What is Food and Nutrition ?

• As much as oxygen is important for survival likewise water and food are indispensable. Food is not only important for living but also for physical activities such as giving energy to body, for growth and development for regulation of various internal activities of the body. The intake of a balanced diet is important for good health. For understanding inter-relationship between food and health, knowledge of some definitions is required-

Food:

• Food is any solid or liquid substance consumed, digested, to provide nutritional support for different kinds of physical and mental activities of the body.
• In common language food is some thing which is consumed by us daily, which gives energy to body to perform daily activities and is helpful in body building. In addition to this, food regulates the activities of body and also protects it. Food provides nutrition to the body. Food is used in processes like catabolism and anabolism. Body building is not possible in the absence of food.

Nutrients:

• Nutrient is a substance that provides nourishment essential for the maintenance of life and growth. The nutrients present in food are- protein, carbohydrate, fat, various vitamins, mineral salts, water and fibers. These nutrients together provide nutrition to the body and contribute towards in leading a healthy life.

Nutrition:

• Nutrition is a science. It is the process of providing or obtaining different nutrients from the food through metabolic processes. Nutrients provide health, energy, protection and growth to the body.

Nutritional Status:

• The nutritional status depends on the intake of food. It is the condition of the body in those respects influenced by the diet; the levels of nutrients in the body and the ability of those levels to maintain normal metabolic integrity. There can be two situations of nutritional status-
• 1. Nutrition, 2. Malnutrition
• Nutrition— Nutrition or good nutrition includes all the nutrients in the right proportion which leads to robust health of an individual.
• Malnutrition— Malnutrition or improper nutrition includes either less excess quantity or imbalanced proportion of nutrients.
  Therefore, malnutrition includes both Under-nutrition and Over-nutrition.
• Under-nutrition— Under-nutrition is less availability of essential nutrients in the food which makes a person malnourished. Under-nutrition is a deficiency of calories or of one or more essential nutrients. Examples of Under-nutrition are— Anaemia, Marasmus, Goiter, etc.
• Over- nutrition— Over-nutrition is a form of malnutrition in which the nutrients are oversupplied. The amount of nutrients exceed the amount required for normal growth, development, and metabolism. The examples of Over-nutrition are obesity, fluorosis, etc.
  A balanced diet leads to a good nutrition level which results in good health. A balanced diet is a way of eating all the right nutrients that your body needs in order to be healthy.

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Important Points of Interrelationship Between Nutrition , Food and Health :- 

1. As much as oxygen is important for survival likewise water and food are indispensable for living.
2.  Food is any solid or liquid substance consumed, digested, assimilated to provide nutritional support.
3.  Nutrient is a substance that provides nourishment essential for the maintenance of life and for growth.
4.  Nutritional status is the condition of the body in those respects influenced by the diet; the levels of nutrients in the body and the ability of those levels to maintain normal metabolic integrity. There can be two situations of nutritional status— Nutrition and Malnutrition.
5.  A good health includes 4 aspects: physical, mental, social and spiritual health.
6.  A healthy person is one whose weight and height is in accordance with his age and gender, he is a sociable person, a firm believer and possesses a well-built body, sharp mind, attractive personality.
7.  There is an inter-relationship between food and health. If a person consumes nutrient-rich food, his nutritional status and health always remain good.

Interrelationship Between Nutrition , Food and Health Questions and Answers :-

(i) The main source of energy is:-
(a) Carbohydrates
(b) Protein
(c) Vitamin
(d) Water

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(ii) Which of the following is not a physical function of food—
(a) Energy providing
(b) Growth and development
(c) Providing peace
(d) Protective and regulatory functions

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3. Which of the following is formative element?
(a) Carbohydrates
(b) Protein
(c) Water
(d) Fat

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(iv) What % of water is present in human body?
(a) 65%
(b) 67%
(c) 63%
(d) 64%

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