IMPORTANCE OF FOOD AND ITS NUTRITION – Arikawe Femi
Food nutrition is a key element in maintaining our overall physical well being. We must always pay attention to the foods that we eat because they will eventually impact our health, for better or for worst.
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins have each got a specific function to serve in our bodies. The key to good health lies in maintaining balanced food nutrition. Our body transforms carbohydrates to sugar that gives in the necessary energy to perform daily activities such as work, study, or exercise. Carbohydrates can be found in fruits, and in whole grain bread, pasta, and rice. Proteins are the main components of the muscles of our body. Foods that provide protein include red meat, white meat, nuts, and dairy products.
Doctors recommend eating more white meat such as fish and chicken than red meat.
We must take care of our health, we must seek to achieve and maintain a strong, flexible and vital physique. I cannot emphasize enough the positive benefits that food nutrition and regular exercise have upon our emotional and physical well being. Adults should teach children healthy eating habits because when you learn something from a small age it becomes a custom and you are more likely to follow this custom for the rest of your life.
Food plays very vital role in maintaining proper health and also helps in prevention and cure of diseases. Good nutritive food makes health, but at the same time bad or unhealthy food gives rise to several diseases. Our cells, tissues and all organs works properly only with nutritious food which we eat.
All body functions metabolic, hormonal, mental, physical or chemical cannot be performed by the body without nutritive food. Food provides us with important nutrition which is important in cure of disease. Bad food is responsible for lowered immunity system of body.
Human cells need 45 chemical components and other elements which are called essential nutrients and these all must be present in adequate healthy food, Oxygen and water are the two and other 43 are classified in 5 main category i.e. Proteins , fat ,carbohydrates , minerals and vitamins these all nutrients are vitally important for managing our body functions.
Many researchers claims that various diseases are caused by essential nutrients under supply, but they also claim these diseases can also be corrected when all the nutrients are supplied, in a proper way.
A well-balanced, nutritive and correct diet is thus of utmost importance for the maintenance of good health and the healing of diseases. Such a diet obviously should be made up of foods, which in combination would supply all the essential nutrients.
Vegetables are also important as they are excellent source of vitamins, enzymes and minerals if they are consumed in their natural raw state.
Fruits are also excellent source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes like vegetables, the best thing about fruits is that they are very digestive, other importance of fruits are: Fruits are highly alkaline in nature i.e. they contains low percentage of protein and fats and a high percentage of water. Fruits itself is a complete food.
Conclusively, Food is important for humans because it contains all the nutrients and vitamins that we need in order for us to function correctly. If we didn’t eat food then we would become too skinny and ill, we would constantly be weak and we wouldn’t be able to grow.