Book Description

Nutrition requirements vary in children, pregnancy, and the elderly for the physiological difference in the body. To maintain good health and prevent diseases, the adequacy of nutrients is essential; and adherence to healthy diets recommended needs to be monitored. Uncertain physical, social, cultural, and economic situations limit access to nutritious intake and impact health both in the developing (e.g., wasting, stunting, underweight, and mineral/vitamin-related malnutrition) and developed (e.g., obesity) worlds. However, a healthy diet is not only determined by food safety and quality, but also by food education, nutritional practice during the life stages, and food availability and accessibility to the population. This is true in developing countries, but also in developed ones, where vulnerable groups (including people living in conditions of poverty, unemployment, lack of schooling, people with forms of addiction and ethnical minorities) struggle to adhere to healthy diets and choose cheaper, and often unhealthy options. As a consequence, excessive consumption of limited nutrients and inappropriate supplementation becomes as unhealthy as not consuming enough. In the past three years, the pandemic of COVID-19 has put significant troubles on human society, exacerbating hard life conditions in vulnerable groups and worsening their adherence to healthy lifestyles and food choices. Therefore, the nutrition and diet-related health issues in vulnerable people must be highlighted and followed up.