What is nutrition, and why does it matter?

Nutrition is the study of nutrients in food, how the body uses them, and the relationship between
diet, health, and disease. Nutritionists use ideas from molecular biology, biochemistry, and
genetics to understand how nutrients affect the human body. Nutrition also focuses on how
people can use dietary choices to reduce the risk of disease, what happens if a person has too
much or too little of a nutrient, and how allergies work. Nutrients provide nourishment.
Proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water are all nutrients. If people do
not have the right balance of nutrients in their diet, their risk of developing certain health
conditions increases.

This article will explain the different nutrients a person needs and why. It will also look at the
role of the dietitian and the nutritionist.

Macronutrients are nutrients that people need in relatively large quantities.

Carbohydrates

Sugar, starch, and fiber are types of carbohydrates.

Sugars are simple carbs. The body quickly breaks down and absorbs sugars. They can provide
rapid energy, but they do not leave a person feeling full. They can also cause a spike in blood
sugar levels. Frequent sugar spikes increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications.
Fiber is also a carbohydrate. The body breaks down some types of fiber and uses them for
energy; others are metabolized by gut bacteria, while other types pass through the body. Fiber
and unprocessed starch are complex carbs. It takes the body some time to break down and
absorb complex carbs. After eating fiber, a person will feel full for longer. Fiber may also
reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and colorectal. Complex carbs are a more
healthful choice than sugars and refined carbs.

Proteins
Proteins consist of amino acids, which are organic compounds that occur naturally. The body
can make the others. Some foods provide complete protein, which means they contain all the
essential amino acids the body needs. Other foods contain various combinations of amino
acids. Most plant-based foods do not contain complete protein, so a person who follows a vegan
diet needs to eat a range of foods throughout the day that provides the essential amino acids.

Fats
Fats are essential for:
• lubricating joints
• helping organs produce hormones
• enabling the body to absorb certain vitamins
• reducing inflammation
• preserving brain health

Too much fat can lead to obesity, high cholesterol, liver disease, and other health problems.
However, the type of fat a person eats makes a difference. Unsaturated fats, such as olive oil,
are more healthful than saturated fats, which tend to come from animals.

Water
The adult human body is up to 60% water, and it needs water for many processes. Water
contains no calories, and it does not provide energy. Many people recommend consuming 2
liters, or 8 glasses, of water a day, but it can also come from dietary sources, such as fruit and
vegetables. Adequate hydration will result in pale yellow urine. Requirements will also depend
on an individual’s body size and age, environmental factors, activity levels, health status, and
so on.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are essential in small amounts. They include vitamins and minerals.
Manufacturers sometimes add these to foods. Examples include fortified cereals and rice.

Minerals
The body needs carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. It also needs dietary minerals, such
as iron, potassium, and so on. In most cases, a varied and balanced diet will provide the
minerals a person needs. If a deficiency occurs, a doctor may recommend supplements. Here
are some of the minerals the body needs to function well.

Potassium

Potassium is an electrolyte. It enables the kidneys, the heart, the muscles, and the nerves to
work properly. Too little can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, and kidney stones. Too much
may be harmful to people with kidney disease. Avocados, coconut water, bananas, dried fruit,
squash, beans, and lentils are good sources of Potassium.

Sodium
Sodium is an electrolyte that helps:
• maintain nerve and muscle function
• regulate fluid levels in the body

Too little can lead to hyponatremia. Symptoms include lethargy, confusion, and fatigue. Too
much can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and
stroke.
Table salt, which is made up of sodium and chloride, is a popular condiment. However, most
people consume too much sodium, as it already occurs naturally in most foods.
Experts urge people not to add table salt to their diet. Current guidelines recommend
consuming no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, or around one teaspoon.
This recommendation includes both naturally-occurring sources, as well as salt a person adds
to their food. People with high blood pressure or kidney disease should eat less.

Calcium
The body needs calcium trusted to form bones and teeth. It also supports the nervous system,
cardiovascular health, and other functions. Too little can cause bones and teeth to weaken.
Symptoms of a severe deficiency include tingling in the fingers and changes in heart rhythm,
which can be life-threatening.

Too much can lead to constipation, kidney stones, and reduced absorption of other minerals.
Current guidelines for adults recommend consuming 1,000 mg a day, and 1,200 mg for women
aged 51 and over. Good sources include dairy products, tofu, legumes, and green, leafy
vegetables.

Phosphorus
Phosphorus is present in all body cells and contributes to trusted the health of the bones and
teeth. Too little phosphorus can lead to bone diseases, affect appetite, muscle strength, and
coordination. It can also result in anaemia, a higher risk of infection, burning or prickling
sensations in the skin, and confusion.

Too much in the diet is unlikely to cause health problems though toxicity is possible from
supplements, medications, and phosphorus metabolism problems.
Adults should aim to consume around 700mg trusted source of phosphorus each day. Good
sources include dairy products, salmon, lentils, and cashews.

Magnesium
Magnesium contributes to trusted source of muscle and nerve function. It helps regulate blood
pressure and blood sugar levels, and it enables the body to produce proteins, bone, and DNA.
Too little magnesium can eventually lead to weakness, nausea, tiredness, restless legs, sleep
conditions, and other symptoms. Too much can result in digestive and, eventually, heart
problems. Nuts, spinach, and beans are good sources of magnesium. Adult females need 320mg
trusted source of magnesium each day, and adult males need 420 mg.

Zinc
Zinc plays a role in the health of body cells, the immune system, wound healing, and the
creation of proteins.
Too little can lead to hair loss, skin sores, changes in taste or smell, and diarrhea, but this is
rare. Too much can lead to digestive problems and headache. Adult females need 8 mg trusted
source of zinc a day, and adult males need 11 mg. Dietary sources include oysters, beef,
fortified breakfast cereals, and baked beans.
Iron
Iron is crucial for the formation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of the body.
It also plays a role in forming connective tissue and creating hormones. Too little can result in
anaemia, including digestive issues, weakness, and difficulty thinking. Too much can lead to
digestive problems, and very high levels can be fatal. Good sources include fortified cereals,
beef liver, lentils, spinach, and tofu. Adults need 8 mg of iron a day, but females need 18 mg
during their reproductive years.

Manganese

The body uses manganese to produce, it plays a role in blood clotting, and it supports the
immune system. Too little can result in weak bones in children, skin rashes in men, and mood
changes in women. Too much can lead to tremors, muscle spasms, and other symptoms, but
only with very high amounts. Mussels, hazelnuts, brown rice, chickpeas, and spinach all
provide manganese. Male adults need 2.3 mg of manganese each day, and females need 1.8
mg.

Copper
Copper helps the body make energy and produce connective tissues and blood vessels. Too
little copper can lead to tiredness, patches of light skin, high cholesterol, and connective tissue
disorders. This is rare. Too much copper can result in liver damage, abdominal pain, nausea,
and diarrhea. Too much copper also reduces the absorption of zinc. Good sources include beef
liver, oysters, potatoes, mushrooms, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Adults need 900
micrograms (mcg) of copper each day.

Selenium

Selenium is made up of over 24 selenoproteins, and it plays a crucial role in reproductive and
thyroid health. As an antioxidant, it can also prevent cell damage. Too much selenium can
cause garlic breath, diarrhea, irritability, skin rashes, brittle hair or nails, and other symptoms.
Too little can result in heart disease, infertility in men, and arthritis. Adults need 55 mcg of
selenium a day. Brazil nuts are an excellent source of selenium. Other plant sources include
spinach, oatmeal, and baked beans. Tuna, ham, and enriched macaroni are all excellent sources.

Vitamins

People need small amounts of various vitamins. Some of these, such as vitamin C, are also
antioxidants. This means they help protect cells from damage by removing toxic molecules,
known as free radicals, from the body.
Vitamins can be: Water-soluble:
The eight B vitamins and vitamin C
Fat-soluble: Vitamins A, D, E, and K
Water soluble vitamins
People need to consume water-soluble vitamins regularly because the body removes them more
quickly, and it cannot store them easily.

Fat-soluble vitamins
The body absorbs fat-soluble vitamins through the intestines with the help of fats (lipids). The
body can store them and does not remove them quickly. People who follow a low-fat diet may
not be able to absorb enough of these vitamins. If too many build up, problems can arise.

Multivitamins are available for purchase in stores or online, but people should speak to their
doctor before taking any supplements, to check that they are suitable for them to use.

Antioxidants
Some nutrients also act as antioxidants. These may be vitamins, minerals, proteins, or other
types of molecules. They help the body remove toxic substances known as free radicals, or
reactive oxygen species. If too many of these substances remain in the body, cell damage and
disease can result.

Dietitian vs. nutritionist

A registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN) studies food, nutrition, and dietetics. To become
a registered dietitian, a person needs to attend an accredited university, follow an approved
curriculum, complete a rigorous internship, pass a licensure exam, and complete 75 or more
continuing education hours every 5 years. Dietitians work in private and public healthcare,
education, corporate wellness, research, and the food industry. A nutritionist learns about
nutrition through self-study or formal education, but they do not meet the requirements to use
the titles RD or RDN. Nutritionists often work in the food industry and in food science and
technology.

Summary
Nutrition is the study of food and how it affects the body. People need to consume a varied diet
to obtain a wide range of nutrients. Some people choose to follow a specific diet, in which they
focus on certain foods and avoid others. People who do this may need to plan carefully to
ensure they obtain all the necessary vitamins to maintain their health. A diet that is rich in
plant-based foods and that limits added animal fats, processed foods, and added sugar and salt
is most likely to benefit a person’s health.

There is not a one-size-fits-all diet. Genetics, family history, diagnoses, sustainability, and
more factors influence what is the best diet for someone.
However, the basis of any diet that I do recommend for a specific person (whether it is low
carb, Mediterranean, Dash, paleo, or keto) is that it is plant-heavy, providing adequate fiber to
feed gut bacteria, as well as antioxidants, phytochemicals, and nutrients for optimal health.
Why Eat?

The need for energy

There is an obvious need for energy to perform physical work. Work has to be done to lift a
load against the force of gravity, and there must be a source of energy to perform that work.
The energy used in various activities can readily be measured, as can the metabolic energy
yield of the foods that are the fuel for that work. This means that it is possible to calculate a
balance between the intake of energy, as metabolic fuels, and the body’s energy expenditure.
Obviously, energy intake has to be appropriate for the level of energy expenditure; neither
excess intake nor a deficiency is desirable.

Quite apart from this visible work output, the body has a considerable requirement for energy,
even at rest. Only about one-third of the average person’s energy expenditure is for obvious
work. Twothirds is required for maintenance of the body’s functions, homeostasis of the
internal environment, and metabolic integrity. This energy requirement, the basal metabolic
rate, can be measured by the output of heat when the subject is completely at rest.

Part of this basal energy requirement is obvious: the heart beats to circulate the blood;
respiration continues; there is considerable electrical activity in nerves and muscles, whether
they are ‘working’ or not; and the kidneys expend a considerable amount of energy during the
filtration of waste products from the bloodstream. All of these processes require a metabolic
energy source. Less obviously, there is also a requirement for energy for the wide variety of
biochemical reactions occurring all the time in the body: laying down reserves of fat and
carbohydrate; turnover of tissue proteins; transport of substrates into, and products out of, cells;
and the production and secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters.

Metabolic fuels

The dietary sources of metabolic energy (the metabolic fuels) are carbohydrates, fats, protein
and alcohol. The metabolism of these fuels results in the production of carbon dioxide and
water (and also urea in the case of protein. They can be converted to the same end-products
chemically, by burning in air. Although the process of metabolism in the body is more complex,
it is a fundamental law of chemistry that, if the starting material and end-products are the same,
the energy yield is the same, regardless of the route taken. Therefore, the energy yield of
foodstuffs can be determined by measuring the heat produced when they are burnt in air,
making allowance for the extent to which they are digested and absorbed from foods. The
energy yields of the metabolic fuels in the body, allowing for metabolic efficiency.
The need for carbohydrate and fat

Although there is a requirement for energy sources in the diet, it does not matter unduly how
that requirement is met. There is no requirement for a dietary source of carbohydrate, the body
can make as much carbohydrate as it requires from proteins. Similarly, there is no requirement
for a dietary source of fat, apart from the essential fatty acids, and there is certainly no
requirement for a dietary source of alcohol.

The need for protein

Unlike fats and carbohydrates, there is a requirement for protein in the diet. In a growing child
this need is obvious. As the child grows, and the size of its body increases, so there is an
increase in the total amount of protein in the body. Adults also require protein in the diet. There
is a continual small loss of protein from the body, for example in hair, shed skin cells, enzymes
and other proteins secreted into the gut and not completely digested, and so on. More
importantly, there is turnover of tissue proteins, which are continually being broken down and
replaced. Although there is no change in the total amount of protein in the body, an adult with
an inadequate intake of protein will be unable to replace this loss, and will lose tissue protein.

The need for minerals and vitamins

In addition to metabolic fuels and protein, the body has a requirement for a variety of mineral
salts, in very much smaller amounts. Obviously, if a metal or ion has a function in the body, it
must be provided by the diet, since the different elements cannot be interconverted. Again, the
need is obvious for a growing child; as the body grows in size, so the total amounts of minerals
in the body will increase. In adults, there is a turnover of minerals in the body, and losses must
be replaced from the diet. There is a requirement for a different group of nutrients, also in very
small amounts—the vitamins. These are relatively complex organic compounds that have
essential functions in metabolic processes. They cannot be synthesized in the body, and so must
be provided by the diet. There is turnover of the vitamins, so
there must be replacement of the losses.
Reading Text

Cassava

Cassava is a food crop of great importance in developing countries. According to the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, cassava is an essential part of the diet of more than
half a billion people (FAO, 2000). Cassava is most frequently grown as a food source by small
farmers in developing countries. The major portion of the economic product, the root, is
consumed as human food after varying degrees of processing. It is also used for animal and
industrial starch and is becoming an important source of cash income to a large number of
small farmers in Africa, Asia, and South America.

Cassava is a perennial crop native to tropical America, with its center of origin in northeastern
and central Brazil. Contrary to the view that cassava is only known in cultivation, wild
populations of the species grow over much of the American neotropics, in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru,
Venezuela, Guyana, and Surinam. Three subspecies are recognized.

Manihot esculenta subspecies esculenta is the domesticate and includes all cultivars known in
cultivation. The wild esculenta subspecies peruviana occurs in eastern Peru and western Brazil.
The wild esculenta subspecies flabellifolia shows a wider distribution and ranges from the
central Brazilian state of Goi northward to Venezuelan Amazonia.
The large area of distribution of the two wild subspecies makes it difficult to assign a place of
initial domestication (Allen, 1994). From its area of domestication in South America, it was
taken to Africa by Portuguese as early as 1558 and spread to Asia in the seventeenth century.

The maximum production of cassava is in Africa, followed by Asia and South America. In
2007, the leading cassava-producing countries and their production (in million metric tons)
were Nigeria (34), Thailand (27), Brazil (27), Indonesia (20), Congo (15), Ghana (10), Angola
(9), India (8), Vietnam (8), and Tanzania (7) (FAO, 2009).

Cassava is a perennial shrub belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae and subfamily

Crotonoideae. Cassava also called mandioca (Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina), yuca (other
Spanish countries), tapioca (Asia), manioc (French-speaking Africa), and more than a half
dozen vernacular names in other African countries. Although it is one of the world’s most
important food staples, cassava is known in North America and Europe almost solely as
tapioca, an occasional dessert, and as an ethnic food.
Soybean

The soybean is the most important grain legume crop in the world in terms of its use in human
foods and livestock feeds. Soybean is unique in having high concentrations of both oil and
protein. It has the highest protein concentration of all edible legumes. Approximately one-third
of the world’s edible oils and two-thirds of the world’s protein meal are derived from soybean.
The soybean belongs to the family Leguminosae, subfamily Papilionoideae, and the genus
Glycine L. The cultivated species is Glycine max (L.) Merrill. Soybean apparently originated
in China and was introduced into Europe in the early 1700s and into North America in the early
1800s.

Important soybean-producing countries are the United States, Brazil, China, and Argentina.
The eight major soybean-producing countries in 2007 were the United States (72.9 million
metric tons, Mt), Brazil (57.9 Mt), Argentina (47.5 Mt), China (13.8 Mt), India (11.0 Mt),
Paraguay (5.86 Mt), Canada (2.70 Mt), and Bolivia (1.60 Mt). Since 1970, soybean production
has been at least double that of any other oilseed crop. The improvement in soybean production
is associated with both improvements in genetics as well as management practices. Two
management practices that have revolutionized soybean production in most of the soybean-
producing countries are reduced row spacing or increasing plant populations and release of
glyphosate (herbicide)-resistant cultivars.

Bertram and Pedersen (2004) reported that, averaged across weed management systems and
plant populations, 19 and 38 cm rows yielded 7%, 9%, and 10% more than 76 cm rows in
southern, central, and northern Wisconsin, respectively. Soybean planted in narrow rows (<76
cm) intercept more sunlight than wide rows (Bertram and Pedersen, 2004) and suffer less weed
competition (Forcella et al., 1992). Similarly, glyphosate-resistant soybean was one of the first
major successes of genetic engineering (Padgette et al., 1996). King et al. (2001) reported
advances in biotechnology resulting in glyphosate-tolerant soybean cultivars, providing an
effective broadspectrum postemergence weed control option. Glyphosate applied at labeled
rates does not affect glyphosate-resistant soybean adversely (Nelson and Renner, 1999).