Nutrition 101
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Introduction:
Why study nutrition? Because what you eat and how you eat is one of the most significant factors affecting your
America is having an obesity epidemic. 68% percent of Americans are overweight and 34% are obese meaning more than 1/3 of their body weight is fat. Chronic diseases and heart attacks are rampant. With a little understanding, much of this suffering could be avoided. Ideally, nutrition should be taught in the schools as part of everyone's basic education. However, if it is not learned there, people will need to pick it up as best they can from nutrition books, periodicals, TV, the web, health professionals or word of mouth. Unfortunately, there is a lot of conflicting views and advice.
The goal of this site is to provide accurate nutritional information and meal suggestions that are a practical application of these principles. A great deal of care was put into selecting the reference materials used for the following articles. They are based on a nutritional textbook currently being used in courses at the University of California, the reference guide issued by the American Dietetic Association and numerous books from prominent doctors, dietitians and university heads in the field of nutrition. There are also numerous links to government sites which are responsible for setting nutritional standards. I try to summarize this information as concisely as possible to provide a web based reference for people who may not have the time to search out and read these materials themselves. I try to be as objective and accurate as possible and without interjecting any personal opinions. The topics are specifically oriented toward vegetarians and vegetarian nutrition.
The previous section on Natural Diet discusses what foods belong in a healthy diet. In brief, these include abundant fruits, vegetables, whole grains, in moderation legumes, nuts/seeds and optionally low-fat dairy and eggs. The Nutrition 101 section discusses the individual nutrients and our daily requirements for them. This provides the information needed to do effective Meal Planning. For example; what foods should be included in the daily diet?, how much and how often should we eat certain foods?, what should be the general ratio should between the macronutrients?, are there limits for some?, and so forth.
The chapters on Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats describe the functions in the body of each, best food sources, requirements and the preferred ratio between them. The Vitamins and Minerals chapters discuss their functions, best food sources, requirements, deficiency/excess symptoms and supplements. The Digestion chapter discusses issues that affect digestion and intestinal health; meal frequency, volume and density of meals, food combining, etc. Finally, the Daily Requirements chapter summarizes the requirements for all the nutrients in one place. It recommends the best food sources and amounts which should be included in the daily diet. This information is then used in the Meal Planning section and is visually represented in the Vegetarian Food Pyramid on that page.
Nutrition certainly plays an important role in maintaining health but there are other factors that also deserve attention. Maintaining normal weight, regular exercise, sufficient sleep, proper hygiene, good posture, moderate activity, adequate rest and reducing stress all work together to promote health and well being. There is not one magic diet that will suit everyone. Each person will need to find the foods that agree with them and determine the quantities and frequencies that fit their lifestyle. The guidelines listed in the Summary of each chapter give suggestions for improving the diet and moving it in a healthier direction. Granted, habits are difficult to change. But even making a few changes, here and there as you can, will help. Gradually introduce improvements over time and give new habits a chance to take root.
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