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.
Most of us know that there are high and low calorie foods. Calories are used to measure how much heat is produced in metabolism. Calories are not all bad; the ones that are combined with valuable nutrients provide energy. However, 'empty calories' in foods devoid of nutrients are detrimental to health. They can even be negatives, if their digestion drains stored vitamins and minerals from the body.
Whole foods contain dense nutrition in their natural, fresh form. When people lived mainly on food they produced themselves, this was not as much of a problem as it is today. Fresh vegetables from the garden, fruits from bushes and trees, and meat from the barnyard or from wildlife were staples for many generations.
Today's store-bought food may have little natural goodness left in it. Foods are often modified to make them last longer on the shelf, to make them tasty, or to make them into snacks rather than main fare. Milk, for example, is no longer 100% pure, even though added ingredients do not need to be listed on the label. It is pasteurized, homogenized, and de-fatted, none of which is natural. White bread has lost the bran that provides needed fiber, is no longer partially digested before baking by beneficial yeasts, and may contain artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives.
Today essential fatty acids are removed to prolong shelf life, fiber is lost when baked goods are valued for their soft texture, and sugar addiction cause people to seek satisfaction in empty calorie foods. Vegetables and fruits may be sold as fresh but transported from far away. Vitamins are fragile things, and their presence begins to decline as soon as the food is harvested.
Food is said to be the best medicine. An effort should be made to get as much fresh, whole food as possible every day. Food allergies or sensitivities can complicate things for people who may already be suffering from malnutrition. Artificial colors, flavorings, and preservatives have proved harmful in laboratory studies, and many believe they aggravate such things as allergies, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity in children.
A healthy lifestyle involves more than diet. Exercise such as brisk walking, body building and weight training, or swimming is very important to increase circulation, encourage deep breathing, and tone muscles and internal organs. It helps maintain proper weight. Adequate intake of pure water, filtered if necessary, should be emphasized. At least eight hours of undisturbed sleep is considered beneficial.
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.
Most of us know that there are high and low calorie foods. Calories are used to measure how much heat is produced in metabolism. Calories are not all bad; the ones that are combined with valuable nutrients provide energy. However, 'empty calories' in foods devoid of nutrients are detrimental to health. They can even be negatives, if their digestion drains stored vitamins and minerals from the body.
Whole foods contain dense nutrition in their natural, fresh form. When people lived mainly on food they produced themselves, this was not as much of a problem as it is today. Fresh vegetables from the garden, fruits from bushes and trees, and meat from the barnyard or from wildlife were staples for many generations.
Today's store-bought food may have little natural goodness left in it. Foods are often modified to make them last longer on the shelf, to make them tasty, or to make them into snacks rather than main fare. Milk, for example, is no longer 100% pure, even though added ingredients do not need to be listed on the label. It is pasteurized, homogenized, and de-fatted, none of which is natural. White bread has lost the bran that provides needed fiber, is no longer partially digested before baking by beneficial yeasts, and may contain artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives.
Today essential fatty acids are removed to prolong shelf life, fiber is lost when baked goods are valued for their soft texture, and sugar addiction cause people to seek satisfaction in empty calorie foods. Vegetables and fruits may be sold as fresh but transported from far away. Vitamins are fragile things, and their presence begins to decline as soon as the food is harvested.
Food is said to be the best medicine. An effort should be made to get as much fresh, whole food as possible every day. Food allergies or sensitivities can complicate things for people who may already be suffering from malnutrition. Artificial colors, flavorings, and preservatives have proved harmful in laboratory studies, and many believe they aggravate such things as allergies, attention deficit disorder, and hyperactivity in children.
A healthy lifestyle involves more than diet. Exercise such as brisk walking, body building and weight training, or swimming is very important to increase circulation, encourage deep breathing, and tone muscles and internal organs. It helps maintain proper weight. Adequate intake of pure water, filtered if necessary, should be emphasized. At least eight hours of undisturbed sleep is considered beneficial.
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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