Malnutrition is when your body doesn’t get the right kind or enough food to grow and stay healthy.
Imagine you have a toy box full of blocks, but all the blocks are red, and you need blue ones to build your favorite tower. That’s like malnutrition: your body gets some food, but not the right kinds to do what it needs to do.
When Food Is Missing
If you don’t get enough food at all, that's undernutrition. It's like having a toy box with only one block, you can't build much! You might feel tired, weak, or even get sick easier.
When Food Is Too Much or the Wrong Kind
Sometimes, your body gets too much of some foods and not enough of others, that’s overnutrition. It's like eating 10 candy bars but no veggies. Your body might get full of sugar but miss out on important helpers like vitamins and minerals.
Your body needs a balanced mix of food to be strong, just like you need different kinds of blocks to build the best tower!
Examples
- An adult who eats too much junk food feels tired all the time.
- A family can't afford to eat balanced meals every day.
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See also
- What is magnesium?
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- Are We All Addicted to Sugar with Nicole Avena?
- Can people catch infections from plants?
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