Happy and Healthy - Nutrition

Introduction
Welcome to the nutrition section of this techniques course. We are going to briefly discuss what nutrition is, why it’s important, and how to have good nutrition. Sources for a more advanced look at nutrition will also be provided.

What is Nutrition?

Nutrition is what you eat. We refer to ‘good nutrition’ when what we are eating results in better health and ‘poor nutrition’ when what we eat in some way hinders or diminishes our health.
round white ceramic plate filled with waffle

round white ceramic plate filled with waffle

Link to "Round White Ceramic Plate Filled With Waffle" by Rachel Park
Link to "Food Being Grilled" by Eugene Chrystiakov
Link to "Macro Shot of Vegetable Lot" by Dan Gold
Link to "Assorted Pile of Cheese" by Waldemar Brandt

Why is Nutrition Important?

The answer to this question is that good nutrition allows us to live life to the fullest while poor nutrition can cause diseases that disable us. If we want to maintain a full lifestyle, we need to know our nutrition.

How do we have Good Nutrition?

If you were to look around at what different organizations and countries are suggesting as the best nutrition for all-around good health, you would find many different ideas. Chances are most of them are good and will work well, so long as the source is reputable (generally government, university, or healthcare sources). Included below are some examples that will help.

United States - https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Great Britain - https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/find-your-balance/portionwise.html

Germany - https://www.dge.de/ernaehrungspraxis/vollwertige-ernaehrung/ernaehrungskreis/

Link to "Woman Holding Sliced Watermelon" by Caju Gomes
Link to "Top View Photography of Food in a Plate" by Brooke Lark

What else is there?

There is almost no end to the depth of study that could be done into the details of nutrition. The above info represents a simple, effective guide. Below are several other related items, and some informative websites. Studying them will give a deeper understanding of what all goes into nutrition, and what all goes into you.

Understanding Nutrition Facts Labels:

https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/how-understand-and-use-nutrition-facts-label

Understanding Calories:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/understanding-calories/

https://kcms-prod-mcorg.mayo.edu/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-empty-calories

Understanding Vitamins and Minerals:

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/vitamins

https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/vitamins-and-minerals-good-food-sources#1