It is known as nutrition to the biological process from which the body assimilates the food and fluids necessary for growth, functioning and maintenance of vital functions, but nutrition is also the part of medicine that deals with the study of the best relationship between food and health.
Generally, those people who need to find a balance in their meals, either for a matter of preserving health as we said, or because they are experiencing signs of being overweight, usually consult nutrition specialists for advice on the best diet to use. continue to overcome these problems and in the worst case, until a probable future illness is avoided.
The best nutrition will be the one that meets energy requirements through the metabolization of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats), non-energy micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, hydration thanks to the consumption of water and dietary fiber
So there is six kinds of essential nutrients that the body needs daily to build and maintain a healthy life: fats, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, water and minerals. Fats or lipids are an energy reserve, but they are also a necessary part of cell membranes and of various metabolic processes. On the other hand, proteins are made up of amino acids and participate in all the functions of the organism, with different structural and molecular variants. Carbohydrates, or carbohydrates, constitute the energy starting point of metabolism, although they play other physiological roles.
Water, minerals and all vitamins are also essential, in their proper proportion, in the normal functioning of the body.
Meanwhile, an imbalance of these, either due to excess or lack, is what causes the health problem. Among the most prominent diseases as a consequence of poor nutrition are: atherosclerosis, some forms of cancer, obesity, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, rickets and scurvy. It is essential to note that both excess and deficiency of nutrients cause diseases. Thus, while excess fat causes obesity, its deficiency leads to serious hormonal alterations, as occurs during anorexia nervosa. Also, both vitamin deficiencies and excesses are correlated with critically ill illness. In any case, although the number of obesity cases is rapidly growing throughout the world, it is malnutrition, especially in children, the great nutritional scourge of our time.
And the truth is that we have already seen and are even surrounded by many examples of the negative effects of poor nutrition, we just have to look a little beyond our environment, towards Africa or many other very poor regions of Latin America. In addition to the lack of access to food, parasitic diseases are a crucial reason for malnutrition in our non-industrialized countries, predominantly intestinal parasites.
A good way to keep nutrition under control for those who are lazy when it comes to going to the doctor is to observe and follow exactly the so-called nutritional pyramid that charts those essential foods that our body needs to consume to stay healthy.
As the pyramid narrows reaching the apex, these are the foods we need the least
For example, at the base are cereals or grains, especially those whole grains, bases for our diet. At the top are the oils, fats and sugars that are the ones we need the least. Water is an essential component that exceeds the distribution in the pyramid and should be ingested in abundance, unless there are specific restrictions for health reasons.
A separate mention fits the consumption of alcohol; Beyond the probable benefits of a reduced intake of red wine on a daily basis, the ingestion of alcoholic beverages, in addition to the addictive effects, causes a significant incorporation of calories and numerous metabolic alterations that trigger definite damages for The nutrition.
