Many people (even health professionals) tend to think that overweight people can never be malnourished because they are healthy. The reality is that even though some people may be above the recommended Body Mass Index, they could also be missing some vital nutrients. Consequently, obese or underweight individuals can also be malnourished as a result of these deficits (vitamins and minerals).
According to Roche & Falkner (2014) , some people have gained weight because they consume poor diets and also live sedentary lives. Whenever one consumes fast or refined foods, their intake is mostly comprised of unhealthy sugar and excess fats. Research has shown that these are low in protein, vitamins, healthy fats, minerals, and fiber. Since most overweight individuals do not consider all aspects of a proper diet, they end up consuming calorie contents that do not count. Malnutrition, in this case, will, therefore, occur when individuals consume proper amounts of food which do not contain essential nutrients for good health.
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It is imperative to note that extra calories from all types of foods can make one overweight, but if these foods are calorie dense instead of nutrition dense, then this could lead to malnutrition ( Bickerstaff, 2008 ). In grocery stores and fast food joints, the foods that people consume have been processed in such a way that they have been stripped of their natural vitamins and minerals. They will, therefore, lack the required nutrient mix that the body needs to maintain healthy standards.
Based on these facts, it is evident that overweight people can still be malnourished because, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the ratio of nutrients that are consumed on a daily basis. Since such people only focus on the number of calories that they consume, their bodies lack enough vital nutrients which cause them to be susceptible to malnutrition.
References
Bickerstaff, L. (2008). Nutrition sense: Counting calories, figuring out fats, and eating balanced meals . New York: Rosen Classroom.
Roche, A. F., & Falkner, F. (2014). Nutrition and Malnutrition: Identification and Measurement . Boston, MA: Springer US.
