Report: Nutritious Food Essay

Submitted By Pei Pei-Li
Words: 1437
Pages: 6

The importance of nutritious food intake has been increasingly realized by health experts as they find the close links between good health and food nutrition. In spite of this, according to the relevant data information, Australia, a well-developed country still experiences a big challenge of providing healthy food access to the majority of community. Australia is experiencing a serious rate of case increase in obesity and it results the country being named one of the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst developed countries. Without doubt, the country has getting used to an imbalanced and unhealthy food intake and the food consumption in itself will be an important health issue in Australia. The assignment will focus on the issue of promoting accessible and nutritious food in Australia, exploring several determinants which will influence it and some strategies or interventions that are related to the issue. Several things such as relevant health data in Australia and the relationship between the native’s food dietary intakes can be discussed for finding out the evidence of the significance of accessible and nutritious food in Australia. There are some continuously leading causes of death such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). With the long-term consumption of fruits and vegetables which high nutrients can be found, the chance of getting diseases will be decreased. Therefore, it might be estimated that Australians do not consume as much as the ideal amount of fruits and vegetables. Based on a survey which has been done by Victorian Department of Human Services (2006, cited in Morgan 2009), exposed that there is only small number of population achieved the recommended daily intake levels of fruits and vegetables, with the statistics of 9.9% adults females and 5% adults males. Additionally, it is shown that about 62% of adults aged 18 years old and over among the populations was either overweight or obese in 2007-2008 in Australia. It will be a good evidence of proving that Australians are lacking of conscious in having a nutritious diet. Despite Australia as a well-developed country, food access is also a common issue in Australia. The insufficiency of food access is known as food insecurity, which Rosier (2011) explained it with whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods of the ability to acquire acceptable food in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain. From a Victorian Population Health Survey in 2008, there is about 1 in 20 Victorians experience a shortage of food at least once in the past 12 months (South Australia Health, 2009). People who are facing the insufficient money problem for food feel stressed and helpless when they try to figure out the strategies of solving the problem of food insecurity (South Australia Health, 2009). When the survey and statistics of food access condition are analysed, it have given a clearer picture of people who experiences difficulties in accessing nutritious food. From this, a number of determinants which impacts on nutritious food access can be deduced. Wilkinson and Marmot (2003) stated that poor social and economic circumstances affect health throughout life. People with a low socio-economic background such as indigenous people, low-income earners, unemployed people and single parent households (Browne, Laurence & Thorpe 2009, as cited by Rosier 2011) are much likely to experience food insecurity at a higher rate compared with general populations. Due to the increasing prices of nutritious foods, they find it difficult to afford them. As a result, they do prefer consume fast foods which are more innutritious and high caloric intake to healthy foods. Based on a participant with low income from Victorian’s Goulburn Valley, he indicated that he could go down to Hungry Jacks and feed at least 5 kids for $20 whereas it would be cost him more to make a meal