Importance of Food in Relation to Health

• Food has been a basic part of our existence.

• Life cannot exist without food.
• After air and water, food is the utmost
important thing for survival.
• There is no other habit, practice or factor that
influences the health of an individual, as much
as the kind and amount of food consumed.
You are what you eat.
• Through, the centuries, food has also been
used, as an expression of love, friendship and
social acceptance.
 Food
• Food refers to anything, which nourishes
the body. It would include solids, semi-
solids, and liquids which can be
consumed and which help to sustain
body and keep it healthy.

• Food is a substance which after

ingestion, digestion and absorption is
capable of being utilized by the body for
its various functions.
 Ingestion
• Ingestion means intake of food. It is
intake of a substance which should be
chewable, palatable and should enter the
gastrointestinal tract.

• After ingestion, food undergoes a process

of digestion.
 Digestion
• Digestion is a process by which complex
substances in food are broken down into
simpler substances, which the body can
absorb and utilise.
• Some of the complex substances such as
carbohydrates, protein and fats undergo
some change during digestion.
 Absorption
The end products of digestion or the
nutrients present in the small intestine
can be used by the body only when they
enter into the blood stream.

This process of movement of digested

food or nutrients from the small
intestinal wall into the blood stream is
termed as absorption of food.
 What are nutrients?
• Essential chemical substances that the
body needs in order to grow and stay
healthy.
 Nutrients
• Food supplies nutrients to the body, which
help us to maintain our nutritional status and
health.
• For example, apple can be classified, as food,
as it is capable, of being ingested, digested
and finally supplies nutrients to the body after
being absorbed.
• Nutrient materials help the body in carrying
out the day today activities and thus maintain
health.
 Nutrients
• Some provide energy.
• All help build cells and
tissues, regulate bodily
processes such as
breathing.
• No single food supplies all
the nutrients the body
 Nutrients
The nutrients provided by food are
1. Carbohydrates
2. Proteins
3. Lipids (Fats & Oils)
4. Vitamins
5. Minerals and
6. Water
and these nutrients perform various functions
in the body for maintaining our health.
 Healthy Diets Require
Six categories of nutrients:
• Macronutrients
– Water
– Amino Acids and Proteins
– Lipids
– Carbohydrates
• Micronutrients
– Vitamins (B, C, A, D, E, K)
– Minerals (Fe, Ca, P, Na, K)
Balanced Diets
 Balanced Diet
A “Balanced Diet" is one which
contains different types of foods in such
quantities and proportions that the need
for calories, minerals, vitamins and other
nutrients is adequately met and a small
provision is made for extra nutrients to
withstand short durations of leanness.
 2. Balanced Diets for Adult Man (MODERATE WORK)
Vegetarian (gm.) Non-Vegetarian (gm.)
Cereals 475 475
Pulses 80 65
Green leafy vegetables 125 125
Other vegetables 75 75
Roots and tubers 100 100
Fruits 30 30
Milk 200 100
Fats and oils 40 40
Meat and fish ... 30
Eggs ... 30
Sugar and jaggery 40 40
Groundnuts ... ...
 5. Balanced Diets for Adult Woman (MODERATE WORK)
Vegetarian (gm.) Non-Vegetarian (gm.)

Cereals 350 350

Pulses 70 55
Green leafy 125 125
vegetables
Other vegetables 75 75
Roots and tubers 75 75
Fruits 30 30
Milk 200 100
Fats and oils 40 40
Meat and fish … 30
Eggs ... 30
Sugar and jaggery 30 30
Groundnuts ... ...
 Nutrition
‘Nutrition is the science of food and its
interaction with an organism to promote
and maintain health. Thus, nutrition is a
combination of processes by which all
parts of the body receive and utilize the
materials necessary for the performance
of their functions and for the growth and
renewal of all the components’.
 Nutrition
• Nutrition is the study of nutrients and how
the body uses them.
• Nutrition is the science that interprets
the nutrients and other substances in food in
relation to maintenance, growth,
reproduction, health and disease of an
organism.
• It includes
ingestion, absorption, assimilation, biosynthe
sis, catabolism and excretion.
 Nutritional Status
Nutritional Status has
been defined as
‘an individual's
health condition as influenced
by the intake and utilization
of nutrients’.
 Good Nutritional Status
• Foundation for good physical health is good
nutritional status.
• Nutritional status is directly affected by the
foods we eat and their nutrient content.
• ‘Good nutritional status depends
on eating the right amounts and the right
variety of safe, good quality foods to meet
our individual nutritional needs’.
 Poor Nutritional Status

• Refers to ‘an inadequate or

even excessive intake or poor
utilization of the nutrients to
meet the body’s
requirements’.
 Malnutrition

Malnutrition is a serious condition that

happens when the diet does not
contain the right amount of nutrients.
It includes "poor nutrition" which
refers to undernutrition – not getting
enough nutrients and overnutrition –
getting more nutrients than needed.
 Malnutrition

• WHO defines Malnutrition as

‘the cellular imbalance between the
supply of nutrients & energy and the
body’s demand for them to ensure
growth, maintenance and specific
functions’.
 Signs of Good Nutritional Status
1. Shiny hair
2. Smooth skin
3. Clear eyes
4. Alert expression
5. Firm flesh on well developed structure
6. Correct weight in relation to height
7. Physical and mental responses should be
normal
8. Good stamina and resistance to diseases
9. Regular sleep and elimination habits.
 Signs of Poor Nutritional Status
1. Poor physique
2. Very little stamina
3. Dull lifeless hair
4. Dull eyes
5. Slumped posture
6. Fatigue
7. Depression
8. Overweight or Underweight
9. Diet, sleep and elimination habits are irregular
10. Clinical symptoms of nutritional deficiency may be
evident
11. Has apathetic attitude in general
 What are the Benefits of Good
Nutrition?
Healthy eating can:
1. Stabilize energy
2. Sharpen the mind
3. Even out moods
4. Increase concentration
5. Lead to better academic performance
6. Improve performance in
sports/activities
7. Decrease risk of illnesses
 What are the Consequences of Poor
Nutrition?
1. obesity
2. high blood pressure
3. high cholesterol
4. type 2 diabetes
5. bone and joint problems
6. breathing problems
7. sleeping problems
8. depression
9. greater risk for heart disease, heart failure
and stroke
 Functions of Food
• Food nourishes our body & keeps it
healthy.
• Food performs many functions, hence it
is more than the substances supplying
nutrients for health.
• It is some what man's culture, tradition,
means of communication, civilization,
status, relationship, pleasure and relief
from stress.
 FUNCTIONS OF FOOD
The functions of food can be
broadly classified into three main
categories.
1) Physiological functions of food.
2) Psychological functions of food.
3) Social functions of food.
 I Physiological functions of food

The physiological functions of food can be

further sub-divided as follows:
a. Energy giving.
b. Body building.
c. Regulatory and protective functions of
food.
 a. Energy giving......1
The body needs a constant supply of energy to
carryout the involuntary processes of which we
are not even aware, like, respiration, circulation
of blood etc. which are essential for continuance
of life.
Energy is also required to carry out voluntary
activities like professional, household and
recreational activities, which every human being
indulges in like, either jumping, walking, playing
etc.
 Energy giving...........2

• Some amount of energy is also

required to convert the ingested
food into usable nutrients in the
body and the heat released
during this process helps to keep
the body warm.
 Energy Sources
• Energy is mainly provided to our body
through carbohydrates and fats in the food.
• Rich sources of carbohydrates are cereals,
sugar, jaggery, potatoes, honey etc.
• Good Sources of fats include ghee, oil, nuts
etc.
• A major part of our daily diet is constituted
by these energy-rich food materials.
 b. Body Building........1
• Building of new tissues is very important
particularly for the growing children and
pregnant women.
• There is also a continuous breakdown of
old tissues and building up of new tissues
going on in our body at all ages
irrespective of the apparent growth, thus
maintaining a need for body building
nutrients.
 Body Building.......2
• For the body building purposes, the
major nutrients utilized are proteins
and minerals.
• Proteins are mainly provided through
eggs,milk and milk products, meat,
fish, poultry, nuts, soybean, pulses,
etc.
 Body Building...........3
The foods we eat become a part of us. Thus one
of the most important functions of food is that
of building the body.
A newborn body weighting 2.7-3.2 Kg. can grow
to its potential adult size of 55-70 Kg. if right
kinds and amounts are eaten from birth to
adulthood.
In adult life, the food eaten each day helps to
maintain the structure of the adult body, and
to replace worn out cells of the body.
c. Regulatory and Protective function
• The third physiological function of food is to
regulate the activities of the body such as
1. beating of the heart
2. maintenance of body temperature
3. muscle contraction
4. control of water balance
5. clotting of blood
6. removal of waste products from the body, etc.
 Regulatory and Protective function ......2
• For any of these processes, one or the
other nutrients is responsible.
• For example Vitamins of the B groups
are an integral part of the enzymes and
are responsible for metabolizing food
and thus release energy.
• Vitamin K is an essential factor in
clotting of blood.
 Regulatory and Protective function........ ..3
• The main nutrients which perform these
functions include proteins, vitamins, minerals,
water and roughage.
• Although these nutrients are required by the
body in very small amounts, yet it is very
important for them to be present in our daily
diets.
• The major sources of these protective and
regulatory nutrients are green leafy
vegetables, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables,
fish etc.
 II The Psychological Functions of
food...........1
• The second major function of food is the
psychological function.
• Food must also satisfy certain emotional
needs. These include sense of security, love
and attention.
• Everyone grows in a particular culture with its
own unique food habits of that particular
culture and caste.
 II The Psychological Functions of food.......2

• The person begins to associate the food habits

and foods commonly consumed by him, as it
gives him a sense of security and satiety.
• The foods daily eaten by us, give us more
mental satisfaction.
• Even a nutritionally balanced meal may not be
satisfying to the individual, if foods included
are unfamiliar or distasteful to him/her.
III Social function of Food........1
• Food and eating has significant social
meaning.
• Sharing of food with any other person
implies social acceptance. When you
share a meal with anyone else, you are
expressing your acceptance of friendship
and respect for that person.
 Social function of Food.........2
• Food is also a symbol of our social life.
• Food is a medium through which we
express our happiness. For example,
Sweets are distributed on birthdays,
marriage ceremonies, etc.
• Sweets are also distributed and
exchanged to mark certain auspicious
occasion like festivals.
 Social function of Food.............3

• Food is the common link in a meeting,

party or get-together that attracts people
to come to such social gatherings.
• Refreshment served even at officials
meeting creates a relaxed atmosphere,
where people can exchange their views.
• Foods help to strengthen mutual
friendship.
 Social function of Food..........4
• People of a given religious community
share a common eating pattern.
• This is because religious practices
strongly recommend some foods while
rejecting others.
• Food thus becomes an integral part of
the social and religious life of people.