Nutrition is essential for overall health and well-being. It provides the body with the necessary nutrients to function properly, grow, and maintain optimal health.
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Proper nutrition helps keep energy levels up and protects against many age-related illnesses and diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. But how do you maintain an eating routine and diet that keeps you and your family healthy and works within your lifestyle and budget?
At the most basic level, nutrition is about eating a regular, balanced diet. Good nutrition helps fuel your body. The foods you eat supply the nutrients your body needs to maintain your brain, muscle, bone, nerves, skin, blood circulation, and immune system. Proper nutrition also helps protect you from illness and disease such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis.
There are two major classes of nutrients in food: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. They supply energy (in the form of calories) and serve as the building blocks for muscles and tissues. In comparison, micronutrients are individual vitamins and minerals. They are divided into four categories: water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, microminerals, and trace minerals.