To have a healthy body and mind, you need to eat nutritious meals from an early age. However, when some people don’t have enough food or decide to go for inexpensive meals with low nutritional value, it can have serious repercussions on your health. Unfortunately, when a poor diet cycle and poor health begins, it can be pretty hard to break. This article explains how hunger can affect the lives of children.
Hunger can have a huge toll on your life
Regardless of whether you are a child or an adult, hunger can have serious consequences on your life. Think about it, when you are sick, it can be hard to choose between treatment and food.
For example, adults who are considered food-insecure and are living with diabetes, the decision to choose between food and controlling diabetes usually leads to health complications. Some of the health issues they face include eye disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage.
Studies indicate that food insecurity tends to lead to Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Worse still, many children who are at risk of hunger are likely going to experience poor health and they struggle in school and social situations. Therefore, charities solving hunger issues make sure that such children are given the food they need.
The effects of hunger on children
Sadly, children who experience hunger issues usually perform poorly in school. Research indicates that children from a food-insecure family who don’t know when and where the next meal will come from face challenges in school. Some of the impacts include lower math scores and they are likely going to repeat a grade in school.
Children at risk of hunger may also not reach their full potential because they are busy engaging with the world around them. Evidence shows that kids from food-insecure homes are more likely to face developmental challenges in most areas, such as motor skills, language, and behavior.
For these reasons, the importance of school food programs cannot be emphasized enough. Children need nutrients so that they can focus, grow, and develop on learning rather than thinking about where they would get their next meal. Ultimately, children can concentrate on the classroom to enable them to succeed in school and be ready to enter the workforce when they grow up.
How you can help children experiencing hunger issues
Hunger while in school is not something that any child wants to experience. Therefore, you can give a hand to make sure that children have the healthy food they need while the school is in session. This is the best way that they can play, learn, and grow.
That said, you can help these children from food-insecure families by volunteering at any local food bank. Keep in mind that many food banks provide various programs that work to make sure that children receive healthy meals they may need during the school year. Your local food bank is likely looking for volunteers to pack backpacks with food so that children have food.
You can also donate to nonprofit organizations who help feed children so that they can go to school with full stomachs. This helps the kids to focus on learning rather than concentrating on how to handle their hunger issues.
