Nutrition is the food you eat and how the body uses it.
People differ in how much they want to know about nutrition, but
everyone needs to know a few facts about food and health as a basis for
selecting the foods to eat.
You need food to get energy for work and play, to move, to breathe,
to keep the heart beating—just to be alive. Children and youths need
energy from food for growth.
Food also provides a variety of substances—nutrients—that are essential
for the building, the upkeep, and the repair of body tissues, and for
the efficient functioning of the body.
Everyone needs the same nutrients throughout life but in different
amounts. Proportionately greater amounts are required for the growth
of a body than just for its upkeep. Boys and men need more energy and
nutrients than girls and women. Large people need more than small
people. Active people require more food energy than inactive ones.
People recovering from illness need more than healthy people.
You and your family can get all the nutrients you need from foods, but
no one food contains all the nutrients in the amounts required for
growth and health. Only a variety of different kinds of foods will
supply all you need.