Health Benefits Of Nutrition

1. Nutrition:

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” were some wise words said by The Greek physician Hippocrates over two thousand years ago. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics defines functional foods as “whole foods and fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods that have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as part of a varied diet on a regular basis, at effective levels.”

Knowing how to maintain the balance of benefiting bacteria in our intestines through proper diet can promote overall health of our body. According to recent scientific studies probiotic supplements positively affect intestinal microbial flora, which in turn affect positively the immune system function. As good nutrition has been known

These minerals are essential in our diet—essential because of their requirement for central nervous system to function properly. Nerves communicate via chemicals built from amino acids called neurotransmitters. Eating sufficient protein from a variety of sources will ensure that the body gets all of the different amino acids very important for central nervous system function. Every day the brain uses more than 20 percent of the energy obtained from nutrients. Its main fuel is glucose and only in extreme starved condition, any other nutrient is used. To achieve acute mental alertness and clear thinking process, glucose must be systematically delivered to brain. Too much glucose is also bad for other organs, such as kidneys and pancreas and also produces negative effects upon the brain. Excessive glucose in blood can cause loss of cognitive function and chronically high blood-glucose levels can cause damage to brain cells. The brain’s cognitive functions include processing language, learning, perceiving, and thinking. Recent studies demonstrate that continuous high blood-glucose levels eventually increase the risk of development Alzheimer’s disease, the imminent cause of age-related cognitive decline. A study in June 2010’s issue of “the Archives of Neurology” reports that people older than sixty-five who adhered to diets that had more of nuts, fish, poultry, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables, fruits, salad dressing, and dark green, and leafy vegetables low in high-fat dairy products, red meat, organ meat, and butter, had a much reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease. (Gu