Nutrition

Many people understand maintaining proper nutrition is critical to one’s well-being but because of confusion and contradiction most don’t formulate a strategy. World Health Organizations, government, and other health organizations have published guideline to help end confusion and contradiction. As part of these guidelines, the USDA has developed MyPlate, which is a diagram of a plate divided into (4) sections to show recommended portions for each food group for a meal. The reality is healthful living requires consumption of foods that are nutritionally dense and provide calories necessary to support a healthy weight. Unfortunately, time and money push the U.S. population towards quick, cheap foods that are lacking nutritional quality and increasing the risk for health issues. There are many factors that affect food consumption patterns such as knowledge of healthy nutrition, family, ethnic and cultural eating patterns, social factors, stress, marketing and advertising, and cost and availability of food. A study found that sweets and desserts, sodas, and alcoholic beverages together contribute to 25% of the average American’s daily diet. Food labeling is the U.S. government’s requirement to inform consumers of the nutritional value of foods based on the manufacturer’s determined serving size, and is especially useful for “junk foods.” The food’s ingredients, in descending order of content, are also a government required label. There are three functions of food. The first function is to provide the chemical constituents of the body. Adequate amounts, recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of 40 chemical substances, essential nutrients, must be supplied continual to the body. The second is to provide the energy for life. The energy from food is derived from the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. This process is called metabolism. The last is to be pleasurable, including satisfying hunger, and being appealing in its smell, taste, sight, and texture....