Food, Nutrition & Health: The Connection Revealed
“Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard!” So the urchins sang in the musical “Oliver!” Food certainly plays a major role in our lives. It can do far more than give us energy… it can help us feel good, it can enhance our social lives, it’s the centerpiece of many holidays and social traditions. It can be very pleasurable!
Pleasurable yes! Healthy, not always. So what is the basic purpose of food and how does it affect our health?
The basic purpose of food is to provide nutrients to the body so that it can function. Certain nutrients are necessary to combine with oxygen to create energy for physical activity and for all internal functions, including repairing and building cell tissue.
But food and nutrition don’t always go “hand in hand.” And without nutrition, the body can’t function its best. Health and energy ultimately suffer.
Definition of Nutrition
Nutrition simply means something that nourishes. To nourish means “to feed or sustain with substances necessary to life and growth.” Not everything that is called “food” contains nourishment! And just because a product has a nutrition facts label, that is no guarantee that there’s any nutrition in it. That’s why “junk food” is called “junk” - because it has a lot of calories but no real nourishment - no nutritional value!
The Nutritional Approach to Managing Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Background in Biochemistry and Pharmacology. Main goal is to bring out the best in people.