Skip to main content

What Is Nutritional ?

Define Nutrition


Define Nutrition is the way a food is digested and absorbed into the body. Nutrition is the biological and chemical process whereby an organism uses food to sustain its existence. It comprises absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis, digestion, metabolization and excretion. These processes together form the nutritional content of a food.

The nutritional content in foods is measured in terms of its nutrient composition. Nutrients are substances that add to or take away from a person's health. There are various substances that contribute to the nutritional quality of foods. Examples of these substances are vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and hormones. The foods that contain all these substances together are called complete foods.

There are several organizations that define nutrition. The National Academy of Sciences is one such institution. It defines nutrition based on biological, ecological and environmental factors. The values it assigns to the different subjects of nutrition are referred to as nutrient criteria. These criteria determine what nutritional products a person can include in his diet.

The dietary guidelines of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) define nutrition for individuals. These dietary guidelines are to be followed strictly for good health. They are also used to set down the level of calorie intake required by an individual for maintaining good health. The dietary guidelines help to control weight, regulate carbohydrate and fatty food consumption, set down the amount of protein, determine the amount of sodium and reduce caloric intake.

A wide number of books have been published to define nutrition. Dr. Evelyn Dew, a professor at Texas Woman's University, has written a number of books on this subject. Mary Scholes has written a very popular book entitled Foods That Define Nutrition. Dr. David Griswold and his wife Edy the mother of six have published a book entitled Essential Foods. The Fomonte School of Medicine at the University of Minnesota has published Nutrition and Your Children. In these books we find that nutritionists everywhere have developed their own lists of terms and concepts used to describe the nutrients and food groups.

The NAS definition of nutrition is a way of communicating the importance of various nutrient groups to our diet. The nutritional status of an individual is determined by his diet. Nutrient classification is usually done on the basis of the proportions present in foods. Foods that are rich in certain nutrients are classed as such. Other foods that are rich in some nutrients but lack in other essential nutrients are classed as poor in nutrients. Often an average dietary pattern may not adequately represent the nutritional status of an individual.

One may classify food as good or bad depending on its level of nutrient content. A diet should contain a balance of all the basic food groups, but a poor nutritional status will suggest foods with a very low nutritional value and those with a high level of nutrient richness. Good nutrition should provide a variety of foods in an equal proportion. It is also important to ensure that a person gets enough calories so that he/she is neither underweight or overweight.

The dietary requirements of individuals vary and they depend on their gender, age and even body size. There is no universal dietary requirement since everyone is different. Food habits are a major factor in shaping an individual's nutrition and they have a major impact on nutrient intake. Food habits can be changed by making changes in the diet. Changing the diet drastically can result in rapid weight loss, but it can also have serious side effects like dehydration and even organ failure. Individuals who are overweight should consult a dietician to help them design a good diet plan and ensure that they get all the nutrients they need.

Popular posts from this blog

Choosing Facial Eczema Cream and Ointments

Facial Eczema (PE) is an inflammatory disease that causes low production of skin, irritation and sometimes burning and even death. Facial Eczema is most commonly caused by a toxin (sporansmines) produced by the Sporales moulding on pasture in warm, damp conditions. The toxins are airborne and can become airborne in dust particles and settled in the lower respiratory tract when breathing air, and they become even more airborne when a person coughs or sneezes. The toxins can also be swallowed when a sufferer eats food with a crusty taste resembling mold or slimy cheese. The toxins then enter the bloodstream when the sufferer inhales them via the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose and travel to different parts of their body. This allergic reaction triggers the release of histamines (also known as lignins) which cause the skin to become inflamed and dry. Normally there are normally some immune cells that protect the face from irritants such as pollens, but under certain conditions the ...

What Are the Causes of Chest Pains?

What are chest pains? Simply put, they are a feeling of discomfort in the chest area. This can occur without any warning. The most common reason for their occurrence is stress. Stress can result in chest pains that may not be so easy to identify. This article will discuss some of the more common causes of these chest pains. First and foremost, a person who is stressed out will typically feel a constant sensation in their chest that is referred to as chest pain. It typically begins in the upper left chest and gradually moves down to the right chest. In addition, it may also occur in the shoulders or even in the abdomen area. A heart attack is often mistaken for this type of chest pain, however, it is not a proven diagnosis. Heart attacks usually occur in the lung area or in the neck area. Both of these areas contain blood vessels that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart. If a heart attack occurs, the person will experience chest pain along with palpitations or sweating in the area. An...

How to Interpret a Stress Strain Curve

In materials and metallurgy, a stress-strain curve in a material provides the mathematical relationship between strain and stress. It's obtained by slowly applying load to an instrument, taking readings of the deformation and calculating the stress. This process is called load cell application. The key to interpreting a stress-strain diagram is to know what the curve means and what it depicts. A stress-strain curve can have many different shapes, but it always follows a decreasing slope or U-shape. The most widely used shapes are the L-shaped curve (also called the isotonic curve) and the curved line. It's very important that you learn and understand these two important shapes. The stress-strain curve shows the relationship between the applied force and the deformed point. This can be thought of as the yield curve or strain yield curve of the particular material being tested. The yield curve is a measure of the energy change due to porosity, where the energy change is graphed a...

What Allergies Look Like and Symptoms of Allergies

Symptoms of allergies generally include: Swelling of the eyes, face, ears. Dizziness. Sneezing. Runningny nose. Watery, red and itchy eyes. Allergic reactions to allergens are caused by an allergic reaction to the allergen. Common allergies include dust, pollen, cat, dog, food, latex and many other environmental irritants. Food allergy reactions may include eczema, hives, vomiting and swelling of the face, lips and tongue. Skin rash may also occur. These can range from mild to severe. The symptoms of allergies may be evident after several days or several weeks. In some cases, people who suffer with allergies may not have any known risk factors for allergies before they develop them. However, it is very important to have a complete medical history, including medical history of siblings. The immunological factors responsible for allergies and their development are also important to be considered along with other factors such as age, sex, family medical history and environmental condition...

How to Manage Stress

Stress they and your kids will suffer; it's a sad fact that stress them will lead to lack of sleep. Lack of sleep can be a serious threat to your mental health. There is an old saying "A tired mind is a productive mind." So make time to relax, take a deep breath, put your feet up or on the couch, take a shower, listen to music, meditate, whatever helps you relax and calm the anxiety and depression. Try to be positive and optimistic and if you can, try to avoid stressful situations when possible. You want to break the cycle of anxiety and depression. And the easiest way to do that is to avoid the stress and anxiety. When we are confronted with a stressful situation, what do we do? We try to fight the stress, either by taking a nap or in other ways. When we have a choice, we turn to the television or computer or both. When the choice is between working and being with our children, we choose the TV or the computer. When the choice is between going to work and being with our ...