Basic Nutrition Theory
Nutrition Overview
Nutrition is all about the substances that we put into our body. You could maybe argue that this could include the air that we breathe… however, the study of nutrition is normally concerned with food taken into the digestive system.
A practical definition would be:
1. The study or science of food and nourishment.
2. The process of taking in and absorbing nutrients.
This site is about Human nutrition!
Our overall health is strongly governed by what we eat; more so than what many people realise. If we wish for good health then we need a sound balance between good nutrition and sufficient exercise.
Our mental health is also closely associated with our physical health; after all, emotions are physical occurrences. Nutrition has a very significant effect on our mental health. Those 3 elements of health, exercise, nutrition and mental well-being form a very tight triangle of “cause and effect”. In other words; each one affects the other.
At present Zhuno.com is mainly concerned with food and eating habits. There may be changes in the future but that is yet to be seen. Nutrition is a vast subject and therefore warrants individual attention.
Please note: I have dedicated an entire section of this site to weight-loss/ Fat-loss. I deal with that subject briefly in this section. This page is about understanding the BASICS of nutritional theory.
This is an extremely informative page and it is well worth your while book-marking it for future reference. Please feel free to social bookmark it as well to help others on the route to better health. The search engines are clogged up with sales rubbish and dieting fads so every little bit of help towards publicising sites like this helps in the long run.
Practical Nutrition... Understanding the Basics
Biological beings, like humans, all need to consume certain “nutrients” in order to survive. These nutrients carry out important functions that include:
- Keeping your energy levels up
- Building and repairing muscle and other bodily tissue
- Maintaining and repairing bones
- Preventing disease, infections and eliminating viruses
- Improving mood and intellectual abilities
There are a total number of 6 types of nutrients that we are concerned with. We can split these “nutrients” into 2 distinct groups. They are:
Macro-nutrients: Macro = large; these are the bulk of our diet and are sub-divided into:
- Protein
- Carbohydrate
- Fat
- Water
Micro-nutrients: Micro = small; these comprise of the minute substances that we require, namely:
- Vitamins
- Minerals
The following diagram is here to give you an overall view of all areas of nutrition that you should be concerned with.
Calories
(Click on the link above to see the full article)
You will notice that I have not included the term “calorie” in that diagram. Calories are a measure of the amount of energy potential contained within a certain foodstuff. They are present in Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats.
Simplicity…
As you can see by the diagram it is not so confusing when you have everything displayed in a simple format. Each one of those subjects goes fairly deep though. You will gain a good grip on those subjects by reading the individual articles.
The Macro-Nutrients…
These are the main 4 nutrients that everyone is concerned with. It is likely that you have come across these many times before. Apart from water, much of the practice of good nutrition is finding the right balance of the Macro-nutrients.
With water it is all about making sure that you get enough. With protein, carbohydrate and fat it is a matter of calculating their calorie values and then making sure that you get the right “percentage” of each one within your daily calories limit.
Protein
(Click on the link above to see the full article)
Protein is the nutrient for building the structures of the body. It is often mainly associated with muscle; however, it is used in many other parts of the body like the inner parts of bones, red blood cells and hair. In fact the human body contains around 25% protein.
The correct amount of protein that we should consume is, and always will be, a very controversial subject. People do need extra protein when they go on a body building program but there is much confusion over how much extra that should be.
The main issue with protein is deciding what you personally want. You can live on a very small amount of protein while at the same time your body can utilize a fairly large amount. Various people will give various different viewpoints… it will finally rest on you as to how much you are happy with consuming. Learn the facts and you will be able to draw your own conclusions. Please read the full article for further details.
Carbohydrates
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These should make up the bulk of any diet. They are the most significant part of the human’s natural diet because they provide the main form of energy that the body needs. This energy comes in the form of glucose which carbohydrates are eventually turned into.
Low-carb diets can be dangerous if the person doing it is not well educated in nutritional theory. To cut carbs out of your diet completely is like trying to reinvent the wheel but people do it regardless of the warnings they are given. Admittedly some athletes will manipulate their carbohydrate consumption to achieve certain aims but it is not advisable to reduce carbohydrates for long. The full article will make this much clearer.
Fat
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The subject of fat competes with protein as one of the most misunderstood subject in the whole of nutrition; usually where slimming is concerned.
Fats, known in the nutrition world as “lipids”, come under various different categories. They tend to be classed as either essential or unnecessary; some of the unnecessary ones are harmful. The fat that most people refer to as “bad” is saturated fat. Saturated fat does not actually have to be consumed by the human body but is present in most food; mainly fast food and animal products.
The key to understanding fat is to know which the right ones are and where to get them from. The next thing is to gradually cut the “unnecessary” ones out of your diet. Unfortunately, most of the time people do exactly the reverse; the article that this relates to will shed plenty of light on that subject.
The dieting and weight loss industry is packed full of advice that is either truthful or bogus! I have a number of recommended guides that I can lead you towards. These have been selected carefully in order to make sure that you do not get the most expensive or worthless ones.
Water
(Click on the link above to see the full article)
Water is often referred to as the “forgotten nutrient” for the fact that people forget it’s significance. The human body is made up of about 65% water. If you consider the weight of the human body you can understand exactly how much water that is!
There are specific amounts of water that the body needs in order to function correctly. The amount of water you need is dependant on your chosen eating habits. You don’t tend to need so much to drink if you follow a moisture rich diet. Extra activity will inevitably mean you need more.
Drinking copious amounts of water, whether it be from the tap or from a bottled source should not be a replacement for moisture rich food like fruit and vegetables. The best and most beneficial water comes from food sources. Be wary of the water you get from the tap. Many countries load their water supply with copious amounts of chemicals that are not too good for optimum health. If you like plenty of liquid then preferably use bottled sources.
The Micro Nutrients
Some of these are required in quantities so small that you would need a microscope to see them. This does not mean that they are any less important for the body. The ones that have been designated as essential for life will be given a “recommended daily allowance” by the government of your country. These amounts are often set to an amount that prevents severe health problems.
The intakes of some of the micro-nutrients can be increased significantly beyond the government guidelines but care must be taken when doing this. Always read any labels when taking supplements. Overdosing on certain Micro-nutrients can cause serious health issues. Until you know more about them it is wise to follow the recommended government guidelines on their intake.
Vitamins
(Click on the link above to see the full article)
Vitamins are similar to minerals because they tend to be needed in very small quanitites. They are referred to as organic chemicals because they are found in living organisms and contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Vitamins carry out a variety of functions like regulating bodily functions, disease prevention, building of body tissues (e.g. bone, skin) and digestion of other nutrients.
Minerals
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Minerals are substances that are inorganic like rocks and metals. You may have heard the categories "Animal, Vegetable or Mineral" used together. Minerals are normally thought of as being devoid of life as such. They are essential to human life, however; even though they are normally needed in minute quantities.
Mineral values and recommended intakes are given for the individual "elements", like for example Iron or Calcium; however, they are normally found in food or supplements in the form of "compounds". Typical examples are Iron Oxide or Calcium Carbonate.
Unlike vitamins, minerals are found in non-living substances like soil, stones and water. Animals do not produce these substances in their body and so need to consume them from outside sources. Plants draw minerals from the soil; animals then consume the plants… or the animal who ate the plant.
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs)
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I have written a special article detailing the difference between government "Recommended Daily Allowances" and the "Suggested Optimal Nutrient Allowances". These are 2 separate guidelines that detail the amount of nutrients that we should be getting. The above link will take you to that document.
