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

The influences of underlying health conditions can result in the need for specific nutrients as well as influencing what people are or aren’t able to eat.
This means it can be more complicated to get all the essential nutrients and a balanced diet, especially when you have to avoid certain foods.

One health condition that affects people is Coeliac Disease; this is intolerance to the protein ‘gluten’ which is found in wheat, barley and rye. When coming into contact with gluten the body produces antibodies which then attack the lining of the bowel. This then affects the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food and can even lead to
Manual workers and athletes require more starchy carbohydrates as they provide energy which is released more slowly than sugars

If people of these occupations do not increase their calorie intake they can become underweight and malnourished. However, if a sedentary worker consumes the same amount as a manual worker they can start to gain weight. It is therefore important to weigh oneself monthly in order to keep track and ensure you are not gaining or losing weight ad if you are you are able to do something about it more quickly.

Economic factors such as cost of food have a huge influence on dietary intake. In general, healthier foods cost more than unhealthier foods. Foods of lower price tend to have higher fat, salt and sugar content as well as being nutritionally lowers than the higher priced product equivalent due to using poorer quality ingredients.

People on low income may find it hard to buy meats even from the budget range resulting in them purchasing cheaper foods such as ready meals, tinned meals or ingredients. This would then result in them having health problems such as high cholesterol due to the high amounts of fat in foods and all round not receiving the nutrients they need to be able to expel energy or for children to grow and develop.

Another large influence on dietary intake is socio-cultural influences. These are influences from your family or carers teaching you