There is a maxim by Mark Twain that “The way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not” because of deterioration in the infirmity of body and soul is overwhelming. Therefore, Health becomes a success and the contriving of health is necessitated through a balanced diet.
Nutrition (nourishment) is the supply of the necessary minerals or balanced diet needed by the body, in the form of food for life support. Numerous widespread health problems can be prevented or lessened by the intake of a healthy diet.
However, the phrase health has been used instinctively, but not many people deeply understand the meaning of the word. To some health means physical fitness and being able to resist diseases while to some it means the contrast to sickness (Donatelle p. 3).
The nutritionist in the nutrition video narrated how understanding a food label can benefit an individual by the roles they play in health, and how one can use the information to improve their eating habits. It was mentioned that the familiarity of the unit of calories on a food label helps with the consumption of balanced meals thereby, a good plan in the level of calories requisites. In addition to this, familiarity with the calories or the necessary nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, vitamins and minerals) helps in determining the daily intake.
Additionally, the food label enables an individual to know: the harmonized part of food intake, also it provides us with the nutrient reference value which helps in understanding how food fits in the daily diet, nutrient claims such as “light”, “low fat”, and “high-fiber”. Finally, it helps with the information on the relationship between nutrients and diseases i.e the classes of nutrients needed for different ailments.
Consecutively, the relationship between the food label and the pyramid plan is that it helps in understanding the role which the different vitamins, nutrients and minerals take in the growth and development of the body system. It also helps in keeping the body and soul fit and healthy. Assuming that an individual has a health problem (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, lung condition and cholesterol) that requires a special diet or nutritional consideration, the food label with the pyramid plan will help in deciding the right food type and the measure of intake.
The relationship between food and diet has been discovered to be of immense importance because our eating practices can either help or diminish our general health and well-being, because, good eating habits are the choice of food that reveals the pyramid guidelines.
The guideline from “My Pyramid Plan” that may be used to improve personal nutrition is by taking food in quantity and which has only the required vitamins, proteins, fats and oil, and minerals proportionally. Nevertheless, a meal is nutritious if it helps the body to develop normally (e.g. too much carbohydrate and lack of proteins in a growing child lead to a disease called kwashiorkor). Basically, there are some minerals and nutrients which the body does not need in excess for growth, however, care should be taken to avoid excessive intake of such.
In conclusion, a nourishing meal must contain all the ingredients that help in the development of better health, and not decrement or affect it in any way.
Reference list
- Donatelle, J. R. (1994). Health: The Basics, Seventh Edition, Pennsylvania: Prentice Hall,
- Donatelle, J. R. (2009). Health: The Basics, Eighth Edition, Benjamin Cummings. By Pearson Education, Inc.
- Health Video Library. (2005) Nutrition [Video file].