we are What we eat

As humans, we need a number of different nutrients to carry out various biochemical and physical activities as part of our daily life. Eating the same things most of the time can therefore lead to nutritional deficiencies and associated health problems. A healthy and balanced diet is essential for proper growth, development and maintenance of the body. This necessitates the incorporation of a variety of foods into our diets to ensure we get all the essential nutrients and non-nutritional components that are vital for good health.

An array of nutrients that have direct impact on our body, and other non-nutritional bioactive compounds that have beneficial health effects, are all derived primarily from food. Each food item is made up of complex chemical matter, which may overlap with that found in other items, but can never be identical. Even the same food can have different nutrient value depending on whether it is consumed raw or cooked, young or mature, ripe or unripe, dry or soaked. It is obvious then that if we avoid the consumption of certain food types or products, we are depriving ourselves of nutrients and chemicals that we could’ve otherwise benefitted from. A diverse diet incorporating a variety of foods, or different products made from the same source food, is essential in increasing one’s exposure to all essential nutrients in adequate proportions.

An adult, for instance, requires about 50 grams of protein per day, which is easily acquired from common items that we eat regularly. But we need to remember that protein is made up of several amino acids, some of which come from our food, but not all protein-rich food can supply all the essential amino acids to our body. So, even if we might be consuming the required amount of protein per day, we might not be getting all the amino acids we need. It’s the same with vitamins, carbohydrates, and fats.

One cannot tell how healthy or balanced one’s diet is by surface appearances alone, and many factors come into play in determining what we eat. Some people avoid certain foods either because they can’t afford these or simply out of personal taste. Children, for example, are very picky and only eat what they want. And such inflexible food preferences can lead to deficiency of one or more nutrients, which can cause problems in the long run.

Diet diversification also helps people control calories and fat intake, thereby reducing the likelihood of developing obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and many other dangerous abnormalities. Another thing we need to remember is the absorption capacity of our body and bioavailability of these vital nutrients. In general, a small amount of the nutrients we eat is actually absorbed into the very places in our body where they are required, and so the supply of nutrients from individual foods varies greatly no matter how rich the food might be in these. And preparation techniques—including precooking and cooking processes—can greatly change the nutritional content, composition and bioavailability of any given item. Certain vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, folate, and iron, are lost upon cooking, whereas the bioavailability of the phytochemical lycopene in tomato actually increases when cooked. This is why we should incorporate raw, semi-cooked and cooked food items in our daily diets.

To summarise, our body needs a range of different chemical substances, derived from the food we eat, if it is to see normal growth, development, and maintenance. It is necessary that everyone recognise the importance of a diverse diet, and that strategies and practices be formulated so as to encourage as many people as possible to expand their dietary preferences beyond the same old choices.

Adhikari is a PhD Fellow at the Aaarhus University, Denmark, and is currently a visiting research scholar at the University of California, Davis

Sources: ekantipur