The terms food and nutrition are often confused , although they are well written, they do not mean the same thing. Have you heard the phase: healthy eating and healthy nutrition? Today we explain the difference and the relationship between food and nutrition .
The type of nutrition you have will depend on your diet. In other words, for you to have excellent nutrition you need to have adequate food. It seems a bit complicated to fully understand right? Well today we clear those doubts.
What is food and what is nutrition?
What is food?
Feeding is the act of introducing food into the body through conscious and voluntary actions . That is why you can change your eating habits to have a balanced and healthy diet.
What is nutrition?
It is a set of actions that are carried out within your body to take advantage of the nutrients that come with the food that enters your body. The nutrition process is carried out involuntarily and unconsciously and includes the following steps:
- Digestion.
- Absorption.
- Transport.
- Distribution.
- Metabolism.
- Storage.
- Excretion.
Now that you are clear about the difference between food and nutrition , we can go a step further and break down terms that will help us better understand both processes.
What is a food and what is a nutrient?
Food is any liquid or solid product that provides nutrients, these can be of plant or animal origin, or natural or processed.
The nutrient is the component of a food that is absorbed by our body and used as an energy source, or regulatory or structural material. The best known nutrients are:
- Carbohydrate.
- Proteins.
- Lipids (fats).
- vitamins.
- Minerals.
- Water.
- Fiber.
Nutrients are classified into essential and non-essential. The difference between the two is whether the body has the ability to produce them or needs to obtain them through certain foods. Some essential nutrients are vitamins, minerals, omega 3, etc.
In conclusion
- You have many ways to feed yourself, but not all of them can nourish you.
- You can educate yourself to feed yourself, but nutrition does not change.
- Nutrition is influenced by the type of food you eat.
- Perhaps the main difference between food and nutrition is that the first is conscious and the second is unconscious.
