High-Risk Nutritional Practices

High-Risk Nutritional Practices
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High-Risk Nutritional Practices
Nutrition plays a critical role in the health of the society. This is mainly because good nutrition plays a core role in ensuring that the society is healthy and strong enough to participate in economic development. However, it is equally important to note that the acknowledgement of the importance of nutrition to overall health is not sufficient to promote good health and nutrition within the society in question. This is mainly because food has always been a focal point in most societies. Food is used to unite people for religious, social, and virtually every other type of event. In this sense, food serves as a pivotal part of social interactions as well as physical development and one that has great influence (Nordström, Coff, Jönsson, Nordenfelt, & Görman, 2013). Because of this, people have strongly rooted cultures and traditions surrounding the consumption of food and the reasons behind certain eating and drinking habits or preferences. In this way, the culture and social practices surrounding food greatly influence how a society feeds and receives nutrition.
Across the world, differences in cultural, social, and religious practices continue to dictate the food preferences and habits of societies. In the modern world, the development of high-risk nutritional behaviors plays a crucial role in determining how people eat and what they eat. In the USA, one of the high-risk nutritional behaviors prevalent is the consumption of fast food. In the USA, fast food has become a core part of the culture and the primary option of nutrition for millions of Americans. The affordability and widespread availability fast food has endeared many Americans to its consumption regardless of the health risks that regularly consuming such food poses. Over time, fast food has grown to become the main source of food and nutrition for many Americans, which is indicative of the cultural direction in which the USA is heading with respect to food (Heshmat, 2011). Too often, this consumption of fast food is done in increasingly large portions and is accompanied by soft carbonated drinks (Sanford, 2014). Needless to mention, this combination plays a key role in negatively impacting the health and wellness of the American people. The increase in obesity across the US as well as the development of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension have all been linked to unhealthy consumption of fast foods that contain dangerous trans fats and minimal nutritional value. This poses a significant challenge for healthcare practitioners as they battle to rescue millions of Americans from the debilitating effects of poor nutrition and excessive consumption of said fast foods.
Across the world in Japan, a different culture towards food and consumption is manifested that is a complete contrast from the American culture. In Japanese culture and society, the consumption of raw food is highly encouraged (Smil & Kobayashi, 2012). The consumption of such food is often considered to be a pure form of eating and one that allows individuals to enjoy the true flavor of food. At the same time, the health benefits of eating raw foods play a role i...