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DIET AND NUTRITION

 

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What exactly is NUTRITION?

Wikipedia defines NUTRITION as: the provision of necessary materials (in the form of food) to support LIFE.

DIET refers to what an organism (in this case, humans) eats.  According to those health professionals who specialize in human nutrition, poor diet can be injurious to our health, causing deficiency diseases such as beriberi or scurvy.  It can also cause conditions like metabolic syndrome & obesity and/or such chronic illnesses as diabetes and osteoporosis.

Nutrition Basics

The study of nutrition is about the food we eat and how our bodies use that food for growth and daily activity.  What are sometimes called “macronutrients” or “big” nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.  The vitamins and minerals that we need to be healthy are known as “micronutrients” or “little” nutrients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, learning to eat nutritiously is not hard. The key is to follow these suggestions:

• Eat a variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products

• Eat lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and low-fat dairy products

• Drink lots of water

• Go easy on the salt, sugar, alcohol, saturated fat and trans fat

Saturated fats are usually fats that come from animals. Look for trans fat on the labels of processed foods, margarines and shortenings.

 

Nutrition for Health & Development

The World Health Organization (WHO) states:  “Nutrition is an input to and foundation for health and development. Interaction of infection and malnutrition is well-documented. Better nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness and better health. Healthy children learn better. Healthy people are stronger, are more productive and more able to create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of both poverty and hunger in a sustainable way. Better nutrition is a prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to achieving better quality of life.”

Aside from not smoking, the most important determinants of good health are what we eat and how active we are.

A wealth of nutrition information is at our finger tips today. Everything from diet books, newspaper articles, and web sites, everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should or should not be eating.  Be sure to check out the many resources available and make a good plan.

 

Healthy Weight

Fad diets and short-term dietary changes are not key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.  Healthy weight is all about lifestyle, a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, balancing calories consumed with calories used and regular physical exercise or activity.

How can I tell if I'm at a healthy weight?

One way to determine this, is to calculate your "body mass index" (BMI).  BMI is a number that is calculated using a person’s height and weight, and is often used by doctors to screen for weight categories that could lead to health problems later. For most people, BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness.

According to WHO, the following is the International Classification of adult underweight, overweight and obesity according to BMI:

CLASSIFICATION	BMI
Underweight	Below 18.5
Normal	18.5 – 24.9
Overweight	25.0 – 29.9
Obese	30.0 and above

 

Waist Circumference

Excessive abdominal fat is another way to check your weight.  Measure your waist size.  If you are:

• A man whose waist circumference is more than 40 inches

• A non-pregnant woman whose waist circumference is more than 35 inches

you are at greater risk for developing obesity-related conditions, such as Diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease

 

Calories

There's a lot of talk about the different components of food. Whether you're consuming carbohydrates, fats, or proteins all of them contain calories.

According to the CDC, when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight for a lifetime, the bottom line is – calories count!   Balancing the number of calories you consume with the number your body uses will help with your weight management.  Remember, your body uses or burns more calories with physical exercise.

If you are maintaining your current body weight, you are in caloric balance. If you need to gain weight or to lose weight, you'll need to tip the balance scale in one direction or another to achieve your goal.

 

Why is physical activity important?

Regular physical activity is important to keep our bodies strong in every way. It's especially important if you're trying to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight.

How much physical activity do I need?

People vary greatly in how much physical activity they need.  Everyone’s metabolism is a bit different so you will probably need to track your progress and adjust your diet & exercise accordingly.

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