Nutrition-Malnutrition

I chose to pursue the area of nutrition and malnutrition. I believe this a huge part of development and should be taken into account when researching all aspects of childhood development. The signs of malnutrition manifest themselves in  tooth decay, childhood diseases, poor reflexes and muscle tone, delayed development, lack of color to skin, lower weight or obesity, poor performance in school, brittle hair and dry skin. This list is not exhaustive of the symptoms of malnutrition. The tragic part is malnutrition can be prevented. The question is can education and subsidies be effective to combat this global problem?
 The country of Zimbabwe for instance target the rural areas for government assisted food subsidies. This assistance though is inconsistent and is used as a political tool. During the election time there seems to be an overabundance of generosity.  It is in a sense "buying" a vote. Post election those promises are sometimes not met or not as grandiose as presented. It also can be more generous among party lines: incumbent party gets food aid and opposition party doesn't. The void left by the government is eventually filled in by a non-governmental agency equal to our food pantries.  This type of cat and mouse came for a necessity for health and well being is a precursor to a country plague with malnutrition.
In our own country, even with subsidies galore, malnutrition is epidemic. The money is used for nutritionally void food such as white bread, soda, cookies and chips.This type of American diet leads to sickness. I believe food is medicine or poison.
 In my center a mother on food stamps, (new name now but same idea), would bring her child a lunch everyday. She would take her lunch hour to go to the pizza establishment and purchase, with her food stamps, a Mountain Dew, cookie and pepperoni pizza. This is full of sugar and not ideal for the child. The child struggled with behavioral issues, speech delay, overweight and lacked impulse control.
Another child exhibited behavioral issues despite being one of the brightest children in the class. He was extremely thin and his skin was translucent. I suggested allergy testing.  He was severely allergic to wheat. This caused lack of absorption  of nutrients. Once his diet was corrected his behaviors became more regulated, his skin color was brighter and he gained weight.
There are many cases such as these that point us in the direction of dynamic attention to nutrition and its effects on our development, moods and behaviors. When we harness this information and apply it to our centers, our families and our work, we make great strides in being well. Michelle Obama has made this her passion during the presidential administration. I appreciate this force on our world, schools and communities.
Eating well promotes health. Health creates a positive, happy environment where children can flourish and grow.