An Overview of Nutrition

An Overview of Nutrition

Nutrition is the function of living plants and animals in which food material is metabolized to build tissue and liberate energy. It follows that the food in-gested should consist of all of these components in sufficient amounts to meet the needs of the body at a specific time. Understandably, the needs increase at the time of growth—birth to adolescence and during preg-nancy and lactation in women. It also varies according to a person’s age, height, weight, and physical activity.

Today, a person’s diet, regardless of nutritional needs, varies with affluence, the productivity of the farmers, the availability and accessibility of food, and the food industry. There is confusion among the pub-lic because of the numerous books, articles, and ad-vertisements available related to diet. It is important for all individuals to maintain a balanced nutrition because there is evidence that the diet is linked to specific diseases (e.g., a high cholesterol diet is linked to a higher risk of heart disease). See Table 11.1 for the recommended energy intake by individuals of various age groups and physiologic conditions.