Mostly, people tend to associate malnutrition with third world countries, such as Ethiopia and other African nations. But the scary thing is, the condition can occur to those around you, ruling out bulimia or anorexia cases of course.
From friends, I have heard of two separate real-life stories, both of undergraduate students struggling to make ends meet in the UK. Both had held part-time jobs while studying, to earn their living expenses or even tuition fees.
One, a promising Malaysian girl in her twenties, subsisted on a diet of instant noodles and bread, only to realize upon returning home to commence her career that her kidneys are now close to failure. Another, a Malaysian or Singaporean student (the details elude me now), also survived largely on instant noodles and has now passed away.
It is so easy to assume that incidents like these can only happen to people worlds apart from our own. That just because we have been fed almost a lifetime of nutrition, we can neglect our dietary intake for a couple of years.
But the stories touch a raw nerve for me, since I know I am prone to putting work and other pursuits ahead of health. Having been in such a bad physical state last year, the grim reminder to take care of myself has once again hit home.
P.s. Stitches accompanied the 2.6km jog today. I think too much CNY inactivity is the root cause (Oops).
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