Nutrition and its importance:
Nutrition is defined as the process by which an animal or plant takes in and utilises food substances. Essential nutrients include protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.Normally, 85% of daily energy use is from fat and carbohydrates and 1% from protein.In humans, nutrition is mainly achieved through the process of putting foods into our mouths,chewing and swallowing it. The required amounts of the essential nutrients differ by age and the state of the body. For example : physical activity, diseases present (like cancer) or weekend bones – known as osteoporosis, medications, pregnancy and lactation. Without nutrition we won’t be able to do any sort of work. Nutrition is the basic need of the day. For example : A car needs fuel for working, without fuel it won’t work. similarly, human body require proper nutrition for the normal growth and functioning of the body. And the science which tells us about the whole process is known as nutritional science.
Why is Nutrition important?
Nutrition and its importance:
Nutrition is essential for growth and development, health and well-being. Eating a healthy diet contributes to preventing future illness and improving quality and length of life. Your nutritional status is the state of your health as determined by what you eat. There are several ways of assessing nutritional status, including anthropometric (I.e. physical body measurement), food intake and biochemical measurement.
Your body mass index (BMI) is a good indicator of your nutritional status. It takes into account your weight and height, and correlates well with total body fat expressed as percentage of body weight. The correlation depends on age, with the highest correlation seen in ages 26-55 years and the lowest in the young and elderly. If you take your weight in kilograms and divide it by your height in metres squared, the figure you obtain is your BMI.
High values indicate excessive fat stores and low values indicate insufficient fat stores. Your BMI can therefore be used as a diagnostic tool for both over-nutrition and under-nutrition. If your BMI is between 25.0 and 29.9 you are classified as over weight. If it is above 30.0, you are classified as obese. The healthy BMI range is 18.5 – 24.9. However, the BMI is best used together with waist circumference.
WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE :
Measuring waist circumference helps screen for possible health risks that come with overweight and obesity. If most of your fat is around your waist rather at your hips, you’re at a higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This risk goes up with a waist size that is greater than 35 inches for women or greater than 40 inches for men. To correctly measure waist, stand and place a tape measure around your middle, just above your hip bones. Measure your waist just after you breathe out.
The table risks of obesity -associated diseases by BMI and waist circumference provides you with an idea of whether your BMI combined with your waist circumference increases your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases or conditions.