Best way to learn food and nutrition

Most people eat for the tongue without much consideration for Nutrition. You being educated should give priority to Food and Nutrition. The details of Balanced Diet and Nutritional Foods are discussed here in simple language. You can pick up those food items which are easily available in your region and at a minimum price.

What is food and nutrition?

Food and nutrition are essential elements to supply appropriate energy for our bodies. The effective management of food intake and nutrition are both keys to good health. Right choices of food and nutrition help us prevent diseases. It helps our body to cope more successfully with on-going illness.

What is good nutrition?

We must replace nutrients in our bodies with a new supply of hygienic foods every day. Water is an important component of Nutrition. Proteins, fats, carbohydrates are all required and essential for our body. So it is important to maintain key vitamins and minerals to maintain good health for children, adults and pregnant women. Vitamin D, calcium and iron are very important elements to be considered when choosing food to eat as well as dietary supplements.

A healthy diet includes a lot of natural foods. A healthy diet must-have vegetables, especially that are red, orange or dark green. Wheat and brown rice also play a part in our diet. For proteins, we can have all lean meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, legumes and Soya products like Tofu as well as unsalted seeds and nuts.

Good nutrition also means avoiding certain kinds of foods. Sodium is dangerous for people with high blood pressure. Fried food, solid fats, Tran’s fats in margarine and processed foods can be harmful to the heart. White flour, white rice refined sugar are also bad for long-term health, especially with diabetic people. Alcohol is also dangerous to health in amounts of more than one serving per day.

What are the nutrients in food?

We eat food to get the energy to work and play, to grow, and to make our body strong and healthy. Food having required healthy substances is called nutrients. Nutrients are substances that the body needs to live, grow and remain healthy. Different nutrients are found in different foods. Some nutrients provide your body with energy, some help it to grow and some help it to fight diseases. To get all the nutrients we must eat a variety of foods every day. There are five main kinds of nutrients which are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals, in general.

Carbohydrates and fats give our body energy to work and play; sugar and starch are kinds of Carbohydrates that give us quick energy. Carbohydrates are found in rice, wheat and other grains, chapatti, bread, noodles, potato, sugar and so on.

Fat is stored in our body. Our body can use them later to get energy. Fats also help our body to stay warm. Fats are found in butter, oil, ghee, nuts, and cheese and so on.

Proteins help our body to grow. They help in making muscles, blood and skin. They also help in repairing our body when it is damaged. Proteins are found in fish, meat chicken, eggs, pulses and so on.

Vitamins and minerals are needed by our body in small amounts to stay healthy and fit. There are many kinds of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K are examples of vitamins, and vegetables are rich sources of Vitamins. Our body also needs minerals like Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium and others. Milk products, beans, meat and fish are good sources of different minerals.

In addition to nutrients, our body also needs water and fibre. Almost two-thirds of our body is made up of water. It is the main part of our blood. We cannot live without water. Roughage or fibre is that part of food that cannot be digested by the body it adds bulk to food and helps our muscles to push the food through the intestines. It helps our body to get rid of undigested food. That is, our bowel is cleared well through fibre. There is a saying: if the belly is free, body mind and brain are free. Fibre is present in good proportions in some plant foods such as pears, plums, dates, oranges etc.

What is a balanced diet?

To build a strong and healthy body, we need all the nutrients in the right amount. We cannot get all the nutrients from only one type of food. A diet that contains the right amounts of all nutrients, as well as water and fibre is called a balanced diet. To make it easier for us to select a balanced diet, foods have been divided into five groups.

Rice, chapatti, bread, noodles and so on content carbohydrates and Minerals.
Vegetables and fruits contain vitamins minerals and carbohydrates.
Milk, cheese, curd and so on contain proteins, fats and Minerals.
Meat, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, peas and so on contain proteins and fats.
Oranges, pears, dates, plums etc. supply the required amount of dietary fibres.

Dietary Fiber Food Imaged by Silviarita / Pixabay

How to preserve nutrients in food?

Also, if you keep vegetables, fruits or cooked food for a long time they start smelling bad. This is a sign that germs and bacteria have started growing on them, and they become spoiled. Eating food that is spoilt can cause food poisoning and other stomach problems.

Food can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days and in deep freezers for several weeks. Other methods of preserving foods are dehydration, which is removing water, for example, to make hydrated peas, sweetening that is adding sugar, for example, to make jams or preserve fruits in sugar syrup, salting that is adding salt to preserve fish. Canning for example to preserve fruits and baked beans, that is adding preservatives such as vinegar or oil.

What are nutritional deficiencies?

Even if we are getting enough to eat, if we are not eating a balanced diet, we may suffer from certain nutritional deficiencies. A person who had intestinal diseases or had sections of the intestine is removed due to weight loss surgery or any other issue may be at risk of vitamin deficiencies. Alcohols are also at high risk of having nutritional deficiencies.

One of the most common nutritional deficiencies is Iron deficiency- anaemia. Blood cells need to supply oxygen in our body but if we don't have enough iron, blood will not function properly. Other nutritional deficiencies that can affect blood cells are low levels of vitamin B12, or Vitamin C. Vitamin D deficiency affect the health of bones. We can get vitamin D by going to the Sun. Eating a balanced diet can help prevent this condition.

Good nutrition is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Along with physical activity that can help maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. So, whatever we eat, we have to be medically conscious to supply the appropriate nutrients, vitamins and fibres.