Nutrition Information

Information on human nutrition and eating nutritious food types including fruits and vegetables, nuts, and berries to prevent diseases including cancer.

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition.

Eating a healthy nutritious diet has been shown over and over to prevent a variety of diseases, including cancer. Good nutrition is vital to good health, disease prevention, and essential for healthy growth and development of children and adolescents.

There are seven major classes of nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, fiber, minerals, protein, vitamins, and water.

Carbohydrates - our main source of energy.

Fats - one source of energy and important in relation to fat soluble vitamins.

Roughage (Fiber) - the fibrous indigestible portion of our diet essential to health of the digestive system.

Minerals - those inorganic elements occurring in the body and which are critical to its normal functions.

Proteins - essential to growth and repair of muscle and other body tissues.

Vitamins - water and fat soluble vitamins play important roles in many chemical processes in the body.

Water - essential to normal body function - as a vehicle for carrying other nutrients and because 60% of the human body is water.

These nutrient classes can be categorized as either macronutrients (needed in relatively large amounts) or micronutrients (needed in smaller quantities). The macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, fiber, proteins, and water. The micronutrients are minerals and vitamins.

The macronutrients (excluding fiber and water) provide energy, which is measured in Joules or kilocalories (often just called Calories). Carbohydrates and proteins provide 17 kJ (4 kcal) of energy per gram, while fats provide 37 kJ (9 kcal) per gram. Vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water do not provide energy, but are necessary for other reasons.

The human body contains chemical compounds, such as water, carbohydrates (sugar, starch, and fiber), amino acids (in proteins), fatty acids (in lipids), and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). These compounds in turn consist of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese, and so on. All of these chemical compounds and elements occur in various forms and combinations (e.g. hormones, vitamins, phospholipids, hydroxyapatite), both in the human body and in the plant and animal organisms that humans eat.

Water is one of the most important nutrients in your diet. It helps eliminate food waste products in your body, regulates body temperature during activity, and helps digest food.

Most fatty acids are non-essential, meaning the body can produce them as needed. However, in humans at least two fatty acids are essential and must be included in the diet. An appropriate balance of essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, is important for health. Both of these "omega" long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are substrates for a class of eicosanoids known as prostaglandins, which have roles throughout the human body.

A growing area of interest is the effect upon human health of trace chemicals, collectively called phytochemicals. These nutrients are typically found in edible plants, especially colorful fruits and vegetables, but also other organisms including seafood, algae, and fungi. The effects of phytochemicals increasingly survive rigorous testing by prominent health organizations. One of the principal classes of phytochemicals are polyphenol antioxidants, chemicals which are known to provide certain health benefits to the cardiovascular system and immune system. These chemicals are known to down-regulate the formation of reactive oxygen species, key chemicals in cardiovascular disease.

Learning to eat nutritiously is not hard. The key is to:

Drink lots of water.

Go easy on the salt, sugar, alcohol, saturated fat and trans fat.

Eat a variety of foods, including vegetables, fruits and whole-grain products.

Eat lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and low-fat dairy products.

Healthy Eating

Fruits Vegetables

Further Information Regarding Nutrition Information

Lose Weight and Lower Blood Pressure - Drink Vegetable Juice
Research indicates vegetable juice can be an easy, enjoyable way to increase daily intake. Drinking V8 100% Vegetable Juice aided in dietary support for weight loss and lower blood pressure.

Making Healthy Food Choices
According to a national survey by Leger Marketing released today, more than three quarters (77 per cent) of Boomers say they actively read the nutrition facts panel today as compared to five years ago. When asked to choose what nutrition information is most important to them, Boomers mention fat most often (66 per cent) followed by sodium (54 per cent), calories (47 per cent) and cholesterol (32 per cent).

Breakfast Choices Impact Hunger and Calorie Consumption
New studies presented this week at Experimental Biology 2009 enhance the growing body of evidence supporting the nutritional benefits of eggs. Research presented at the meeting demonstrates that choosing eggs for breakfast can help adults manage hunger while reducing calorie consumption throughout the day. Additional research shows that teens who choose a protein-rich breakfast are less hungry and eat fewer calories at lunch.

Food Groups for Good Nutrition
When it comes to good nutrition, what you should and shouldn't eat, and how much you should eat can be overwhelming and confusing. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has laid it out for everyone with their famous "Food Pyramid", which has been updated in recent years. This diagram clearly outlines what the best foods are for you to eat, and how much of them you should eat each day.

Cancer Prevention Through Good Nutrition
When I was diagnosed with bladder cancer, one of the questions I asked was," What causes bladder cancer?" My doctor told me that people who smoke, work in beauty salons and handle dye, and people who work in the petroleum industry are the most prone to get bladder cancer.

Nutrition information for Seniors
This is a pretty detailed story addressing nutrition for elderly people. As an RN, I'd been educated in nursing school about the aging process and what unique ailments the elderly population had. Nutrition for the elderly population was not part of the curriculum. Let me walk you through this so you can understand how nutrition fits in the aging process.

Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables and Healthy Foods
As a naturopathic doctor, I have many parents asking about nutrition information for their children to promote holistic healing and overall wellness. Many kids don't like to eat fruits and vegetables. And many adults don't either. In many ways learning not only to tolerate but actually crave and enjoy fruits and vegetables is a gradual, learned process. If you didn't learn to like them early on, and if you are never challenged to try new foods, you will never like vegetables.

Protein in Eggs Contributes to Strength and Energy
A research review published recently in Nutrition Today affirms that the high-quality protein in eggs makes a valuable contribution to muscle strength, provides a source of sustained energy and promotes satiety. High-quality protein is an important nutrient for active individuals at all life stages, and while most Americans consume the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein, additional research suggests that some Americans are not consuming enough high-quality protein to achieve and maintain optimal health.