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The word nutrition has several definitions, but most people take it as a synonym for good (as in healthy) food. This is one meaning; another is the study of how the body uses food for growth, tissue repair and replacement, energy production, and system defense. Some nutrients naturally found in food have been isolated or replicated as 'supplements', dense nutrition in a tablet, capsule, drink, or powder.
To be healthy requires more than calories. This measurement of heat or energy produced by digestion dates from the 18th century, when the value of a calorie was established. 'Empty calories' are foods that can cause weight gain but offer no true nutritional value to the body. It is now known that we need vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients to thrive.
Whole foods have lots of nutritive value, but processed foods may have lost their goodness. Once people lived mainly on what they could grow themselves, but today grocery stores are the source of foods for most of us. This is a relatively new situation, and studies are just beginning to show how damaging this has been.
When people moved to the cities and became dependent on store-bought food, this began to change. Foods were modified for commercial reasons, with either a disregard for health or an ignorance of what promotes it. Milk is one example. It was first pasteurized to kill tuberculosis germs and later homogenized, to make all milk look the same regardless of butterfat content. White bread became popular, even though much of the nutrition of wheat was lost when the bran was removed.
Essential fatty acids differ in how quickly they become rancid. Some are removed entirely from shelf-stable foods, which creates an imbalance and eventually a deficiency. This is why health advocates have recommended extra Omega-3 fatty acids, most easily found in supplement form. Fiber is lacking in many diet plans, since white flour has had the fibrous bran removed. Vitamins fade quickly from fresh produce shipped from far away, and minerals are lacking when soils are depleted.
An effort must be made to obtain foods in a natural state, as fresh as possible, and in quantity suited to daily activity. Food allergies or sensitivities should be taken into account. Sugary foods, refined foods, and packaged foods full of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives should be eliminated altogether or strictly limited. Children should be taught early on the value of a diet rich in good fats, plentiful fiber, adequate protein, and fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals.
Nutritional science involves more than food. Exercise such as walking, weight training, or body building is important; it tones muscles and the digestive tract and encourages regularity. It also results in deeper breathing, another factor for good health. Copious amounts of pure water, free of chemicals and impurities, are recommended by every health care professional. Getting enough deep, restorative sleep is also necessary for optimum well-being.
Good nutrition is important to all who want to live long, healthy, productive lives. Pain, illness, and loss of productivity are some consequences of improper diets and sedentary habits. Many of us don't need doctors as much as we need to understand what our bodies need and how to provide it.
To be healthy requires more than calories. This measurement of heat or energy produced by digestion dates from the 18th century, when the value of a calorie was established. 'Empty calories' are foods that can cause weight gain but offer no true nutritional value to the body. It is now known that we need vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients to thrive.
Whole foods have lots of nutritive value, but processed foods may have lost their goodness. Once people lived mainly on what they could grow themselves, but today grocery stores are the source of foods for most of us. This is a relatively new situation, and studies are just beginning to show how damaging this has been.
When people moved to the cities and became dependent on store-bought food, this began to change. Foods were modified for commercial reasons, with either a disregard for health or an ignorance of what promotes it. Milk is one example. It was first pasteurized to kill tuberculosis germs and later homogenized, to make all milk look the same regardless of butterfat content. White bread became popular, even though much of the nutrition of wheat was lost when the bran was removed.
Essential fatty acids differ in how quickly they become rancid. Some are removed entirely from shelf-stable foods, which creates an imbalance and eventually a deficiency. This is why health advocates have recommended extra Omega-3 fatty acids, most easily found in supplement form. Fiber is lacking in many diet plans, since white flour has had the fibrous bran removed. Vitamins fade quickly from fresh produce shipped from far away, and minerals are lacking when soils are depleted.
An effort must be made to obtain foods in a natural state, as fresh as possible, and in quantity suited to daily activity. Food allergies or sensitivities should be taken into account. Sugary foods, refined foods, and packaged foods full of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives should be eliminated altogether or strictly limited. Children should be taught early on the value of a diet rich in good fats, plentiful fiber, adequate protein, and fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals.
Nutritional science involves more than food. Exercise such as walking, weight training, or body building is important; it tones muscles and the digestive tract and encourages regularity. It also results in deeper breathing, another factor for good health. Copious amounts of pure water, free of chemicals and impurities, are recommended by every health care professional. Getting enough deep, restorative sleep is also necessary for optimum well-being.
Good nutrition is important to all who want to live long, healthy, productive lives. Pain, illness, and loss of productivity are some consequences of improper diets and sedentary habits. Many of us don't need doctors as much as we need to understand what our bodies need and how to provide it.
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