There are fundamental Differences between nutrition and food . Many times they are terms that are interchanged, but they refer to very different subjects.
On the one hand nutrition determines the relationship between health and food, being a biological process in which the body assimilates food and fluids necessary for proper functioning.
On the other hand, food consists of the choice that each person makes of their meals, which determines their Feeding Habits And their lifestyle.
We will now review each of these concepts in detail to understand their scope and how they relate to each other.
Main differences between nutrition and food
One of the fundamental differences between food and nutrition is the proper balance and balance between:
Water consumption
For the body to be properly hydrated, the consumption of liquids must be based on the amount of pure water that is ingested every day. No additives, no sugar or any kind of flavor that disrupts your natural condition.
Proportions
The caloric requirements of one person or another vary according to their physical activity, so if a person is rather sedentary, he needs fewer calories than a physically active person.
For nutrition it is essential that in the food there are proteins, vitamins and minerals. Especially proteins, since all biological processes depend on their participation.
Fiber in the diet
For nutrition, it is essential to include plant foods such as fruits, cereals, legumes and vegetables, as this fiber Helps the large intestine to perform better its functions, allowing a better digestion and optimum general state of the organism.
Definition of nutrition
Nutrition is the science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food, in relation to growth, reproduction, maintenance, health and disease of an organism.
Nutrition includes food intake, absorption, assimilation, biosynthesis, catabolism, and excretion processes.
Within the areas covered by nutrition is the diet of an organism, which consists of what it consumes and is determined by the availability of food, its processing and palatability of meals.
A healthy diet, which contributes to maintaining proper functioning of the body and its internal processes, should include food preparations and storage methods that can preserve nutrients from oxidation, heat or fermentation, reducing the risk of food poisoning.
Some historical data
Since the beginning of mankind, there has been a concern for the quality of nutrition. The earliest records are found 2,500 years before Christ on a tablet of Babylon. A thousand years before there are other indications of feeding on a papyrus, warning of the deficiency of vitamin C .
Probably, nutrition as a serious study began during the sixth century in ancient China, with the development of other concepts such as Qi (Vital energy of the organism) and the classifications of foods according to their condition: hot, cold, bitter, sweet, acidic.
In this way, Chinese doctors concluded that if a disease caused a deficiency of some element, it could be treated with food as if it were one more medicine.
There are also known nutrition papers in ancient Greece and Rome. By then, the importance of food in relation to the interior of the body and what is left out was already mentioned, since a notorious imbalance could result in a disease such as obesity The cachexia.
There are also nutritional references in the Bible, specifically in the Book of Daniel, which mentions the preferences of the Jewish diet, with all its restrictions.
On the other hand, near 475 BC, Anaxagoras explained that food is absorbed by the human body, containing certain compounds that are beneficial, probably referring to nutrients.
As early as 400 BCE, Hippocrates Expressed concern about obesity, which was becoming very common in southern Europe. It was at that time that Hippocrates said his famous phrase"Let food be your medicine and your medicine food."
Other contributions of the Greek physician, known as the"father of medicine", were to recommend moderation and prescribe exercise.
Over the years and up to the present, information about nutrition has become much more accurate.
Measurements are now included as calorie intake, nutrients from foods and minerals and vitamins, among others. It also recognizes the power of nutrition to enhance or reverse the effects of disease.
Some significant advances were the discovery of key nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. Subsequently, Vitamin E And the presence of minerals in foods, such as traces of copper that are necessary for the absorption of iron.
In the decade of the 30 was discovered the existence of essential amino acids, proteins that the organism can not synthesize by itself.
As medicine advances, school and work performance have been related to food intake, as well as the relationship between violent behavior and malnutrition.
One of the last reports presented in 2005 determined that obesity was linked to malnutrition together with the presence of an adenovirus.
In addition to considering the chemical composition of food, nutrition is related to adequate diets to maintain a balance between health, well-being and a balanced weight.
That's why it has the food pyramid Where the nutritional requirements of people are demonstrated.
Constantly, there is a search for the right nutrition that can meet these basic health requirements.
There is nutrition not only from humans, but also from plants and animals. Depending on the species, each organism has different needs.
Definition of feed
Food refers to the act of feeding, choosing food by its taste and preferences and forming a diet based on different choices.
All people have a different diet and this lifestyle can lead to malnutrition or inadequate nutrition.
Humans, through their developed cognitive factors, learned to feel hungry and want to feed us at appropriate times. Even external factors, such as work-related stress, can influence physiological changes in eating behavior.
In this way, human nutrition is not so much related to the metabolic signs of hunger and satiety, but rather to external cultural and social factors.
The ethical component is also considered in the case of patients who can not feed themselves, from a baby to a terminal patient.
There are different types of feeding in relation to the circumstance in which it is administered. For example, in the case of prostrate patients, feeding by nasogastric tube, gastric tube or feeding via the intravenous route with Whey , among other. This is known as nutritional support or artificial feeding.
In these cases, feeding and hydration are an ethical practice to avoid the death of the patient by anorexy Or dehydration. This treatment is defined by a medical team, family members and the same patient if possible.
Food also refers to the act of giving food to the patient who can receive it naturally, without the use of probes or medical devices. This is a complex social and cultural work with more meaning than just a medical procedure.
Finally, it can be concluded that feeding - the act of eating food - is one of the steps in the important work of nutrition.
Nutrition and food-related diseases
There are diseases that are related to the concept of nutrition and food. They have different origins and characteristics, although they can be related at some point.
Diseases associated with nutrition
- Nutrient imbalance . It generates a malfunction in some processes of the organism, generating an imbalance that is affecting other organs and other activities mainly metabolic.
- Poor nutrition . It generates syndromes like cachexia (extreme malnutrition) and marasmus, as well as low energy, anemia, and even heart and kidney problems.
- Excessive or unbalanced nutrition . It can become a metabolic syndrome that produces obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases.
- Affections due to excess or lack of nutrients . For example, hyponatremia (sodium and potassium deficiency due to renal failure). These conditions are also considered nutritional diseases.
Eating Disorders
Also, in the field of food, are the so-called eating disorders. These usually occur due to certain psychological problems of those affected, such as lack of self-esteem, poor self-image, feeling overwhelmed and anxiety and depression, among others. Some of the most common are:
- Bulimia . People binge on food and then vomit so they do not get fat.
- Anorexy . Those affected stop eating to not gain weight, having a distorted image of themselves.
- Compulsive Binge Eating . These are not always related to anorexia or bulimia itself.
All nutritional diseases, like eating disorders, require professional help to restore balance in the body and health in all its processes.
References
- Difference between food and nutrition. Retrieved from hubpages.com.
- Nutrition. Retrieved from wikipedia.org.
- Ethical and Legal Issues in feeding and hydration. Retrieved from eatrightpro.org.
- Feeding versus Artificial Nutrition and Hydration: At the Boundaries of Medical Intervention and Social Interaction. Retrieved from muse.jhu.edu.
- Nutritional support (artificial feeding) Retrieved from nhs.uk.
- Human feeding behavior. Retrieved from sciencedirect.com.
- Overview and statistics. Eating Disorder. Retrieved from nationaleatingdisorders.org.