On a blog that is going to talk about nutrition, it kind of makes sense to start with the basics. We have all heard the term 'nutrition', but what does it actually mean, and why do less and less people actually know about it's importance?
Nutrition begins and ends with the foods that we choose to consume every time we are hungry.
The sad truth is that if the education system actually implemented something into the syllabus of schools, kids could actually be taught about the basics of nutrition from an early age. If this were the case then there would not be a huge(no pun intended) obesity problem in major countries such as the USA and UK.
However, kids are growing up on junk food. It's cheap, available almost everywhere they turn, plastered all over every type of media that they are constantly exposed to, and they are not taught any better at school, and often at home either.
With kids not being taught about nutrition now, many of them will grow up ignorant to it's importance, and therefore will never be able to explain it to their children, a slippery slope that really will see the obesity issue balloon in years to come(yes the pun was intended again).
Talking about it online and hoping to get a following means that maybe someday, somewhere I will be able to help somebody out, we will see.
So what it nutrition?
* Nutrition is the body using foods that contain nutrients to function, grow and repair. The body absorbs and puts to work fats, carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, vitamins, minerals and water, all of which are known as 'nutrients'.
* Nutrition is the body getting a healthy balance of the range of nutrients that it requires.
* Nutrition is about eating natural and fresh foods that are good for you, as opposed to processed foods that are generally bad for you.
* Nutrition is maintaining a healthy body.
The above bullet points all sum up essentially what nutrition is, and why it is important to make sure that you remain nourished, as this is the best habit that you will ever get into, well that is if you value both your short and long term health.
If you do not make a careful effort to ensure that your body remains nourished, there are several short and long term consequences, which include:
* Poor health
* Obesity
* Premature signs of aging
* A slow metabolism
* Being susceptible to illness
* Weakening of the immune system
Why is nutrition important?
To be as blunt as possible, nutrition is important because it keeps you alive, and it keeps you well. In the third world people die of malnutrition every single day because they do not have access to food and water that will provide them with the essential nutrients that they need. If you are sat in front of a computer reading this then you more than likely live in the developed world, and that means you will have access to all of the nutrition that you need, whether or not you eat right and take advantage of that is down to you, but at least you have the choice.
You may not see it as being a choice between life and death, but it kind of is.
The best way to get the nutrients that the body requires is through your diet. Natural and fresh foods such as fruit and vegetables hold a plethora of nutrients such as water, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fiber. Meat and fairy products do as well as fats and carbohydrates.
Finding out which foods contain each essential nutrient can be done by checking out my page on vitamins and minerals in foods. This provides free information on the subject and can help you implement the right foods into your diet so that you can achieve the nourishment that your body craves.
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