of nutrients that one consumes during childhood affect the physical
structure for the rest of one's life, either positively or negatively.
Malnutrition does not only mean lack of food, but it also means
consuming poor nutrients.
In other words, malnutrition means imbalance between the quantity and
quality of food the body needs, the growth stage and one's physical
activities. Moderation must be observed in nutrition, because eating
many foods -- especially foods that are rich in sugar, carbohydrates
and fats -- irrespective of the quality and the actual requirements of
the body needs, causes obesity and several serious diseases including
heart disease, diabetes,high blood pressure, high cholesterol and
stomach diseases.
Food is necessary for the body, but food consumption should remain
within reasonable limits. It is equally harmful to consume food that
does not satisfy the body's needs or exceed them. Several diseases are
caused by quantitative or qualitative malnutrition (excess or
shortage). There is a strong relationship between good health and good
nutrition.
In the following paragraphs, we will speak about the nutrients that
are necessary for a healthy body:
1- Proteins:
Proteins are indispensable materials for the structure of the cells,
and the need for them increases over time according to the growth
phase. Proteins are divided into two types:
A- Animal proteins : This type of protein can be found in meat, fish,
milk, cheese, egg, and so on.
This type should represent one third of the proteins that one
consumes. However, there shouldbe moderation in consuming these
proteins because excessive consumption may harm the bodyand cause
serious diseases such as kidney diseases, joint diseases,increase in
blood cholesterol, andso on.
B- Plant proteins : This type of proteins can be found in chickpeas,
beans, lentils, green peas, walnut, hazelnut and other plants. This
type is very important in building the body and maintaining health.
2- Carbohydrates and fats: These can be found in the foods that
contain sugar and starch such as wheat, barley, rice, macaroni,
potatoes, sugar, honey, dry fruits,and so on.
They are next to the proteins in importance, because they are
necessary for energy production and warmth. Likewise, these nutrients
should be consumed moderately so as not to exhaust the digestive
system including the liver and the stomach.
Obese people should consume small amounts of foods that contain fats
and sugar because the body transforms any excess sugar to fats and
stores them. Such persons should also do physical activities to burn
the stored fats.
3- Mineral salts and vitamins:
They can be found in plant foods such as vegetables and fresh fruits
and they help in activating the intestines and facilitating the
excretion process and the indigestible cellulosic materials
itcontains.
Salts contain important materialsfor bone structure such as calcium
and phosphorus and for blood structure too such as iron.
These salts and minerals can be found in abundance in vegetablesand
animal products. Similarly, vitamins are very important and their
deficiency causes feebleness, weakness, gum bleeding (due to lack of
vitamin C), rickets (due to lack of vitamin D), neuritis and weakness
of the heart as well as inappetence (due to lack of vitamin B);
immunodeficiency and weak resistance of infection (due to lack of
vitamin A).
Good nutrition requires a balanced and integrated weekly food menu
that contains all the mentioned materials (proteins, fats, mineral
salts and vitamins).
One of the blessings that Allaah The Almighty bestowed upon humanity
is that He made it possible for all people, whether poor or rich, to
have a sufficient and balanced diet if we only observe integration in
nutrition.
Dear educator, the first step towards raising an athletic child is to
provide him with a healthy nutritious diet, because playing sports
without good food is like a tree without water.
The Prophet, , urged parents in several Hadeeths (narrations) to take
care of the nutrition of their children and to spend on them.
The Prophet, , said:
- "The best Dinar that a man spends is the Dinar which he spends on
his family, the Dinar which he spends on his companions in the cause
of Allaah and the Dinar which he spends on his riding animal in the
cause of Allaah ." [At-Tirmithi on the authority of Thawbaan [
- "A Dinar that you spend in the cause of Allaah, or to free a slave,
or as a charity you give to a needyperson, or to support your
family,the one yielding the greatest reward is that which you spend on
your family." [Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be
pleased with him]
Allaah The Exalted Says (what means):
· } Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allaah which He has
produced for His servants andthe good [lawful] things of provision?"
Say, "They are for those who believe during the worldly life [but]
exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." { [Quran 7:32]
· } Eat from the Provisions of your Lord and be grateful to Him. { [Quran 34:15]
Abu Hurayrah said, "The Messenger of Allaah never found fault with
food. If he had inclination to eating it, he would eat; and if he
disliked it, he wouldleave it." [Al-Bukhaari]
If we consider the foods that the Prophet, , used to eat, we willfind
important educational hints that direct us to choose the specifically
beneficial foods as supported by modern scientific research.
These hints include directing us to eat protein-rich foods, as the
Prophet, , ate chicken and atethe shoulder of a sheep and as well as
grilled meat from a sheep.
The Prophet, , used to eat soft and easily digestible meat. That is
why he chose the soft parts of the sheep (shoulder and side) to eat
from. He also ate cooked and grilled meat.
The Prophet, also used to drink milk for its great health benefits.
'Aa'ishah narrated that the Prophet, , used to like sweet edible
things (syrup and so on) and honey. [Al-Bukhaari]
According to Al-Bukhaari, the Prophet, also used to eat barley, which
is starchy.
He also ate dates, which are sugary and contain other important elements.
It was also narrated that the Prophet, , used to eat ripe dates
(fruit) and cucumbers (vegetable). [Al-Bukhaari]
The Prophet, , directed us to be moderate in food consumption saying:
"The believer eats in one intestine (is satisfied with a little food),
and the disbeliever eats in seven intestines (eats too much)."
Modern medical and scientific experiments proved that these prophetic
instructions and recommendations are very beneficial. These
experiments confirm that eating excessively disturbs the digestive
system, prevents it from extracting energy that the body needs from
food, and causes obesity.
We should follow the instructions of the Prophet, , and the
conclusions of modern researchers by taking care of the food our
children eat.
This is the first step towards having an active and healthy childthat
all of us want to have.
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