Food is any material consumed in order to provide nutrition to the organisms. Basically food is of animal, plant or fungi origin, and consists of necessary nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, or other minerals. When a person consumes food, the energy is stored as heat in the muscles and tissues of the body. This process generates heat that is required to digest the food, break it down and absorb the nutrients. The body also uses up energy when food is digested, which may be in the form of fat, or glucose or blood, resulting in weight loss, muscle contraction and other metabolic processes.
Vitamins are required for the manufacture of many types of body tissue and energy. Therefore, people need a good supply of vitamins and minerals from their food in order to maintain a healthy life style. However, most people do not eat enough of the right kinds of food, which leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals are more common than people may think.
One example of a vitamin and mineral deficiency is the lack of calcium in the diet. Calcium is required for strong bones and teeth, as well as strong teeth and gums. Calcium is found in dairy products such as milk and cheese, as well as enriched cereals, some vegetables and fruits. Sometimes called “omega 3” calcium, this type of calcium is best absorbed by vegetarians, who often avoid dairy products.
Vitamin K helps make some types of cancer drugs. Therefore, if you’re taking certain medications, you should check with your doctor before you eat this vitamin-rich food. Vitamin K is found in meats, fish, nuts, eggs, cereal and some fruits, vegetables and legumes, to name a few. Unfortunately, there is no recommended daily allowance for vitamin k, and even that amount can vary from person to person. Most doctors suggest that a person get his or her daily requirements of vitamin k from one thousand to two thousand International units per day.
If you’re wondering what foods are high in vitamin e, the answer is pretty much anything with alpha-linoleic acid, such as sunflower oil, butter, flaxseed oil, soybeans and eggs. Vitamin e is found in almost everything that you might eat, so getting enough of it is not difficult. It’s just another one of those nutrients that you must add to your daily diet in order to be healthy. A balanced diet is the first step toward a nutritious diet, but once you’re on a proper path, adding vitamins E and C to your diet will help you along your way.
Sugar is another area of great nutrition. Some foods, including fruit, contain very little carbohydrates but lots of sugar, so it is important to balance your intake between these two groups. However, some people simply don’t like the taste of sugar, so they choose to eliminate it from their diets completely. There are substitutes available for sugar that will still satisfy the sweet tooth without affecting the other nutrients most important to good health.