Know Your Food and Nutrients

What are the three basic things that you require to sustain life?

AIR, WATER, and FOOD.

You need AIR to breathe and WATER to drink, But what about FOOD?

Food refers to the material taken into your system that serves to sustain normal bodily functions. You are what you eat may be an old proverb, but it couldn’t be closer to the truth. Your food habits nourish your body and can influence your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and one of the modern world’s leading epidemic, obesity.

Food is a prerequisite for nutrition. in simple language, Nutrition is food at work in your body. It includes everything that happens to the food from the time you swallow it, to its digestion and till the time it is used by your body for various functions. The process of nutrition determines what nutrients your body needs, in what amounts and from which foods you could obtain these.

If your body gets fewer nutrients, then you are undernourished. If you take in more nutrients than is actually required by your body, then you are overnourished. That is why the knowledge of nutrition and its application will help you in proper planning of your meals by ensuring a proper selection of food. This will keep your system well-nourished, in good health and free from sickness and disease.

This, though, is not an easy task. Constantly bombarded by nutrition advice and conflicting views, it’s no wonder that you are often confused as to what to eat and what to avoid. However, one thing is certain – eating right doesn’t mean that you have to deprive yourself of your favorite dessert or eat only boiled and bland food. Moderation is the key to good nutrition.

Here are some dietary guidelines to help your body achieve a healthy toss:

•    Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients – proteins, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber – that your body needs

•    Maintain a healthy body weight to reduce your chances of having high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc.

•    Choose a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol

•    Eat plenty of fresh fruits, green vegetables, and grain products

•    Use sugar and salt in moderation

•    Drink alcohol in moderation as alcohol will give you only calories and no nutrients.

•    Thus, the science of food and nutrition is very important as it helps in the proper selection of food so that our bodies remain nourished throughout life.