Tuesday, 10 February 2015
What is food?
What is food? Well, you think, that's a silly question. Food is what we
eat to fill our stomachs when we are hungry. It is our breakfast, lunch
and dinner! It is fruits and vegetables, meat and fish and sweets that
we enjoy and keeps us satiated and happy. Meal times are pleasurable
times. Of course, that's true. Why shouldn't it be?
The dictionary defines food as "any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth." And that's what I am getting at. Do we ever think of food as medicine? No? Well, it is, and that is the main purpose of this blog. To change your perception of food. And what it does for us, besides filling our stomach and keeping us from feeling hungry.
From the time I was little, I was taught to see food in it's components. Carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins and minerals. That's because I was lucky to have a father who taught me well. I am forever grateful to him for teaching me early. I was born a glutton, I think! :) I loved food and would eat anything and everything I was offered. That was not a good thing at all, because it did not always do good things to my body. But I was able to use this understanding of food to get myself back on track and use food in the right way, to nourish myself and help myself become fitter and stronger as the years went on.
So, moving on....... :) Food is carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. also known as the macronutrients and the micronutrients.
The definition of carbohydrates is "any of a large group of organic compounds occurring in foods and living tissues and including sugars, starch, and cellulose. They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1) and typically can be broken down to release energy in the animal body. "
The definition of proteins is " any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds which have large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies."
The definition of fats is "any of a group of natural esters of glycerol and various fatty acids, which are solid at room temperature and are the main constituents of animal and vegetable fat."
The definition of vitamins and minerals is " any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism, found in minute amounts in natural foodstuffs or sometimes produced synthetically: deficiencies of vitamins produce specific disorders. "
Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients because they perform hundreds of roles in the body. Eating a healthy diet remains the best way to get sufficient amounts of the vitamins and minerals you need.
Well, I hope you had the patience to go through that. You can see how important they are just by the technical explanations, isn't it? Well to put it all very simply. Carbohydrates give us energy through the sugars they contain, proteins help us build our bodies and maintain the various tissues in a healthy state, fats are essential for our bodies to process the vitamins and minerals, which are required everyday. Our food needs to contain all of these elements in certain proportions throughout our lives to ensure the healthy growth and function of our bodies. A lack of any of these will show up in the form of disease and general unwellness.
I won't bore you any further. The explanation isn't complete in a technical sense. This was just to tell you exactly how important food is, besides being a thing of pure pleasure. Think it over. And if you care to comment, please do. Thank you :)
The dictionary defines food as "any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth." And that's what I am getting at. Do we ever think of food as medicine? No? Well, it is, and that is the main purpose of this blog. To change your perception of food. And what it does for us, besides filling our stomach and keeping us from feeling hungry.
From the time I was little, I was taught to see food in it's components. Carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins and minerals. That's because I was lucky to have a father who taught me well. I am forever grateful to him for teaching me early. I was born a glutton, I think! :) I loved food and would eat anything and everything I was offered. That was not a good thing at all, because it did not always do good things to my body. But I was able to use this understanding of food to get myself back on track and use food in the right way, to nourish myself and help myself become fitter and stronger as the years went on.
So, moving on....... :) Food is carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. also known as the macronutrients and the micronutrients.
The definition of carbohydrates is "any of a large group of organic compounds occurring in foods and living tissues and including sugars, starch, and cellulose. They contain hydrogen and oxygen in the same ratio as water (2:1) and typically can be broken down to release energy in the animal body. "
The definition of proteins is " any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds which have large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies."
The definition of fats is "any of a group of natural esters of glycerol and various fatty acids, which are solid at room temperature and are the main constituents of animal and vegetable fat."
The definition of vitamins and minerals is " any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism, found in minute amounts in natural foodstuffs or sometimes produced synthetically: deficiencies of vitamins produce specific disorders. "
Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients because they perform hundreds of roles in the body. Eating a healthy diet remains the best way to get sufficient amounts of the vitamins and minerals you need.
Well, I hope you had the patience to go through that. You can see how important they are just by the technical explanations, isn't it? Well to put it all very simply. Carbohydrates give us energy through the sugars they contain, proteins help us build our bodies and maintain the various tissues in a healthy state, fats are essential for our bodies to process the vitamins and minerals, which are required everyday. Our food needs to contain all of these elements in certain proportions throughout our lives to ensure the healthy growth and function of our bodies. A lack of any of these will show up in the form of disease and general unwellness.
I won't bore you any further. The explanation isn't complete in a technical sense. This was just to tell you exactly how important food is, besides being a thing of pure pleasure. Think it over. And if you care to comment, please do. Thank you :)
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