Excessive Intake of Calories

Everything we drink and eat contains calories. Excess calorie intake means that the daily intake of calories is too much and above the daily use of energy. Nowadays, the major nutritional problems are excess calorie intake such as fat, protein, and sugar and insufficient intake of the fiber and nutrients provided by vegetables and fruits. A well-balanced diet is important for our body to function optimally, everyone needs to be conscious about the bad effects of a high-calorie intake. Why are so many people consuming high-calorie diets? Many factors may contribute to such a phenomenon. Firstly, nutritional habits are nearly always influenced by upbringing, so if an individual is raised in a family where over-indulgence is the norm and the usual foods are heavily processed then children and adolescents may develop poor dietary habits that have lifelong consequences. Secondly, pregnant and lactating women are often encouraged to eat more because they are “eating for two" while it is true that an expectant mother must provide nutrition for both herself and her developing baby. Thirdly, adults in developed counties are at particular risk of excessive calories intake, in western countries, typical foods such as meat, dairy products, vegetable oils, and sugar have far more calories than traditional Asian or African cultures, where grains, starchy vegetables are larger parts of the diet. Excessive calories intake has the potential to result in numerous problems. Your risks for becoming obese or developing cancer or dental caries increases as your calorie consumption goes up. One of the biggest problems with the excessive calories intake is that you will get fat. If you consistently take in more calories than you burn, your body stores the extra calories as fat tissue. Over time, the accumulation of excess body fat results in the condition of obesity. The more excess body weight you carry from a high calorie intake, the greater your risk for developing high