Sherie-lyn S.

Loyola

AHSE-I J

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food)
to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good
nutrition.

The diet of an organism refers to what it eats. Dietitians are health professionals who specialize in
human nutrition, meal planning, economics, preparation, and so on. They are trained to provide
safe, evidence-based dietary advice and management to individuals (in health and disease), as
well as to institutions.

Poor diet can have an injurious impact on health, causing deficiency diseases such as scurvy,
beriberi, and kwashiorkor; health-threatening conditions like obesity and metabolic syndrome,
and such common chronic systemic diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and
osteoporosis.

Food is any substance, usually composed primarily of carbohydrates, fats, water and/or proteins,
that can be eaten or drunk by an animal for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be
sourced from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus or fermented products like
alcohol. Although many human cultures sought food items through hunting and gathering, today
most cultures use farming, ranching, and fishing, with hunting, foraging and other methods of a
local nature included but playing a minor role.

Most traditions have a recognizable cuisine, a specific set of cooking traditions, preferences, and
practices, the study of which is known as gastronomy. Many cultures have diversified their foods
by means of preparation, cooking methods and manufacturing. This also includes a complex food
trade which helps the cultures to economically survive by-way-of food, not just by consumption.

is the quality characteristics of food that is acceptable to consumers. This includes external
factors as appearance (size, shape, colour, gloss, and consistency), texture, and flavour; factors
such as federal grade standards (e.g. of eggs) and internal (chemical, physical, microbial).

Food quality is an important food manufacturing requirement, because food consumers are
susceptible to any form of contamination that may occur during the manufacturing process. Many
consumers also rely on manufacturing and processing standards, particularly to know what
ingredients are present, due to dietary, nutritional requirements (kosher, halal, vegetarian), or
medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, or allergies).

Besides ingredient quality, there are also sanitation requirements. It is important to ensure that the
food processing environment is as clean as possible in order to produce the safest possible food
for the consumer. A recent example of poor sanitation recently has been the 2006 North American
E. coli outbreak involving spinach, an outbreak that is still under investigation.

Food quality also deals with product traceability, e.g. of ingredient and packaging suppliers,
should a recall of the product be required. It also deals with labeling issues to ensure there is
correct ingredient and nutritional information.
A nutrient is a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its
environment. Non-autotrophic organisms typically acquire nutrients by the ingestion of foods.
Methods for nutrient intake vary, with animals and protists having an internal digestive system,
but plants externally digesting nutrients before ingesting them. The effects of nutrients are dose-
dependent.

Organic nutrients include carbohydrates, fats, proteins (or their building blocks, amino acids), and
vitamins. Inorganic chemical compounds such as minerals; water and oxygen may also be
considered nutrients. A nutrient is essential to an organism if it cannot be synthesized by the
organism in sufficient quantities and must be obtained from an external source. Nutrients needed
in relatively large quantities are called macronutrients and those needed in relatively small
quantities are called micronutrients.

A nutritionist is a health specialist who devotes professional activity to food and nutritional
science, preventive nutrition, diseases related to nutrient deficiencies, and the use of nutrient
manipulation to enhance the clinical response to human diseases.

They may also advise people on dietary matters relating to health, well-being and optimal
nutrition. Nutritionists have varying levels of education from someone with little or no education
to an individual who has obtained a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree. This is because the
term "nutritionist" is not a legally protected term in most parts of the world. As a result, the term
"nutritionist" is subject to several interpretations. Many nutritionists appear on television, in
newspapers and magazines, and write nutritional books, which may or may not have any real
informational value regarding diet.

A dietitian (sometimes spelled dietician, although the official spelling is Dietitian) is an expert in
food and nutrition. Dietitians help promote good health through proper eating. They also
supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and
educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits. The goals of the dietary department are
to obtain, prepare, and serve flavorsome, attractive, and nutritious food to patients, family
members, and health care providers.

In many countries only people who have specified educational credentials can call themselves
"dietitians" — the title is legally protected. The term "nutritionist" is also widely used; however,
the term nutritionist is not regulated as dietitian is. People may call themselves nutritionists
without the educational and professional requirements of registered dietitians.

Dietetic technicians are not the same as dietitians in terms of responsibilities and qualifications.
Different professional terms are used in other countries. Although dieticians are a valuable
member of the medical multi-disciplinary team, their abilities should not be mistaken for those of
physicians. The former are limited to providing only professional dietary advice and are unable to
prescribe therapeutic medication or provide a medical consultation.

Diet, in relation to food, might mean:

• Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group.

• Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake.
• Diet food, foods that aid in dieting
• Cuisine, the diet of a particular culture
Diet may also mean:

• Diet (assembly), formal deliberative assembly

• The Imperial Diet: (German: Reichstag) the imperial assembly of the princes of
the Holy Roman Empire until 1806
• The Diet of the Empire: (German: Reichstag) legislative assembly of the German
Empire 1871–1917
• The Federal Diet: (literally for German: Deutscher Bundestag) federal parliament
of Germany
• State Diet: (literally for German: Landtag) state parliament of most of the
German federated states
• Diet of Finland: the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from
1809 to 1906
• Diet of Japan: Japan's legislature

• Diet (Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode): an episode of the animated series Aqua Teen
Hunger Force.
• Dietsch: distinguishes the southern dialects in the Middle Dutch language

Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an improper or insufficient diet.
It most often refers to undernutrition resulting from inadequate consumption, poor absorption,
or excessive loss of nutrients, but the term can also encompass overnutrition, resulting from
overeating or excessive intake of specific nutrients. An individual will experience malnutrition if
the appropriate amount of, or quality of nutrients comprising a healthy diet are not consumed for
an extended period of time. An extended period of malnutrition can result in starvation, disease,
and infection.

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity.[1]