Nutrition is the science of food, the nutrients in foods and how the body uses those nutrients. Nutrients are substances that the body cannot make on its own and are divided into two main categories, macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals).
Basically, nutrition consists of diet (what you take in) and metabolism (what happens to it after it enters your body). Nutrition also includes the process of ingestion, digestion, absorption, metabolism, transport, storage and excretion of those nutrients. How the body responds to food is also an important factor. Nutrition involves identifying how certain diseases, conditions or problems may be caused by diet, such as poor diet (malnutrition), food allergies, metabolic diseases, etc.
Disease, illness and many health conditions can be prevented, lessened or reversed with a healthy diet. Nutrition is also involved in consumer concerns for food and water safety, environmental contaminants, pesticides, food additives, biotechnology, and genetically modified foods in the marketplace. Nutrition is a far reaching area of study that affects each and everyone of us daily. Proper nutrition is paramount to a healthy body.
