The Importance of Nutrition and Dietetics for a Healthy Lifestyle
We all know the importance of food for us. It delivers
nutrients and energy to our bodies. All living beings on earth require food and
water, which help us function, be active, and remain healthy. Besides, our body
needs several nutrients, including proteins, vitamins, fats, carbohydrates, and
minerals that we typically obtain from plants and animals.
It is essential to acknowledge that what we eat
significantly impacts our health. Thus, making diet changes or, precisely,
following a healthy, nutritious diet plan can help control and prevent various
health problems such as diabetes, obesity, and other risk factors that can lead
to heart diseases and cancer.
What is Nutrition?
Nutrition can be best described as the process of obtaining
or providing food vital for our overall health and growth.
Dietetics is another prime subject that incorporates:
- The study or science that applies the principles of nutrition
- The study or science of food and nutrition and how it affects our health
Nutrition – Explained
It is a science field that deals with the ‘DAM of food.’ DAM
– Digestion, Absorption, and Metabolism. DAM will lead to the synthesis of
nutrients that are essential for health maintenance, physical growth, and
reproduction.
In fewer words, nutrition is about food intake, energy
liberation, and waste elimination. Some of the essential nutrients obtained
from food include proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, water,
etc.
More about DAM
Digestion: The process of mixing and breaking down the food,
making it easy to be absorbed and assimilated.
Absorption: Once the food gets broken down inside the
stomach, blood (using the inner lining) absorbs vital nutrients.
Metabolism: This process involves Catabolism and Anabolism.
When complex molecules are broken down into simpler
molecules, releasing energy is called catabolism—for example, breaking starch
molecules into glucose units.
When more complex substances are synthesized from simpler
substances, it is called anabolism—for instance, tissues' production.
The Importance of Good Nutrition
Like most people, you might also be aware that physical
activity and good nutrition can help maintain healthy body weight. However, the
benefits of good nutrition are not limited to body weight; it can help in
multiple ways, including;
- Reducing high blood pressure
- Reducing the risk of various diseases
- Lowering high cholesterol
- Improving immune system
- Increasing health recovery potentials
- Improving energy levels
Dietetics
and Its Connection with Nutrition
Dietetics deals with the study of diets, more commonly used
in disease conditions, health maintenance, and disease prevention. It is also a
branch of nutrition.
Let’s take an example to understand the relation between
dietetics and nutrition.
Say a person has diabetes; here, a medical practitioner will
deal with dietetics studies and recommend a diet plan that would be helpful in
controlling diabetes. Given that, the diabetes patient will be advised to:
- Avoid sugars (to avoid rapid increment of glucose level in blood)
- Reduce cholesterol intake (to prevent other disorders)
Dietetics, also called diet therapy, deals with
recommendations and diet formulations for all patients. For most patients,
nutritionists and dieticians prepare a diet close to the diet of a healthy
person. This helps the patient feel that they are eating what other people
around them are eating, and they don’t have a severe condition, from which they
will recover with ease.
However, in some cases, patients are fed using pipes
inserted either through the nasal or gastrointestinal way. In this method, the
diet provided to the patient is different than a regular diet. For instance, if
the patient is unable to eat chewable food, a liquid diet is supplied through
the nasal pathway.
When the patient feels any type of discomfort having food
through the nasal pathway, the other feeding method is performed, called
intravenous feeding, providing food through veins.
Healthcare specialists have suggested that by having a
healthy, balanced diet, an individual can improve overall health and prevent
diseases.
What Does a Balanced Diet Include?
There are several healthy food groups that fall under a
balanced diet; here are a few of them.
Fruits
Whole fruits, fresh, or frozen fruits (excluding canned
fruits that are generally dipped in syrup)
Vegetables
Leafy greens, red and orange vegetables, legumes (beans and
peas), starchy vegetables, etc
Grains
Whole grains and refined grains (quinoa, brown rice,
buckwheat, barley, and oats)
Protein
Chicken, fish, lean beef, pork, etc
Dairy Products
Low-fat milk, cottage cheese, soy milk, and yogurt
How to Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle?
Having a balanced diet is not enough to live a healthy life;
you need to improve and adopt healthy eating practices and habits.
Divide Your Meals into Smaller Portions
Do not eat all at once; make it a habit of satisfying your
hunger with small portions of food. Later, when you feel hungry, take small
portions of food again.
Eat Slow
Take a good amount of time to finish your food; do not rush
and nourish your meals so that your brain gets to know that you have eaten
enough to function.
Avoid Junk Food
Start avoiding unhealthy snacks from the very today and
switch to healthy, low-fat snacks. This will help you consume total nutritious
value from your meals and prevent health risks.
Do Not Overeat
Overeating is harmful and may make you extremely unwell. It
may also lead to excessive weight gain, increasing the risk of other health
risks.
Do you follow a healthy lifestyle? Are you facing health
issues due to your unhealthy diet? Are you seeking help? If you or any of your
friends or family members need medical advice about nutrition or diet, visit
CVMedPro – a platform for you to find hundreds of medical practitioners across many
specialties.
You may also talk to our customer service representatives at (877) 216-4215/local: 559.450.6334. To schedule your consultation with a primary care provider, call us now!
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