An Introduction to Nutrition – Food

An Introduction to Nutrition – Food

Food is any material consumed in order to provide nutrition to an organisms for life. The majority of living organisms feed off of food, much like a plant or animal would. Food is generally of animal, plant or fungi origin, and often contains vital nutrients, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, or other minerals. The human body also requires food, particularly for energy production and maintenance.

Food helps to keep us alive and healthy, however, its nutritional value can sometimes be lacking or deficient. A good diet will provide all of the essential nutrients and vitamins our body needs and more; however, sometimes this is not enough and one may need supplements in order to meet their daily nutritional requirements. In order to increase the amount of vitamin and mineral intake without increasing your caloric intake, it would be best to eat the food that has been prepared and heated at a high temperature; this means most fruit and vegetables, whole-grain bread, and legumes, unless you eat them in their raw form. While these foods do contain nutrients when eaten in raw form, cooking destroys much of the nutritional value, especially vitamins and fat.

Whole grains and legumes are two types of food that have been proven to be very effective in meeting your dietary needs without adding calories to your diet. To add more fiber and maintain a healthy colon, eat more vegetables and legumes, as they are full of dietary fiber. While they are primarily plant based, legumes such as kidney beans and cowpeas are also rich in nutrients and are used as meat substitutes. Legumes are also known to help with weight loss because of their high fiber content and protein levels. If you are trying to lose weight, it is important to cut back on fatty meats and dairy products and instead focus your eating on vegetable based and whole grain foods.