“Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard!” So the urchins sang in the musical “Oliver!” Food certainly plays a major role in our lives. It can do far more than give us energy… it can help us feel good, it can enhance our social lives, it’s the centerpiece of many holidays and social traditions. It can be very pleasurable!

Pleasurable yes! Healthy, not always. So what is the basic purpose of food and how does it affect our health?

The basic purpose of food is to provide nutrients to the body so that it can function. Certain nutrients are necessary to combine with oxygen to create energy for physical activity and for all internal functions, including repairing and building cell tissue.

But food and nutrition don’t always go “hand in hand.” And without nutrition, the body can’t function its best. Health and energy ultimately suffer.

Definition of Nutrition

Nutrition simply means something that nourishes. To nourish means “to feed or sustain with substances necessary to life and growth.” Not everything that is called “food” contains nourishment! And just because a product has a nutrition facts label, that is no guarantee that there’s any nutrition in it. That’s why “junk food” is called “junk” - because it has a lot of calories but no real nourishment - no nutritional value!

Nutrition: Macronutrients and Micronutrients

The nutrients that the body needs for energy and to provide the building material for cells, tissues, muscles, bones, hormones, etc. etc. (all physical structure and bodily processes) are broken into two categories: Macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients are called “macro” (meaning “large”) because they form the largest percentage of the nutrients the body needs to function. The macronutrients are:

* Carbohydrate
* Fats (also called lipids)
* Protein and
* Water

Micronutrients are called “micro” (meaning “small”) because they are needed by the body in very small quantities. The micronutrients are:

* Vitamins
* Minerals

The body needs all of these nutrients in balanced quantities to achieve good physical health and to operate at its best.

Food and nutrition

Before the advent of convenience and fast foods, food and nutrition wasn’t an issue. Food WAS nutritious! Interesting how there are now epidemics of diabetes, obesity and many other health problems since the nutritional quality of our food supply has deteriorated. Food processing to the degree that is found in fast foods and convenience foods not only robs food of most of its nutritional value, but the pesticides, preservatives and additives that can be found in processed food is toxic to the body.

Food, nutrition and health

Learning the basic facts about the nutrition (or not) in food and how it contributes to health (or doesn’t) is probably the smartest thing someone could do to improve their health and energy. Believe me, there are truckloads of false data and myths about food and nutrition that keep people from enjoying better health and vitality.

Food manufacturers with their slick marketing and advertising make matters worse! It appeals to our taste buds and emotions, but processed food eaten on a regular basis, as most Americans do at this point in time, takes a serious toll on health and energy.

The person who said “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” was not kidding!

B. B. Martin is passionate about health education. Her research and writing to help educate others comes from her personal need for useful information on how to improve her own health and energy levels.

For more in depth understanding of the relationship between food, nutritition and health, check out the articles at http://www.improving-health-and-energy.com/food-nutrition-health.html

Copyright 2008 B.B. Martin

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=B._Martin

If you’re trying to lose weight, you know that going to the grocery store can feel like
being asked to walk through a mine field. It can be terribly hard to know which way to go
and what to choose with so many foods all claiming that they can help you slim down fast.
Unfortunately, food manufacturers don’t really care whether or not you lose weight with
their product, they just their foods to taste good enough that you continue to buy from them
regardless of the damage it may do to your waistline.

So, if you can’t believe the health claims on the food packages in the store, how are you
supposed to tell whether or not a particular food will help you lose weight or if it will
only make you fatter? Become a label reader! Regardless of what the front of the package
says, manufacturers are required to list their ingredients on the back. Reading labels will
help you make better choices and lose weight faster. Avoid the following foods like the
plague and watch your bathroom scale take a nosedive.

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1. High Fructose Corn Syrup - This is number one of the foods that create fat. Up until the
past 35 years, almost all the sugar we ate was in the form of sucrose. It was produced from
sugar cane and beets. The danger of pure corn fructose is in the fact that it is without
enzymes, vitamins or minerals. The energy required for the liver to metabolize fructose
forces the body to overuse its mineral and enzyme stores. High fructose corn syrup seems
disrupt metabolism to such a degree that collagen and elastin production are markedly
reduced. That's bad news if you suffer from cellulite! Eating this will make cellulite
worse.

2. Cooking oil - Corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil and cottonseed oil are the cheapest
cooking oils produced. They are used most often in the home and in restaurants.
Unfortunately, they are so high in polyunsaturated fats that they are not healthy. They also
oxidize much faster than other fats which generates free radicals and damages all the body's
cells. Many degenerative diseases and certain cancers have been linked to this process.
Healthier cooking oil options are unrefined coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil.

3. Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil - This deadly type of oil is also known as
"trans fatty acids". Deadly, heart clogging stuff and terrible for the waistline as well.
You will see this most often in pre-packaged snack foods, coffee creamer and commercial
peanut butter. If this stuff is anywhere on the ingredient list, don't eat it!

4. Low fat or fat free snacks - Labeling food as "low-fat" or "fat free" has been really
good for food manufacturers bottom lines, but not so good for consumers. These types of snacks, while they may be low in fat, are extremely high in sugar. Most often that sugar comes in the form of high fructose corn syrup. Research also shows that people overeat foods labeled as low fat. People think that the low fat foods contain about 25% less calories when in reality they only contain about 10-15% fewer calories. There is also a decreased sense of consumption guilt so people generally eat about 20% more of these so called healthy foods.

5. Soda - Both diet and regular sodas are basically carbonated chemical soups plus high fructose corn syrup or dangerous artificial sweeteners. There are absolutely no redeeming nutritional qualities in soda at all. Soda contains no vitamins, no minerals and no enzymes.If you crave a flavored drink without the calories, try a flavored herbal tea sweetened with stevia instead.

The bottom line is this, in order to lose weight fast it's an absolute necessity that you eliminate the foods that create fat and replace them with foods that burn fat.

You know about 5 foods that create fat and should be removed from your diet. Are you ready to LOSE WEIGHT FAST? Find out about the 110 foods that burn fat and how you can get more of them in your meals every day!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heather_Lockshorn

Aging is a part of life. As we get older, the effects of aging are physically and mentally visible. Since we can’t really stop the years from coming and going, is there anything that we can do to help us feel and perform as well as we did when we were younger and healthier? Surprisingly, there are several foods which aid in healthy maturity.

One food which aids in healthy aging is olive oil. Researchers found that people from the Greek island of Crete, decades ago, had extremely low rates of heart disease. The reason for this was their consumption of olive oil. This particular food is rich in mono-saturated fats and in polyphenols which protect the body from heart disease and other age related illnesses. Another healthy meal alternative is fish. Fish is also beneficial when it comes down to heart heath. The omega 3 fats which are present in these creatures prevent cholesterol buildup, prevent abnormal heart rhythm, and other heart related diseases. When researchers studied the native Inuit’s of Alaska, who feed mostly on fish, they found that their community was free of heart disease. This certainly intensifies the belief that omega 3 fats are beneficial for healthy aging.

The third food which keeps us young is blueberries. It has been said that this particular fruit aids in protecting our balance and our coordination as we get older. There are certain compounds in blueberries which lessen inflammation and oxidative damage. Oxidative damage is mostly associated with age related deficits in memory and in motor function. Therefore, by consuming blueberries we improve our memory, our reaction time, our balance, and our coordination. All of these foods, olive oil, fish, and blueberries aid in healthy aging. They not only help us feel better mentally but they also reduce our chances of developing serious illnesses.

Lauren S. Johnson writes health articles about fitness and nutrition.
Some of her favorite passions include studying the medicinal benefits of herbal remedies, diet pills, and hoodia gordonii.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lauren_S_Johnson