Hidden dangers of poor nutrition.

[Agartha]

I always tell my children: eat real food! Cook from scratch! Or you can get seriously ill sooner or later.

Teenager loses sight as eating disorder leads to malnutrition

Doctors highlight plight of 19-year-old from Bristol to warn of hidden dangers of poor nutrition.

The family of a teenager, from Bristol, who suffered irreversible eyesight loss after surviving on a diet of chips, white bread and processed snacks and meat have spoken of their heartache.
The teenager, now 19, has been a fussy eater from an early age and cannot tolerate the texture of fruit and vegetables.

His poor diet caused him to suffer from nutritional optic neuropathy, which is treatable if diagnosed early. In his case, fibres in his optic nerve have been so badly damaged that the harm to his sight has been judged to be permanent.


https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/sep/03/british-teenager-loses-sight-and-hearing-due-to-processed-food-diet?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2f-SX8DfgCL-5tSpsOV4_8ohOmArUZlraAMVZUH0uGOHdRVEie2oVc1LU#Echobox=1567506581

[TrueCrazyLion]

I meant to respond much sooner but got distracted...

That's really scary! I'd heard before that a bad diet does serious harm without it being obvious, but that sounds beyond extreme!
I've always wondered how long a bad diet might take to do irreversible damage. Maybe it depends on the person's genes as well, some are probably much tougher and more resilient than others. But it sounds like it's very underestimated as a cause of poor health. :-/

[Agartha]

This boy had an eating disorder which only allowed him to eat a very small number of food, processed food. But eating rubbish kills, sooner or later, no nice way to say it... our bodies need real food to function properly and takeaways and microwavable meals don't have the same nutrients as food cooked from scratch.

[Rogue]

Very true Ags! There's just too many bad choices out there that people can't seem to resist. But good home cooked meals with real produce can't be beaten. Too much sugar, too much salt, too many processed foods, bad fats... its all a disaster waiting to happen. 

The parents in this story you posted have a lot to answer for imo.

[Agartha]

I agree, Rogue..... you'll be surprised to know how many parents never really cooked, it's all ready made stuff in the oven or microwave. Kids grow up not knowing how to cook basic food and it's sad as meals made from scratch taste sooo much better too!

[Lenzabi]

While what the parents could do is under question, like trying different dishes and meals to see if the kid would eat some decent foods, which would have staved off this loss of sight is right.

Flip side is how and what a parent can do without being branded as "abusive" in our current society.  So forcing him to eat foods his disorder deigned as unfit to put inside the mouth as a textural issue he has, that could in some circles be put down as cruelty forcing him in his mental disorder to put up with. (Playing devil's advocate here).

Maybe they did try what they could, (smoothies or health shakes? cooked meals that changed the textures he despised?) hard to say what could or would have worked and what failed, and how much he complained of them doing these dietary changes he hated?

Here in America, poor diet also leads to obesity and health issues as the crappy foods are cheaper and plentiful and organics can cost more, but if one can afford good food and nutrition it is a health investment here.

Another consideration would be could the family afford specialized foods that could have helped? there are many variables and questions.

[TrueCrazyLion]

Just been wondering, if this might increase vulnerability to Coronavirus or not. (Ironic that that wasn’t even a consideration when this thread started, as Coronavirus wasn’t a thing yet!) 

They say you are what you eat... If that’s the case, I’m slowly turning into a pizza!

[Kaere]

Poor nutrition makes us vulnerable to many things. My mental health suffers when I don't eat properly, I notice it more and more as I get older.

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