be emphasized, however, that
though good food is one of the crucial factors in ensuring health, it is not the only
one. Good nutrition is necessary, but not sufficient for optimal health. The food eaten
must not only be nutritious but it must be clean and free from harmful germs. If this
is not so, the person eating the food would fall ill even if the food is nutritious. The
person’s environment is equally important. If the individual acquires some infection,
her health would suffer even if her diet is adequate.