Relationship Between Nutrition And Health
What is nutrition? Which are the healthy nutrition foods? What are healthy eating nutrition sources?
.For Healthy Eating Nutrition Plan you must read this article
Nutrition is the science that explains the relationship of food with the activities of living organisms. These include food intake, waste expulsion, energy release from the body, and synthesis processes.
Food and drink provide the person with energy for all the vital functions of the body, so its temperature is established at 37 degrees Celsius, which is appropriate for the vital functions of the body, whether during wakefulness or during sleep.
With the energy extracted from food, a person performs all his motor and thinking activities, whether it is reading a book or running a race. Likewise, food provides a person with the materials his body needs in order to build his body and repair its tissues and regulate the work of his organs and systems.
What we eat affects our health directly. Healthy food helps prevent infection with some diseases and helps to heal from other diseases. And any unhealthy or inappropriate meal increases the risk of various diseases that may affect humans. Eating consistent, balanced meals is the best way to ensure that the body receives all the nutrients it needs.
Malnutrition is
one of the main factors related to deaths that occur to the elderly, and it is
common in elderly patients who are hospitalized, and this leads to the length
of the elderly’s stay in the hospital, which results in waste in health
expenses, and it is known that with age changes occur Physiological, functional
and health and these changes vary in degree and time of occurrence from one
elderly to another. These changes occur in the body of the elderly her.
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Relationship Between Nutrition And Health |
Proper human nutrition
Nutrition, and here we mean proper healthy nutrition, is a necessary thing for human growth and the continuation of his life, and even to maintain health. Food is the fuel that gives us energy and activity, and the foods that each one of us eats must be integrated, varied, and in appropriate quantities so that the person does not face many health problems, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, brain hemorrhage, bone porosity, and some types of cancer.
Also, the feeding habits that a person gets used to in
childhood often follow throughout his life and it is difficult to change them
in old age. Therefore, children must be brought up with proper eating habits.
Nutrition experts say, as he recalls specialist Well-known
nutrition, Dr. Ralph Irani, that proper nutrition should contain enough fiber
(approximately 30 grams per day) by eating whole grains (ie with their skin)
such as whole wheat and whole rice, and as much as possible soaking and
sprouting some grains such as lentils, wheat and barley in water and adding
them to food as a salad.
The nature of the diet that a child needs differs from that needed by an adult, pregnant woman, the elderly, or the sick. Each of them has its own nutritional and calorie needs. To get to know the proper diet, it is necessary first to clarify the interrelationships between the following nutritional elements.
Types of nutrients
The foods we eat contain thousands of different compounds and
chemicals. However, the number of chemicals that are of paramount importance in
maintaining our health does not exceed a few dozen. It is these nutrients that
we must get from the foods we consume. Nutritionists classify nutrients into
six main groups:
1- Water
5- Mineral salts
6- Vitamins
7- Other nutrients such as:
Perhaps the most important nutrient, we can live without any of the
other nutrients for several weeks, but we can't go without water for only about
one week. The body needs water to carry all its needs. The aqueous solution
helps dissolve the other nutrients and carry them to all the other fibers. The
chemical reactions that turn food into energy or into fiber-building materials
only occur in an aqueous solution. The body also needs water to transport waste
away, as well as to cool off. An adult should consume about 2.4 liters of water
per day. This can be done by eating the refreshments we drink or the water in
our food.
Carbohydrates
It contains all types of sugar and starches, and it is what
provides living things with the main source of energy. Each gram of
carbohydrates provides the body with about 4 calories. There are two types of
carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates, all sugars, simple
molecular structure. As for complex carbohydrates, which include starches,
their molecular structure is larger and more complex, and it consists of
several carbohydrates connected to each other.
Most foods contain carbohydrates. The main sugar in food is
sucrose, which is regular white or brown sugar. There is another important is
sugar lactose found in milk. There is fructose, which is a very sweet sugar,
extracted from most fruits and many vegetables. Foods that include starchy
foods include beans, bread of all kinds, wheat tortillas (breakfast cereals),
maize, and starchy preparations such as pasta, vermicelli, and other similar
foods made of flour, peas, and sweet and regular potatoes.
Traditionally, simple carbohydrates are believed to be quickly
absorbed, thus raising blood sugar levels more quickly than complex
carbohydrates. This, however, is not accurate. Some simple carbohydrates (such
as fructose) follow different metabolic pathways (for example, fructose
breakdown) that lead only to partial catabolism of glucose, while in essence,
many complex carbohydrates can be digested at the same rate as simple
carbohydrates. The World Health Organization states that added sugars should
not account for more than 10% of total energy intake.
Fats
High-density energy source. One gram of fat can provide 9 calories. All types of fats are made up of alcohol called glycerol or glycerine, and other substances called fatty acids. A fatty acid is made up of a long chain of carbon atoms to which hydrogen atoms are attached.
There are three types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. A saturated fatty acid contains as many hydrogen atoms as its carbon chain can hold. As for monounsaturated fatty acids, they lack a pair of hydrogen atoms. In a polyunsaturated fatty acid, the carbon chain contains at least four hydrogen atoms that the chain can handle.
And a meal should contain some polyunsaturated fatty acids because the body can't make them. These essential fatty acids act as building blocks for the membranes that form the outer limits of every cell in the body. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in the oils of some plants such as sunflower and sesame seeds, and in fish such as salmon and mackerel.
Regular sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids include olives and peanuts. Most saturated fatty acids are found in animal foods such as butter, dairy products, and fatty red meat. Saturated fats (usually from animal sources) have been a staple in many world cultures for thousands of years. Unsaturated fats (such as vegetable oil) are healthier, while trans fats should be avoided.
Saturated fats and some unsaturated fats are solid at room temperature (such as butter or lard), while unsaturated fats are usually liquids (such as olive oil or flax seed oil). Trans fats are very rare in nature and have been shown to be very harmful to human health, but they have beneficial properties in the food processing industry, such as resisting rancidity.
Proteins
It provides the body with energy - every gram has four calories - but on top of that it is one of the most important building materials for the body. Muscles, skin, and hair, for example, are largely made up of proteins. In addition, every cell contains proteins called enzymes.
These enzymes speed up chemical reactions. The cells can not function without these proteases. Also, proteins act as hormones (chemical messengers) and antibodies to fight disease. Proteins are large, complex molecules made up of smaller units called amino acids.
And the body must receive adequate amounts of 20 amino acids. And the
body has the ability to make 11 of them in sufficient quantities. There are
nine other acids called essential amino acids, which the body cannot make or
cannot make in sufficient quantities. Therefore it must be obtained from food.
The best sources of protein are cheese, eggs, fish, red meat, meaning lean, and milk. The proteins in these foods are called complete proteins because they contain the right amounts of all the amino acids. Cereals, legumes (plants of the pea family), lentils, nuts, and vegetables provide the body with proteins.
These proteins are called incomplete proteins
because they lack the proper amounts of one or more essential amino acids.
However, a combination of two incomplete proteins can provide the body with a
complete mixture of amino acids. Beans and rice, for example, are incomplete
proteins, but when eaten together they provide the right balance of amino
acids.
With a combination of protein from two incomplete sources of protein (eg, rice and beans) it is possible to create a complete source of protein, and distinct combinations are the basis of distinct cultural cooking traditions.
However, supplemental protein sources do not need to be eaten at the same meal to be used together by the body. Excess amino acids from protein can be converted into glucose and used for fuel through a process called gluconeogenesis.
Metals
It is needed for the growth and maintenance of body structures. These include sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, and iron. The body needs it to maintain the composition of digestive juices and fluids that are found in and around cells, to build bones and teeth, and iron to produce hemoglobin in the blood, which carries out the process of breathing and obtaining oxygen from the air.
As mentioned above, we only need small amounts
of minerals in our daily diet. Also, diversifying the diet from different
vegetables, fruits, meat, and dairy products ensures that we get what our bodies
need from them.
Unlike vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, minerals are
inorganic compounds. This means that it is not formed by living organisms.
Plants obtain minerals from water or soil, and animals find their need for
minerals by eating plants or from animals that eat plants. In addition, unlike
other nutrients, it does not break down in the body.
Required minerals include calcium, chlorine, magnesium,
phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. Calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus of
the most important components of bones and teeth parts. In addition to this, calcium is necessary for blood clotting. The richest sources of calcium are
milk and milk products. Grains and meat provide phosphorous. Whole grains and
legumes such as chickpeas and beans, and leafy green vegetables are among the
most important sources of magnesium.
However, there are some other minerals that are needed but in very small quantities, and these minerals are called trace elements. Among these elements are chromium, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, silicon, and zinc. Iron is one of the most important components of hemoglobin, the molecules that carry oxygen in red blood cells.
Copper helps the body to take advantage of iron to build hemoglobin. Manganese and zinc are needed to perform the normal functions of a number of protein enzymes. Leafy green vegetables, whole-wheat bread, seafood, liver, and kidneys are all good sources of many trace elements.
vitamins
Vitamins are essential to good health. Small amounts of these compounds should be consumed daily with a meal. Vitamins regulate the chemical reactions by which the body converts food into energy and living tissue.
There are 13 types of vitamins: vitamin A, vitamin B complex, which is a group of 8 vitamins, and vitamin C, D, E, and K. Scientists divide vitamins into two general groups, which are fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble.
As for vitamins B complex and vitamin
C, they are soluble in water. Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin and bone
growth. Among the sources of this vitamin are liver, green and yellow vegetables,
and milk.
Vitamin types:
1- Vitamin B1 is also called Thiamine, which is needed to convert
starches and sugars into energy. It is found in meat and whole grains.
2- Vitamin B2 or
Riboflavin is necessary for the complex chemical reactions that occur when the
body uses food. Vitamin B2 is obtained from milk, cheese, fish, liver, and vegetables.
3- Vitamin B6 also
called Pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, and pantothene all play a role in the
chemical reaction in the body. Many foods contain amounts of these vitamins.
4- Vitamin B12 and Acid
Folic or folacin are needed to make red blood cells and provide a healthy
nervous system. Vitamin B12 is found in animal products, especially in the liver.
Folic acid is found in green leafy vegetables.
5- Niacin is part of the
vitamin B complex. The cells need niacin to release energy from
carbohydrates. Liver, yeast, lean red meat, fish, nuts, and legumes contain
niacin.
6- Vitamin C or acid
Ascorbic is essential for the maintenance of ligaments, tendons, and other
supportive tissues. This vitamin is found in fruits, especially in oranges and
lemons, as well as in potatoes.
7- Vitamin D is
necessary for the body's use of calcium. It is found in cod liver oil and in
milk fortified with vitamin D. Also, this vitamin is formed when the skin is
exposed to sunlight.
8- Vitamin E Tocopherols
help maintain the cell membrane. Vegetable oils and wholegrain cereals are
especially rich in this vitamin. This vitamin is also found in small amounts in
most types of meat, fruits, and vegetables.
9- Vitamin K is necessary for blood to clot properly. Leafy green vegetables contain this vitamin, and bacteria also make it in the intestines.
Antioxidant
Vegetables, fruits, and meats contain a large number of antioxidants. That is why fresh ones should be chosen to be eaten as food.
Phytochemical
Instructions for healthy nutrition
: Among the health food guidelines that we have to deal with
1. Eat different types of food and a variety of colors
2. Fresh selection of vegetables and fruits, fresh cooking of vegetables,
3. Eat regularly and in moderate amounts
4. Drink plenty of fluids
5. Make the food rich Carbohydrates are the foundation of your diet
6. Eat fruits and vegetables
7. Eat less fatty foods, but don't stay away from them completely
8. Avoid bread White and refined flour and replace them with whole
wheat flour.
9. Reduce the intake of
salty foods or reduce the addition of salt to cooked food
10. Eat foods rich in
dietary fiber
11. Consume milk and dairy
products daily
12. Avoidance of Fries as
much as possible, they cause obesity and its disadvantages
13. Consume healthy oils
and fats such as olive oil, almonds, and nuts (in their natural form)
14. Reducing the intake of sweets and sugars
Daily food
Nutrition experts and specialists recommend that the daily meal
should include a certain number of foods from among the five groups, namely:
• vegetables
• fruits
• Bread, rice, pancakes, and wheat foods
• Milk, yogurt, and
cheese
• Meat, poultry, fish, dry legumes Peas, eggs, and nuts.
Nutritionists coordinate school food services, customize patient meals in hospitals, provide nutrition counseling to individuals, manage global diets, examine the relationship between meals and health, look for ways to improve food packaging and distribution, and create new foods.
Meal planning and preparation:
Planning for meal preparation calls for several factors to be taken into account. Food must be nutritious and tasty, and its cost must be within one's means. The chef must also take into account the time needed to prepare the meals so that he can plan them if the need arises, such that he is busy and his time is tight. Planning for nutritious meals is linked to knowledge of the basic principles of the body's nutritional needs, as well as the nutrients available in each type of food.
Dietitians divide food types into basic groups and recommend eating specific portions per day from each of these groups. We have mentioned these groups in the article Nutrition, which also includes a list of the number of servings required from each group. It should be noted that meals prepared on the basis of these instructions provide the body with the necessary nutrients, without adding extra calories to it the required limit.
Main food groups
Dietitians put foods into groups, to make it easier to plan
balanced meals. They recommend eating a specific number of foods from each of
the groups. These foods will provide proteins, vitamins, and other substances
that the body needs to function.
• Bread, tortillas,
rice, and pancakes. This group mainly consists of Carbohydrates are the main
source of energy. Nutritionists recommend 6 to 11 servings of these foods per
day.
• Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans Peas, eggs, and nuts. This collection is a major source of
protein. Nutritionists recommend 2 to 3 servings per day.
• Yogurt, milk, yogurt, and cheese. This group provides vitamins A, and B, calcium, and protein. How many
servings to recommend have 2 to 3 servings per day.
• Fruits are an
excellent source of vitamin C. Fruits also provide nutritious fiber.
Nutritionists recommend 2 to 4 servings of fresh fruit per day
• Vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins A, B, and C, calcium, and iron, as well as fiber. Nutritionists recommend a number of food portions, ranging from 3 to 5 portions per day
Athletes Nutrition
Athletes are advised to follow healthy diets that help them perform
well in the sports they practice, whether on training days or during
competition. There are some basics in sports nutrition, or what is called
sports nutrition, and they are summarized as follows:
1. Ensure that the body
remains fit and athletic by maintaining fat levels that are appropriate for the
type of sport, and by eating the appropriate amount of energy, which is measured In
kilo-joules with body size and type of training program.
2. On The athlete
constantly provides his muscles for training and competition with carbohydrate
fuel by giving more space for this type of food by reducing fat to replace carbohydrate
foods.
3. Enjoy a variety of
foods In order to provide you with the proteins, vitamins, and minerals that the
body needs, and the need for this variety may increase with the stressful
sports program.
4. Fluid care. Fluid and
water intake is required before, after, and during exercise to avoid
dehydration.
5. Sports drinks
6. Nutritional
supplements:
1. Those who do
continuous hard work must eat large quantities of extra vitamin B complex, in
order to maintain the correct energy-to-vitamin ratio..needed to produce energy
within the body with the required efficiency.
2. Vegetarians who rely
only on vegetables and fruits in addition to grains may not be able to continue
practicing a particular sport for long.
3. The process of digestion and absorption of food It is accompanied by a rise in body temperature by about 10-20%, so it is better to take this into account when planning meals so that this coincides with the daily temperature, meaning that the lunch (midday) has fewer calories than breakfast or dinner.
Malnutrition
Malnutrition or poor nutrition is the absence of a balanced diet
and the failure of the human body to meet its need for nutrients, which leads to
health problems.
It is not a matter of malnutrition stopping at the limit of measuring the amount that a person eats or the failure to eat. From a medical point of view, malnutrition is diagnosed by not eating the appropriate amounts of protein, energy, and other nutrients, and it is also diagnosed with an infection or disease.
The nutritional status of any person is the product of the complex interaction between the food we eat, the state of public health, and the environment in which we live. Briefly summarizing in three words, malnutrition: food - health - care and they are the pillars of sound health.
Nutritional Diseases
Nutritional diseases are caused by inappropriate food. In many developing countries, poverty forces people to rely on an incomplete diet. And abound among these people diseases of nutritional deficiencies and nutritional deficiencies.
The resulting lack of nutrition for public food shortages. And it is characterized by delayed growth and lack of energy and poor resistance to infectious diseases. Nutritional deficiencies arise when food lacks one or more essential nutrients.
Protein deficiency leads to kwashiorkor disease, a serious disease that usually affects children, and may lead to death. Vitamin deficiency causes diseases such as beriberi, pellagra, rickets, and scurvy. Anemia and goiter (goiter) are caused by mineral deficiency.
Poor nutritional habits can lead to nutritional deficiency diseases in developed countries as well. But in the latter, most feeding problems are caused by overeating. Obesity (obesity) occurs when a person eats more food than the body burns. Obesity causes many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Nutrition and disease
Inadequate or improper meals may lead to a number of diseases. On
the other hand, getting used to good nutrition may help prevent some diseases.
Also, patients should not eat like normal people, but there are some special
diets for patients, each according to their illness and health condition.
Heart disease
In most cases, it is caused by a narrowing of the coronary artery, so the heart's blood supply is reduced. It can lead to painful chest injuries and, eventually, life-threatening heart injuries. Among the risks are high blood pressure and high cholesterol, as these things narrow the coronary artery.
However, each of these risks can be reduced with good exercise. Many
people can reduce their high blood pressure by limiting the amount of table
salt they eat and calories. Many of them can also reduce the amount of
cholesterol in the blood by reducing the amount of fat they eat, especially
saturated fat, that is, cholesterol and calories in their meals. They can do
this by avoiding trigger foods such as butter, cakes and biscuits, egg yolks, fatty meats, edible oil, and full-fat dairy products.
Cancer
Scientists do not know exactly what causes cancer. But they found that heredity, environment, and way of life all contribute to the disease. They also note that good nutrition can help prevent some types of cancer in laboratory animals. Experiments have shown that large doses of vitamins A and C prevent some types of cancer in animals. Many scientists believe that some foods contain substances that may help protect
humans from some types of
cancer.. Among these foods are broccoli, cabbage, carrots, fruits, spinach,
whole wheat bread, wheat flakes, and some seafood. Reducing your fat intake and
increasing your fiber intake may help prevent some types of cancer from
forming.
Lung cancer is one of the direct causes of smoking, due to the
accumulation of harmful smoking substances in the alveoli of the lung, which
then spoil and damage its cells.
Nutritional deficiency diseases (deficiency diseases)
Many diseases occur as a result of a lack of certain nutrients in
the diet. When the required nutrients are available, the disease is usually
over. These undernourishment diseases are very common in developing countries,
where people usually lack sufficient supplies of nutritious foods. The
availability of different foods throughout the year with vitamins and minerals
has led to the low prevalence of nutritional deficiency diseases in most
developed countries.
Protein-energy malnutrition
It's also called protein-calorie malnutrition, which occurs when there are too few proteins and calories in a meal. If the meal is particularly low in proteins, the condition is called kwashiorkor.
Among the manifestations of kwashiorkor are changed in the color and appearance of hair and skin, swelling of the body, and damage to the testicles, liver, and pancreas. The disease, which is prevalent in some developing countries, usually affects children with an infectious disease.
Kwashiorkor is a fatal disease unless the patient is given amounts of protein with food to provide him with calories. If the meal is particularly low in calories, then this condition is called gallbladder, and this disease usually affects young children and newborns and causes severe weight loss and weakness.
Vitamin deficiency. The signs and symptoms of a vitamin deficiency vary, depending on which vitamins are deficient. A deficiency in vitamin C, which is also called scurvy or scurvy, causes gums to bleed and swell, as well as slow wound healing and joint pain. A deficiency in vitamin D, also called rickets, causes abnormal growth in the bones.
The deficiency in niacin and the amino acid tryptophan, which is found in the protein, causes pellagra. The primary symptoms of pellagra are weakness, lack of appetite, diarrhea, and indigestion.
Mineral deficiency. The most common mineral deficiency disease is iron deficiency anemia, which occurs as a result of the need for iron. In such cases, the blood does not carry a sufficient number of red blood cells, and cannot provide the fibers with enough oxygen. Therefore, a person feels weak and tired.
Other symptoms that appear are dizziness, headache, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath. A lack of iodine can cause goiter, an enlarged thyroid gland. Mineral deficiency. The most common mineral deficiency disease is iron deficiency anemia, which occurs as a result of the need for iron.
In such cases, the blood does not carry a sufficient number of red blood cells, and cannot provide the fibers with enough oxygen. Therefore, a person feels weak and tired. Other symptoms that appear are dizziness, headache, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath.
A lack of iodine can cause goiter, an enlarged thyroid gland.
Mineral deficiency. The most
common mineral deficiency disease is iron deficiency anemia, which occurs as a
result of the need for iron. In such cases, the blood does not carry a
sufficient number of red blood cells, and cannot provide the fibers with enough
oxygen. Therefore, a person feels weak and tired. Other symptoms that appear
are dizziness, headache, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath. A lack of
iodine can cause goiter, an enlarged thyroid gland.
Other diseases
Other diseases may arise from poor nutrition. For example, excessive alcohol consumption causes some liver diseases. Obesity increases the risk of gallbladder disease (bile duct) and diabetes in adults.
The risk of
developing osteoporosis increases in women who eat low amounts of calcium and
have a lower level of physical activity. To prevent osteoporosis, doctors
recommend a combination of regular exercise and meals with adequate calcium.