Nutri Herb

Health and Wellness Library:  Role of Nutrients in Human Nutrition

Nutrients From Our Foods

How important is one's diet in relation to a person's health? We get essential nutrients from the foods we eat, and these nutrients are used by the body for growth, maintenance, repair, and daily function.

Analogy of the Human Body as an Engine

A good analogy about the importance of the role of nutrients in the body was eloquently stated in the book,  "Prescription for Nutritional Healing":

    "Think of the body as being composed of millions of tiny little engines. Some of these engines     work in unison, some work independently; they all are on call twenty-four hours a day. In order     for the engines to work right, they require specific fuels. When the type of fuel gives it the wrong     blend, the engine will not perform to its maximum capacity. When the fuel is of a poor grade, the     engine may sputter and hesitate, creating a loss of power. When the engine is given no fuel, it     will stop." ¹

We are What we eat

Another way to look at this is, "We are what we eat." Our daily nutrition provides most of the nutrients, or fuel, that the body needs to function properly. Nutrients from food provide essential vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, protein, and water. They each have different roles in bodily processes to sustain the human body.

The Connection Between Nutrients and Health

For decades, the medical community was skeptical about the connection between nutrition and the prevention, treatment, and curing of disease. Only after years of research and studies on the benefits of food as "medicine" did the medical community acknowledge that many diseases could actually be the consequence of nutrient deficiencies, or eating the wrong foods that could promote disease. Reseach shows that eating the right foods can help protect people from conditions like cancer, heart disease, and other common ailments. ²

How Food and Nutrients Work in the Body

The food you eat goes through a complex process known as digestion. It is during this digestive process that the food is broken down into components that are used by the cells in the body to provide energy and carry out the multitude of biological functions necessary for life. Vitamins, as micro-nutrients, keep the body "tuned up," regulating body metabolic processes through enzyme activity and converting proteins and carbohydrates to tissue and energy. Minerals act as bonding agents to help the body absorb nutrients. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein in the body and facilitate the body's ability for growth, maintenance, and repair. These are just some of the natural functions of nutrients in the body. ³

Good Nutrition = Good Health

Nutrition is integral to one's health. The human body is a miraculous self-healing machine, as long as it is given the proper nutrients to do its job.

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