Understanding
nutrition is one of the secrets of healthy life. Without having proper
knowledge about nutrition, a person is just eating for the sake of fulfilling
the body’s needs without providing nutrients for the growth & repair.
So, to know about
& to get better understanding about the process of Nutrition, one have to go in little deep & to first
understands that exactly What is
nutrition?, How it happens? , Where it happens? , What are the basic elements
& key factors involved in the process?
In simple terms
Nutrition is a process of taking food by mouth also known as Ingestion, then
digestion takes place by breaking bigger food molecules into smaller digestible
molecules, then nutrients get absorbed by the body also known as absorption,
then assimilation of absorbed nutrients into the blood stream takes place and
last Egestion occurs i.e. removal of waste or undigested products from the
body.
A varied variety of
food is taken by all due to cultural & geographical divisions.
The FOOD which is usually taken by is the ultimate HERO & consists of different NUTRIENT which when get absorbed and assimilated in the
body provides nourishment, growth, repair and serves many other functions of
body.
So, basically
understanding nutrients first rather gulping is most important.
As combination of
these nutrients only gives rise to various ailments, metabolic disorders and
they also decide the nutritional deficiency which is mostly seen these days
right from childhood.
Nutrients requirement
is different at different stages of life and vary with age, gender,
physiological status and physical activity.e.g. the nutrient requirement of
heavy worker is more than moderate & sedentary lifestyle worker. So the nutrients
which we derived from our food are broadly categorized in to two groups :-
1. Macronutrients
2. Micronutrients
Macronutrients are
required in more amount and form the base of nutrients which we derive from
various food groups and they are:-
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Fats
Micronutrients are
required in lesser amounts than macronutrients and they are:
Now again it is more
important to know the functions of these nutrients and how they affect our body
because the combination of these only is termed is taken up by all and termed
as food.
A. Carbohydrate: - A vital source of
energy and provides 4 Kcal/gm to
body. It comprises about 60% of an individual’s diet. It mostly comes from the
food like wheat, rice, fruits, milk and Root vegetables. They are either Simple
or Complex depending upon their chemical makeup & their absorption in body.
Carbohydrate works as a fuel for body and provides energy.
B. Proteins:
- Proteins are formed by amino acid. They are considered as building blocks of
proteins & there are total 20 different kinds of amino acid exist. 1 gm of
protein provides 4 Kcal but its
functions are different from carbohydrate. Every cell is made up of protein so
the primary function of protein is to provide structure, repair of cell,
regulation and various function performed by body tissue & organs. Sources
of proteins are pulses, legumes, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, milk & they are
considered complete & incomplete on the basis of amino acids present in
them.
C. Fats:
- Fats are dense source of energy & provides 9 Kcal/gm. They help in absorption of many fat soluble vitamins like
A, D, E, & K. Fats are either visible which we can see through our naked
eye like butter, ghee, oils OR invisible fat which is present in milk, egg
yolk, nuts & oilseeds.
D. Vitamins
and Minerals: - They are needed in smaller amounts but are very essential for
the body to develop and function properly. There are water soluble & fat
soluble vitamins and they govern various functions of the body. The major source of various vitamins &
minerals are plants & animal products.Vitamins & minerals differ mainly
in their chemical structure. Minerals are also classified into 2 groups:
(i) Macro
Minerals (Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Chloride and
Sulphur)
(ii) Trace
Minerals (Iron, Manganese, Copper, Iodine, Zinc, Cobalt, Fluoride and Selenium.
In broad terms these
macro & micro nutrients are present in our food and these only makes a
balanced diet which is required for the proper growth of the body.
After understanding
the nutrients part it is also important to understand the various food groups (which
we will be taken up in next blog) which consists these nutrients and our plate
consists of these food groups only.
Till then take
care.....Be Safe, Healthy and Happy...
