Nutrition usually is defined as the sum total of the processes involed in the intake and utilization of food substances by living organisms, including ingestion, digestion, absorption, transport and metablolism of nutrients found in food. This definition stresses the biochemical or physiological functions of the food we eat, but the American Dietetic Association notes that nutrition my be interprated in a broader sense and be affected by a variety of psychological, sociological and economic factors.
The primary purpose of the food we eat is to provide us with a variety of nutrients. A nutrient is a specific sub-stance found in food that performs one or more physiological or biochemical functions in the body. There are six major classes of nutrients found in food: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water.
Nutriens perform there basic functions. First, carbohydrates and fats are the prime sources of energy. Protein may also provide energy, but this is not its major function. Vitamins, minerals and water are not energy sources. Secound, nutrients are use to promote growth and development by building and repairing body tissue. Protein is the major building material for muscle, other soft tissue and enzyem, while certain minerals such as calsium and phosphours make up the skeletal framework. Third, nutrients are used to help regulate metabolism or body processes. Vitamins, minerals and protein work closely together to maintain the diverse physiological precesses of human metabolism.
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