What is Nutrition

What is nutrition? And why is nutrition important?

Like the man who defined love as “not beating your wife,” nutrition is as much a matter of what not to do as what is proper.

Nutrition is the science of keeping the body adequately fueled with the correct foods.

Although eating should also entail the idea of pleasure, the chief importance of food is to keep the body cells healthy.  A cell cannot distinguish whether the protein it receives came from filet mignon or from beef stew; neither can the cell appreciate the gastronomic artistry of a four-layer cake piled high with frosting.  In fact, if the cell could speak our language, it would probably shout, “For your health’s sake, stop choking me with all those sugars and starches and send me more protein it’s not carbohydrates that make me happy, its amino acids!”

Because our cells were created in the knowledge of the “do’s and don’ts” of good nutrition, it is about time some basis of understand­ing is reached between the mind that selects and prepares the food and the cell for whom the food is intended.  Most of us would have nothing but the most genuine compassion for a young infant before whom an ignorant mother would place a meal of ham, fried potatoes and strong coffee.  Yet the things we do to our cells nutritionally make this gross ignorance look humane by comparison!

Proper nutrition is not as dreary a prospect as defined by one teen-ager to another.  “Nutrition,” said the all-know­ing adolescent, “means giving up everything you like—sodas and hot dogs and stuff—and poking down spinach and carrots.”

On the contrary, nutrition can be a fascinating study.  And cer­tainly it should be one of prime interest to everyone, since it is so personal.  No one can eat for you; that is one function each one of us must perform for himself.  Although we may have to depend upon other people to grow our food and to cook it, getting that food to the body cells—its ultimate goal—is something no one else can do for us.  That is why it behooves everyone to have at least an elementary knowledge of what is nutrition, and I mean good nutrition.  Eating is far more than grabbing a bite to quiet a growling stomach.  Like everything else, nutrition has its commonsense side.
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Briefly, these are proteins (amino acids), carbohydrates (sugars and starches) and fats which, in turn, reduce to vitamins and minerals.

Water, too, is an important element of nutrition, although you may be accustomed to thinking of it as merely something to appease thirst, or to fill a bathtub!

Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

What are some vitamin d deficiency symptoms?

One of the main functions of vitamin D is to help the bloodstream absorb calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract. That is why bone deficiencies, such as rickets in children, will result when your diet has a vitamin d deficiency, even though the diet contains ample amounts of these bone-building minerals. When vitamin D is missing, the calcium and phosphorus are passed on through the body in the feces instead of being assimilated into the bloodstream.

Other functions of vitamin D include an influence on the parathyroid glands, which secrete a hormone controlling the level of calcium in the blood; and upon the thyroid gland, which secretes a hormone to control the rate at which the cells use their nourishment.

Constipation, “pot belly,” muscular fatigue, extreme nerv­ousness, excessive tooth decay, and arthritic tendencies are vitamin d deficiency symptoms and tell you that you’re not getting enough vitamin D in your body.

Certain fish oils are a rich source of vitamin D, and their use by people who go without sunshine for long periods is highly recommended. However, vitamin D can be manu­factured by a substance beneath the skin when the body is exposed to sunlight. In this connection, it is interesting to note that a certain oily substance present on unwashed skin will produce more vitamin D during the sun bath than if the body is freshly bathed. Therefore, a sun bath before bathing is more beneficial than one taken after com­ing from the pool or the surf.

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Savor Summer Sweets

Eating fruits in season is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh flavors while you can. Enjoy these summer fruits at your next family picnic, or for an anytime snack.

Cantaloupe ? In season from June to August, this tasty melon makes more than a beautiful summer salad.  Cantaloupe contains a lot of Vitamin A, making it great for eye health. It also contains Vitamin C, potassium and folate.  So go find your melon baller and whip up a delicious salad! Strawberries ? Whether you add them to your morning cereal, eat them with a bit of dark chocolate drizzled on top, or include them in a fruit smoothie, strawberries are good anytime. Packed with Vitamin K, manganese and Vitamin C, this favorite summer berry is at its best from April through July. Watermelon ? Ripest in the summer, a warm-weather get-together just wouldn’t be the same without slices of this fun and refreshing treat.  An excellent source of Vitamin C, watermelon is also a very good source of Vitamin A and B-6. Apples ? Crisp, sweet and refreshing, apples are packed with Vitamins C, K and dietary fiber.  And a new study shows Red Delicious may have more antioxidants than other types, though all are good for you.  The study was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry , in the June 29th issue. Fun tip: For a refreshing snack by the pool, make Fruit-Kabobs!  Simply cut up your favorite fruits into bite-sized pieces and skewer them together.

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