Nutrition

Your body is like a complicated machine that needs fuel to work well. It gets the necessary nutrients it needs to work properly from the foods you eat everyday. Your body requires a variety of different foods in order to have a balanced diet.

Nutrients

Nutrients are what our bodies need in order to work and grow. They are divided into three groups: macronutrients, micronutrients, and water. Macronutrients are needed in large quantities by our bodies. They are used to make energy. The energy you get from food is measured in calories.

Vitamins and minerals are macronutrients. They are needed in smaller amounts by our bodies. Micronutrients help speed up the release of energy from foods. They also help make many important substances in our bodies. There are 13 vitamins and 20 minerals we can get from the foods we eat. If you do not get enough of some of these micronutrients in your diet, you can become ill and your body will not work at its best.

Water is essential for survival. Water is used in all of the chemical reactions that occur in your body. It is responsible for helping to control your body's temperature. It does this through perspiration. Think about what happens when you are very hot. Your blood is largely made up of water. Blood helps carry important nutrients and chemicals to all parts of your body.

The Food Pyramid

Nutritionists are scientists who study food. They divide foods into several food groups. We can find these food groups on the food pyramid. To have a balanced diet, we should eat servings from each of these food groups every day. The bottom of the food pyramid is wide. This means we should eat more of these foods. The narrower top of the food pyramid shows us foods that should be eaten in smaller quantities. Look for food pyramids and Nutrition Facts labels on food packages. These labels provide us with lots of information about foods and their nutrients. Our bodies need good food to grow strong and healthy. You need to make good food choices every time you eat.

The famous saying - "You are what you eat!" holds an important message for both adults and children. The question that follows, "What should I be eating?" is one that has been made easier thanks to the new Nutrition Facts labeling found on today's food packages. The food pyramid developed by the U.S. Dept. of also helps show us the types of foods and serving amounts that should be eaten every day. Both of these tools help point the way to good < >nutrition and healthy eating habits.

We obtain the substances we need for survival from the air we breathe and the nutrients contained in the foods we eat. Nutrients are divided into 3 categories: macronutrients, micronutrients, and water.