- Nutrition is a science that looks at how diet affects a person’s health
- Health professionals who work in this area are called nutritionists
- There are seven main classes of nutrients that the body needs on a daily basis to remain healthy… they are: vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber and water
- These nutrient classes can be categorized as either macronutrients (needed in relatively large amounts) or micronutrients (needed in smaller quantities)… the macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, fiber, proteins, and water… the micronutrients are minerals and vitamins
- Poor nutrition can cause serious health problems
- A balanced diet includes grains, vegetables, fruit, milk/dairy, meat/beans
- Most of the fats you eat should be polyunsaturated (PUFA) or monounsaturated (MUFA) fats… oils are the major source of MUFAs and PUFAs in the diet… PUFAs contain some fatty acids that are necessary for health—called “essential fatty acids”
- There is no longer a specific amount of food to be eaten from each of the food groups… An individualized plan can be made for each person, taking into account their age, sex, height, weight, and how much physical activity they do
- Desserts are ok… make fruit-yogurt smoothies in the blender… make chocolate or butterscotch pudding with fat-free or low-fat milk… cut-up fruit with flavored yogurt for a quick dessert
- Some importants things to remember are:
- make half your grains whole
- vary your vegetables
- focus on fruit
- get your calcium rich foods
- go lean with protein
- find your balance between food and physical activity
- keep food safe to eat
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition is the science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food (e.g. phytonutrients, anthocyanins, tannins, etc.) in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism. See the fact file below for more information and nutrition facts for humans.
