The Lowdown on Nutrition Data
An overview of nutrition
Nutrition data is a vital subject
directly related to health. What supports our physical existence?
Nutrition supports the health of the body - the nutrients
that we consume; food, water,
air and
sunlight.
Unfortunately, our formal and informal
education on health and nutrition has been inadequate, virtually
non-existent. This situation has resulted in confusion and
misunderstanding of nutrition data. As a consequence, many
of us experience health problems due to poor nutrition.
This general lack of understanding
nutrition and being able to apply it to our own health is
one of the main reasons that increasing numbers of people
are developing chronic illnesses.
To make matters worse, the concept that nutrition is directly
related to our health and wellness
is generally brushed aside by conventional Western healthcare
practitioners and even ridiculed by some people.
When's the last time your doctor sat
down and talked with you about how nutrition affects your
health?
In my research I've discovered that nutrition
is not generally taught in Western (conventional) medical
schools. Wow. That is an eye-opener!
If you put something in or on your body,
don't you think it would have some sort of effect on the
body??
Understanding nutrition
The reason and purpose for nutrition
is incredibly simple:
- You have a body.
- The body needs certain basic things
in order to function properly.
- The most fundamental requirement of
the body is to be nourished.
Nourish means "to feed
or sustain with substances necessary to life and growth."
Likewise, the definition of
nutrition is "the act of being nourished;
especially, the processes of taking in and assimilating
food for promoting growth and replacing worn or injured
tissue."
The word "nutrition" can also refer
to anything that nourishes.
"Nutrient"
means anything nutritious.
A key to understanding and using nutrition
data is that that nutrition “promotes growth
and replaces worn or injured tissue.”That
is what proper nutrition does for the body.
So we eat food, the food is digested and
broken down into tiny particles that the body needs to create
energy to function, including building and repairing itself.
Understanding Nutrition: Purpose of Nutrition
When I finally understood this simple
principle of nutrition, that the purpose of nutrition
is to provide the body with what it needs not just for energy
to move around, but to build and repair itself,
the information that I've had swirling around in my mind
for years started to make a little more sense. It was like
finding the puzzle piece that showed me what the whole picture
was!
For example, there are categories of nutrients
that have different "jobs" in helping the body work right.
Our bodies need them all in certain amounts
in order to function. We get these nutrients by the food
and supplements we consume.
What are macronutrients
& micronutrients?
The broadest categories of nutrients are:
These are sometimes called "macronutrients"
- because "macro-" (in this use) means "large."
These macronutrients make up the bulk
of our diets, the largest amount, and are broken down into
smaller substances through digestion.
These digested nutrients are then absorbed
into the bloodstream and used to nourish all of the cells
of the body, giving it the material it needs to repair and
maintain itself and create energy for all functions.
More nutrition data on these nutrients
can be found in the article on the nutrition
of foods and the part each plays in the health of a
body..
"Micronutrients"
are needed by the body in very small amounts and include
vitamins and
minerals. They are contained in foods and dietary supplementation.
Nutrition data and quality of food
The quality of the food and supplements
we consume is vital to our health and understanding nutrition
data. This will be covered in more detail in an upcoming
article.
When you hear about organic
food versus conventionally grown food (food
grown or raised with pesticides and containing other toxins),
the issue is the quantity and quality of the nutrients in
those foods, which ultimately affect your health.
I hope that by helping you better understand
basic nutrition data that you'll be able to decide for yourself
what else you need to know and how to use nutrition to improve
your health and energy.
Once you've got basic nutrition
data under your belt, you can go out exploring
and getting information related to your specific interests.
Nutrition is a broad subject! One good place to start looking
around is at Yahoo! Health/Nutrition: http://health.yahoo.com/nutrition/
Cheers!
"Anyone
seeking nutrition guidance needs facts, not theories."
~ Ann Gildroy, Editor of "Let's
Stay Healthy" by Adelle Davis |
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