What is Nutrition?

In a nutshell, nutrition is life! But don’t tell that to a walnut, it might crack up. All living organisms need food and water to fuel the body. Without this fuel, your organ systems fail and you die.

Think of food, water, and minerals as the gas your body needs to get from point A to point B. Not enough gas and you go nowhere. Putting too much gas in the tank is bad for your engine and may lead to costly repairs. Gnarly side effects of malnutrition include:

• Brittle bones that may snap and crack (not enough calcium)
• Bleeding gums (not enough Vitamin C)
• Shortness of breath (not enough iron)

BOTTOM LINE: Nutrition is what, why, and how you eat and how that fuel affects your body.

Why does nutrition matter?

You can’t talk about nutrition without the words energy and nutrients. Foods provide energy in the form of calories. However, not all foods are nutrient-rich. Nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats help develop, preserve, and fix tissues in the body. Processed foods may have very little nutrients while containing lots of calories.

Bruins, Van Dael, and Eggersdorfer (2019) found that nutrient deficiencies in the elderly can lead to dementia, loss of vision, and cardiometabolic diseases. Getting the right type and amount of nutrients helps the body to:

• Build and sustain a healthy gut (Sugihara, 2018)
• Repair the body after wounds (Quain, 2015)
• Breathe
• See
• Move
• Taste
• Hear

BOTTOM LINE: Foods contain calories or energy to help the body function. Nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins help build, maintain, and repair tissues in the body.

What nutrients do I actually need?

There are really two types of nutrients: macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients (big) are any nutrients that you need more of. These include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water because we need these nutrients in greater amounts. Micronutrients (small) are nutrients that you need less of but are still important, like vitamins and minerals.

Foods contain calories or energy to help the body function. Nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins help build, maintain, and repair tissues in the body.

— Kenneth Knudson (@Kenneth_Knudson) November 30, 2019

According to the Institute of Medicine, diets for healthy adults should consist of 45-65% carbohydrates, 20-35% fats, and 10-35% protein as a percentage of total calories.

Who should I trust?

Vitamin C cures warts! Vitamin D gives you x-ray vision! This last one may be a stretch, but we live in a world where lots of people talk a good talk but don’t walk the walk.

When it comes to information about nutrition, here are the people and organizations that produce scientifically-backed recommendations:

• Institute of Medicine: They create Dietary Reference Intakes to help us know how much of each nutrient we need.
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Certifying agency for Registered Nutritionists, source for science-based food information
• Department of Health and Human Services: Protects the health of Americans by providing essential health services for the public
• Food and Drug Administration: Regulates food, drugs, medical devices, electronic devices that transmit radioactive waves for the health and safety of the public
• Nutritionists: Experts in the food and nutrition fields, they advise people on what to eat to live a healthy lifestyle
• Dieticians: Create and organize nutrition plans to promote healthy eating and prevent illness

SOURCES
Bruins, M. J., Van Dael, P., & Eggersdorfer, M. (2019). The role of nutrients in reducing the risk for noncommunicable diseases during aging. Nutrients, 11(1), 85

Quain, A. M., & Khardori, N. M. (2015). Nutrition in Wound Care Management: A Comprehensive Overview. Wounds: a compendium of clinical research and practice, 27(12), 327-335.

Rinzler, C. A. (2016). Nutrition for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Sugihara, K., Morhardt, T. L., & Kamada, N. (2018). The role of dietary nutrients in inflammatory bowel disease. Frontiers in immunology, 9.