What is nutrition?
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Perhaps the shortest definition of nutrition is as follows: the science pertaining to the factors involved in nourishing our body. Nutrition hinges upon the special relationship that exists between our body and the world we live in. From the moment of conception to the waning hours of advanced age, we live in a continuum to nourish our body. More specifically, we strive on a daily basis to bring nourishing substances into our body. These nourishing substances are called nutrients, which are chemicals that are used by our body for energy or other processes. Proper nourishment supports body businesses such as growth, movement, immunity, injury recovery and disease prevention, and, of course, the ultimatebusiness at hand for all life-forms, reproduction. |
All that we physically are, ever were, or are going to be is borrowed from the environment that we inhabit. This unique state of indebtedness is primarily attributed to our nutrition intake. We must be grateful to the earth’s crust for lending us minerals that strengthen our bones and teeth and allow us to have electrical operations that drives nerve and muscle function. We must also pay homage to plants for the carbohydrate forms that power our operations and for the amino acids that make the protein in our muscle.
All too often we do not truly appreciate the relevance of nutrition to our basic being. But again, please keep in mind that nearly everything we are and are able to do is either a direct or indirect reflection of our past and current nutrition intake. No matter how oversimplified nutrition may seem in television commercials and on cereal boxes, it is without a doubt one of the most complex and interesting sciences out there.
What do you need to better understand nutrition?
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Certainly any great building must be constructed upon a solid foundation and the same can be said for a great understanding of nutrition. So, before we begin to learn how to nourish our body we need to have a better understanding of what needs to be nourished. Our body is the product of nature and being so it must adhere to the basic laws of nature. In fact, you can think of nutrition as the scientific offspring of more basic sciences such as chemistry and biology. Without question, understanding the whats, whys, and hows of nutrition will be a lot easier once a few basic areas of chemistry and biology are appreciated. |
Beyond nourishing ourselves, what else must we do?
It is truly remarkable what our bodies are capable of doing and how our bodies operate to perform various tasks. Yet, we are just one of millions of different species inhabiting this planet, all of which with a unique story to tell. And, like our fellow planet-mates we must abide by the basic objectives of life, namely to function as an independent being (self-operate), defend ourselves both externally and internally, nourish ourselves, and of course to reproduce, which is without question the ultimate objective of all life forms. Yet, we are special in that we have a relatively large brain and the intellectual capacity to try to understand ourselves and in accordance how we are to be nourished.
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