Every living organism needs food to survive by giving it calories and proper food nutrients. Without proper nutrients, poor health or even death can result. A proper diet, or collection of foods, is vital to ensuring proper health by delivering nutrients to the bodys cells. Food nutrition is the collection of all nutrients building blocks of the bodys systems. Some problems that can result from improper nutrition are obesity, a flawed metabolism, diabetes and deficiency of the immune system. This can lead to further illness because the body cant fight off diseases. There are six basic nutrients in food nutrition that the human body needs to survive. Many foods have a food nutrition chart to tell you how much of the nutrients are available in a serving of food.
Six Basic Parts of Food Nutrition
The six components of proper food nutrition are water, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Water is the first food nutrient, and is the main component of the human body. It keeps the body hydrated and able to function. Fats contain essential fatty acids, such as omega-3, and are typically found saturated or unsaturated. Its best to avoid too much saturated fat, which occurs in the form of butter and oil.
Carbohydrates, another food nutrient, are broken down and act to give the body energy. Excess energy is stored as fat. Carbohydrates help to elevate blood sugar levels.
Proteins are mainly what build the bodys tissues. Protein is the food nutrition component mainly associated with muscle growth, even though it helps to build some bone tissue and other body parts as well. The other two parts of food nutrition, vitamins and minerals, are essential in making sure other functions of the body perform optimally. Calcium, for example, helps to create strong bones and teeth, and iron is essential to create a high enough number of red blood cells. Vitamins A and C aid in the functioning of the immune system and in eyesight/hearing. The Vitamin B complex is what helps the body to process calories in food into energy.
All of these nutrients are vital in keeping the body functioning properly, but it may not always be possible to get them in the form of food. Although its best to try to get your nutrients from food, there are vitamin supplements, mineral supplements and protein shakes, along with other forms of nutrient supplements to help the body get its daily need of all the necessary nutrients.
