NUTRITION / WEIGHT-LOSS / BALANCE

NUTRITION / WEIGHT-LOSS / BALANCE

I have always heard the word "nutrition" and thought I knew what it means - a branch of science dealing with the way the foods we eat and the associated chemicals effect our bodies. It seems to carry with it the idea that there are foods, and amounts of those foods that are good for us and there are those that are not good for us. You know, how when you were growing up your mom told you not to eat sweets or your desert first - because doing so would ruin your dinner. And back then it didn't seem that we had developed a taste for anything but sweets and our desserts. Then as you get older it seems the amount of sweets we consume seems to define our shape. And then we come to understand, though we may not implement the idea of seeking to achieve BALANCE in our diets.

                                                        A

                                                      L   N

                                                   A         C

                          __________  B                E  ___________

You know, a balance of Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals, and Water. These six are the elements of food.

Carbohydrates are simple sugars, or substances that can be reduced to simple sugars by hydrolysis. Carbohydrate's main function is to provide energy for the body. Some common foods high in carbohydrates include bread, cake, cookies, rice, potatoes and ordinary granulated sugar.

Proteins are primarily utilized in the building and repair of body tissues. They are also energy-providing. Eggs, fish, meat, milk, garbanzos, and soybeans are sources of food that are high in protein.

Fats. Of all the energy-giving substances, surprisingly fats provide the most energy. Fats are not only: a) energy-providing, they b) serve as padding around our internal organs, c) insulation for the body, and d) carriers of the fat-soluble vitamins and lubricants of the gastrointestinal tract. Fats also improve the palatability of the diet. Examples of foods with a high fat content include peanut butter, avocado, margarine, egg yolk, nuts, coconut, and chocolate.

Vitamins are a group of potent organic compounds which occur in small quantities in foods, and are necessary for growth and for the regulation of the body processes.

Minerals are elements needed by our bodies. They make up less than five percent of the body weight but they are indispensable to the body functions. Minerals serve as components of the bones and the teeth and they give rigidity to these hard tissues. They are components also of soft tissue like the muscles.

Minerals make possible the normal rhythm of the heartbeat and they are essential for blood clotting. Minerals help control the contraction of muscles, the irritability of nerves, and the water balance of the body. Some of the minerals that are needed by the body are sulfur, magnesium and manganese, chlorine, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iodine and iron.

Water ranks second to oxygen. Around 70 percent of our body weight is made of water. Water acts as a solvent for all the products of digestion. It is used as a building material, prevents friction between the moving parts of the body and it is the means by which food is carried to the cells and waste products are carried out. Water also helps regulate body temperature. Water passes out from the body by four avenues: the kidneys, skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract.

Nutrition is important. And we achieve "good nutrition" through a balance in our diets. Hence, there are times when we need to be careful of what we consume. Okay, this is a nice way of saying that we need to watch our diets. "If we don't watch what we eat, others won't watch us either." And while we intuitively know that its not all about us, we do care that others notice, hence we need to watch what we eat so that we present ourselves in a pleasant manner to capture the attention of others - because we care about our appearance and what others think of us.