Nutrition and healthy eating definitions
In order to start developing an understanding of nutrition and healthy eating, you need to know the basic definitions.
Health - The state of a human when it functions optimally without evidence of disease or abnormality
“Optimal health for Canadians can only be achieved when greater efforts are made in health promotion and prevention of illness, and when nutrition is an integral part of these efforts” (Health Canada)
Nutrition - is the study of:
• the nutrients in foods;
• how nutrients are used in the body; and
• human behaviours related to food
Diet - the foods and beverages a person usually eats and drinks.
Food - any substance that the body can take in and assimilate that will enable it to stay alive and healthy.
Nutrition and disease prevention
Your choice of diet can profoundly affect your long term health prospects.
Chronic Disease - is defined as a long duration, degenerative disease characterized by damage of body organs
Many chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer, dental disease, adult bone loss , etc.) have a connection to poor diet. These diseases cannot necessarily be prevented by a good diet alone, as other factors like genetic and lifestyle play a role as well. For example, forms of heart disease can vary — some are nutrition related, others are not.
Diet influences long-term health outlook, and genetics also plays important role.
Genetics and nutrition affect health conditions in varying ways (See Figure in your textbook: “Nutrition and Disease”)
Nutritional genomics or “Nutrigenomics” is a hot topic right now. This may be the reason behind the often conflicting nutrition claims.
Nutritional genomics - The science of how nutrients affect the activities of genes and how genes affect the activity of nutrients.
Nutrients
Nutrients - Components in food that are indispensable (or essential) to the functioning of the body.
Nutrients provide energy and building material
Health - The state of a human when it functions optimally without evidence of disease or abnormality
“Optimal health for Canadians can only be achieved when greater efforts are made in health promotion and prevention of illness, and when nutrition is an integral part of these efforts” (Health Canada)
Nutrition - is the study of:
• the nutrients in foods;
• how nutrients are used in the body; and
• human behaviours related to food
Diet - the foods and beverages a person usually eats and drinks.
Food - any substance that the body can take in and assimilate that will enable it to stay alive and healthy.
Nutrition and disease prevention
Your choice of diet can profoundly affect your long term health prospects.
Chronic Disease - is defined as a long duration, degenerative disease characterized by damage of body organs
Many chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer, dental disease, adult bone loss , etc.) have a connection to poor diet. These diseases cannot necessarily be prevented by a good diet alone, as other factors like genetic and lifestyle play a role as well. For example, forms of heart disease can vary — some are nutrition related, others are not.
Diet influences long-term health outlook, and genetics also plays important role.
Genetics and nutrition affect health conditions in varying ways (See Figure in your textbook: “Nutrition and Disease”)
Nutritional genomics or “Nutrigenomics” is a hot topic right now. This may be the reason behind the often conflicting nutrition claims.
Nutritional genomics - The science of how nutrients affect the activities of genes and how genes affect the activity of nutrients.
Nutrients
Nutrients - Components in food that are indispensable (or essential) to the functioning of the body.
Nutrients provide energy and building material