Why is Nutrition Important?

Our bodies have numerous systems that run automatically 24 hours a day. As adults we make the choices for what we put into our bodies and the outcomes are based on our individual choices that we make each and every day.



Just like a car, if we put poor quality fuel in the tank and never change the oil, the car will eventually wear down quicker than if we were to take better care and put in quality fuel and changed the oil on a regular basis. It is an investment in keeping our car running as efficiently as possible, so why wouldn't we do the same for bodies?

The example of how we take care of our car is why nutrition is important for our bodies. We often live our lives without really thinking about what is going on inside of our body systems and so we may be unaware of what could be wearing down or in need of better attention until we have some problems.

Innately, we do know that we must provide our bodies with proper nutrition to combat the wear and tear from daily living. However, it seems that we can ignore this truth as we disconnect from some of our most basic needs.

Providing ourselves with good nutrition is one of the most important things we can do for our bodies with what they need to function at their optimal best.

If you have children, you know that the food that you give them affects them more quickly as their systems are typically not as accustomed to spicy, sugary and chemically-laden foods. Baby foods are very simple foods which are easily digested.

We need to be aware of our digestion process and how what we eat affects our systems.

When people ask me why is nutrition important the answer I give them is nutrients are in whole foods. You won't find fiber in animal foods, or nutrients in fast foods or most processed foods.

To counter this, many people will choose to take supplements to insure that we are getting the various nutrients that they might not get in our foods. It is important to choose quality supplements carefully as some supplements will often have synthetics and fillers that our bodies may not recognize.

Like any investment, you will need to do your homework to find the best supplements for your family's needs. But remember, it is like self medicating. Your nutrients are meant to come from whole foods not a pill. If you shop at a health food store, ask for vitamins with natural ingredients such as whole food based.

Why is Nutrition Important?

Nutrients are what you want to consume in your foods. So it is important to follow a guideline of wholesome nutrition to get the following nutrients in your foods:

• Whole foods - fruits, vegetables, grains
• Amino acids - proteins
• Omega 3's - fatty acids
• Minerals - calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, iodine, zinc, selenium, etc
• Vitamins - A, B's, C, D, E's (8), folic acid, K, Beta-carotene's, etc.

You would not want to put it off until your body started running out of oil would you? This is why nutrition is important, so make sure that you are getting the proper fuels to feed you and your family.

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