Nutrition

A nutritionist can help advise people on dietary and nutrition matters relating to health. Recently nutrition has become part of the general consciousness and a nutritionist can help you manage your diet well. Nutrition is the most important thing to consider in your life as a good diet can have an incredible effect on your quality of life. To find a nutritionist use our search system.

History Of Nutrition

The importance of nutrition and its effects on the body have been documented as far back as 400BC when Hippocrates instructed his students about nutrition in food having medical benefits. However, it wasn't until the mid-1700s that a British Navy physician experimented in nutrition for the first time.

Seeing that sailors on long journeys were susceptible to a painful bleeding disorder known as 'scurvy', Dr. James Lind experimented with citrus fruit to cure the disease (which is now known as being due to a vitamin C deficiency). Thirty years after Lind's discovery, Antoine Lavoisier discovered the process of metabolism and how food and oxygen generates heat and water in the body.

Over the next 150 years, important steps were made by nutrition scientists. In the early 20th century, Elmer Vernon McCollum experimented with butter and lard which he fed to rats and discovered vitamin A. In the same year, 'vitamins' as a term was used for the first time by Dr. Casmir Funk as his studies led to the understanding of vitamins being a vital factor in a good nutritional diet. During the 1930s and 40s, vitamins B and C were identified as being water soluble and amino acids were discovered as essential building blocks of protein.

How Does It Work?

Nutrition is the process of nutrients being taken in (usually as food substances) and the body then making use of them. By identifying the different types and amounts of nutrients needed for growth and health, a balanced diet can be used to promote healthy living and reduce the chances of developing diseases. Nutrients are generally divided into five groups: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins, with water as the sixth essential element to a healthy body.

Proteins are essential for repairing tissue and cells and are made up of amino acid combinations. They can be found in meat, eggs and oily fish or as plant protein in cereal, nuts and seeds among others. Carbohydrates are found in foods such as bananas, nuts and potatoes and are used as energy food by the body. Fats are needed for healthy skin and hair, protecting internal organs and preventing heat loss. It is also used for energy and identified by either saturated or unsaturated fat.

Minerals and vitamins are found in food but can be taken as supplements. Minerals, such as calcium and iron, help vitamins to work. Vitamin D for instance is found in foods like milk and eggs and aids the absorption of calcium in the body to strengthen bones and teeth.

As the body is 75% water, it is a vital element needed for the body to exist. Water helps in removing waste products from the body, transporting minerals and oxygen around the body and regulating body temperature. Dehydration from lack of water causes headaches, sickness and over a prolonged period death. The body can't function properly without water for more than a couple of days and as it can't be stored, must be replaced on a regular basis.