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Nutrition and You
Nutrition is the relationship of foods to the health of the human body
. Proper nutrition means that you are receiving enough foods and supplements for the body
to function at optimal capacity. It is important to remember that no single nutrient or
activity can maintain optimal health and well being, although it has been proven that some
nutrients are more important than others. All of the nutrients are necessary in different
amounts along with exercise to maintain proper health.
There are six main types of nutrients used to maintain body health.
They are: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water . They all must be
in balance for the body to function properly. There are also five major food groups. The
groups are: fats and oils, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, grains, and meats.
Exercise is also an important part of nutrition. Exercise helps tone
and maintain muscle tissue and ensure that the body’s organs stay in good condition.
Healthy eating without exercise will not result in good nutrition and a healthy body -
neither will exercise without nutrition. The most important thing about exercise is that
it be practiced regularly and that it be practiced in accompaniment with a healthy diet.
It is also desirable to practice more that one sport as different sports exercise
different areas of the body.
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the sources of energy for the body. The contained
energy is expressed in calories. There are 9 calories per gram in fat and there are about
4 calories per gram in proteins and carbohydrates .
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. This energy is mostly used for
muscle movement and digestion of food. Some sources of carbohydrates are : grains, fruits,
vegetables, and anything else that grows out of the ground. The energy in carbohydrates is
almost instantly digested. This results in a quick rise in blood sugar which is soon
followed by a drop in blood sugar which is interpreted by the body as a craving for more
sugars. This sugar low may also result in fatigue, dizziness, nervousness, and headache.
However, not all carbohydrates do this. Most fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains
are digested more slowly.
Fats, which are lipids, are the source of energy that is the most concentrated. Fats
produce more that twice the amount of energy that is in carbohydrates or proteins. Besides
having a high concentration of energy, fat acts as a carrier for the fat soluble vitamins,
A, D, E, and K. Also, by helping in the absorption of vitamin D, fats help make calcium
available to various body tissues, in particular, the bones and teeth. Another function of
fat is to convert carotene to vitamin A. Fat also helps keep organs in place by
surrounding them in a layer of fat. Fat also surrounds the body in a layer that preserves
body temperature and keeps us warm. One other function of fat is to slow the production of
hydrochloric acid thereby slowing down digestion and making food last longer. Some sources
of fats are meats and nuts as well as just plain oils and fats.
Proteins, besides water, are the most plentiful substance in the body. Protein is also one
of the most important element for the health of the body. Protein is the major source of
building material in the body and is important in the development and growth of all body
tissues. Protein is also needed for the formation of all hormones. It also helps regulate
the body’s water balance. When proteins are digested they are broken down into
simpler sections called amino acids. However, not all proteins will contain all the
necessary amino acids. Most meat and dairy products contain all necessary amino acids in
their proteins. Proteins are available from both plants and animals. However, Animal
proteins are more complete and thus desirable.
Knowledge of the nutrients and their function is essential to understanding the importance
of good nutrition. As mentioned above, there are six nutrients.
All vitamins are organic food substances that are found only in living things, plants and
animals . It is believed that there are about twenty substances that are active as
vitamins in human nutrition . Every vitamin is essential to the proper growth and
development of the body. With a few exceptions, the body cannot make vitamins and must be
supplied with them. Vitamins contain no energy but are important as enzymes which help
speed up nearly all metabolic functions. Also, vitamins are not building components of
body tissues, but aid in the construction of these tissues. It is impossible to reliably
determine the vitamin requirements of an individual because of differences in age, sex,
body size, genetic makeup, and activity. A good source of a recommendation is the RDA. The
RDA makes it’s recommendations based on studies of consumption of the given nutrient.
On the recommendation it will usually specify what size diet the recommendation is based
on, for example, a two thousand calorie per day diet. It is harmless to ingest excess of
most vitamins. However, some vitamins are toxic in large amounts.
Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin which is only available in two forms. Pre-formed, which
is found in animal tissue. The other is carotene, which can be converted into Vitamin A by
animals . Carotene is found in easily found in carrots as well as other vegetables .
Vitamin A is important to the growth and repair of body tissues and helps maintain a
smooth, soft, and disease free skin. It also helps protect the mucus membranes of the
mouth, nose, throat, and lungs which reduces the chance of infection. Another function is
helping mucus membranes combat the effects of air pollutants. Vitamin A also protects the
soft lining of all the digestive tract. Another function of vitamin A is to aid in the
secretion of gastric juices.
The B complex vitamins have many known sub-types, but they all are water soluble vitamins.
The B vitamins can be cultivated from a variety of bacteria, yeast, fungi, or molds . They
are active in the body by helping the body convert carbohydrates into glucose, a form of
sugar. B vitamins are also vital in the metabolism of proteins and fats. They are also the
single most important element in the health of the nerves. B vitamins are also essential
for the maintenance of the gastrointestinal tract, the health of the skin, hair, eyes,
mouth, liver, and muscle tone. The intestine contain a bacteria that produces vitamin b
but milk-free diets, and taking sulfonamides or antibiotics can destroy these bacteria .
Whole grains contain high concentrations of B complex vitamins. Also, enriched bread and
cereal products contain high concentrations of B vitamins due to a governmental
intervention of the whole food group to ensure that the nation was getting enough B
vitamins
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water soluble vitamin. It is sensitive to
oxygen and is the least stable of all vitamins . One primary function of vitamin C is to
maintain collagen, a protein necessary for the formation of skin, ligaments, and bones.
Vitamin C also plays a role in healing of burns and wounds because it aids the formation
of scar tissue. It also helps form red blood cells and prevent hemorrhaging. Another
function is to prevent the disease, scurvy, which used to be seen in sailors because of
their lack of vitamin C in their diet. This was corrected by issuing each sailor one lime
per day which supplied citric acid, a source of vitamin C. Other sources include broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, Strawberries, Oranges, and grapefruits .
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin which is made up of a group of compounds called
tocoherols. There are seven forms of it but the form known as Alpha tocoherol is the most
potent . Tocoherols occur in the highest concentrations in cold pressed vegetable oils,
all whole raw seeds and nuts, and soybeans. Vitamin E plays an essential role in cellular
respiration of all muscles, especially the cardiac and skeletal. It makes these muscles
able to function with less oxygen, thereby increasing efficiency and stamina. It also is
an antioxidant, which prevents oxidization. This prevents saturated fatty compounds from
breaking down and combining to form toxic compounds.
Minerals are nutrients that exist in the body and in organic and inorganic combinations .
There are approximately seventeen minerals that are necessary in human nutrition .
Although only about four or five percent of the body weight is mineral matter, minerals
are important to overall mental and physical health. All of the body’s tissues and
fluids contain some amount of mineral. Minerals are necessary for proper muscle function
and many other biological reactions in the body. Minerals are also important in the
production of hormones. Another important function of minerals is to maintain the delicate
water balance of the body and to regulate the blood’s pH. Physical and emotional
stress causes a strain on the body’s supply of minerals. A mineral deficiency often
results in illness, which may be treated by the addition of the missing mineral to the
diet. Calcium, a primary mineral, is available through dairy products. In order to get all
the other minerals, one should eat protein rich foods, seeds, grains, nuts, greens, and
limited amounts of salt or salty foods.
Nutrition is just one aspect of total body health. It is important to remember that on
must compliment good nutrition with good exercise and emotional health in order to achieve
complete well being. It is also important to remember that no one part of nutrition will
completely fulfill the body’s requirements for health.
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