The Elements Of Good Nutrition

The vitamins and minerals essential to the human body.

NEXT to the water we drink and the air we breathe, food is basic to our existence. Food is necessary for our health and well-being. Without it, life ceases. With too much of it, the digestive organs are overworked and the person may be brought to an early grave. More-over, it should be the right kind of food and the proper amount of each kind.

The main constituents of food may be classified into six groups: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Some knowledge of each of these is needed if we are to eat properly. Carbohydrates are simple sugars, or substances that can be reduced to simple sugars by hydrolysis. The main work of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body.

Each gram of carbohydrates that our body burns will yield four calories. Some common foods high in carbohydrates are: kamote, bread, cake, cookies, rice, potatoes, kamoteng-kahoy and our ordinary granulated sugar. Proteins are made up of the same elements as carbohydrates, but they differ in that nitrogen and sometimes sulfur are present. Proteins are primarily utilized in the building and repair of body tissues.

They are also energy-providing, giving four calories to the gram. However, since they are so expensive, they are not considered a chief source of energy in man's diet. Eggs, fish, meat, milk, garbanzos, tapilan and soybeans are sources high in protein. Of all the energy-giving substances, fats provide the most energy. They give nine calories for each gram of fat burned in the body. Fats are not only energy-providing.

They also serve as padding around the internal organs, insulation for the body, carriers of the fat-soluble vitamins and lubricants of the gastrointestinal tract. Fats also improve the palatability of the diet. Some foods with a high fat content are: peanut butter, avocado, margarine, egg yolk, nuts and coconut. In a diet, 10 to 15 percent of the total calories should come from protein, 25 to 35 percent from fat, and 50 to 60 percent from carbohydrates.

Vitamins and What They Do 
The vitamins are a group of potent organic compounds which occur in small quantities in foods, and are necessary for certain specific body compounds. In adding vitamins to the diet, we should remember the following points:

(1) It is better to use common food sources than concentrates in the form of tablets or powders.

(2) We should determine how often a certain food will be used and how much of it will be needed.

(3) The availability and the cost of the food must be considered.

All vitamins are necessary for growth and for the regulation of the body processes. Vitamin A is found in yellow foods such as squash, papaya, carrots, and egg yolk. Dark green leafy vegetables like kangkong, kamote tops and spinach also contain this vitamin. In addition to being essential for growth, vitamin A helps in maintaining normal vision in dim light. In the prep-aration of vitamin A-rich foods, remember that long slow cooking will prove destructive to the vitamin A that is present, and wilted vegetables and dehydrated foods have suffered considerable loss of vitamin A. Calciferol or vitamin D is necessary for the development and main-tenance of teeth and bones. It performs this function by regulating the absorption and anchorage of calcium and phosphorus. It may be found in cod-liver oil, sardines, fortified milk and herring (tawilis or tunsoy). Vitamin E reduces the oxidation of carotene and vitamin A in the intestines. It is also necessary for the utilization of cholesterol and vitamin D. Good sources of Vitamin E are cereal germs, green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, and eggs. Vitamin K, the last of the fat-soluble vitamins, is necessary for Mai" — blood coagulation. It is found in cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce and spinach. Vitamin K is also manufactured in the body by bacterial action in the intestine. Ascorbic acid, more commonly known as vitamin C, provides resistance to infections, although the way this is accomplished is not clear. It regulates the ability of the cells to produce inter-cellular material which holds the cells in proper relation to each other. It also helps in the absorption of iron from the intestines. Since the body does not store ascorbic acid, an ample daily supply is necessary. Vitamin C-rich foods include: straw-berries, cantaloupe, pineapple, guava, ratiles, tomatoes, camachile, and all citrus fruits such as pomelo, oranges, and kalamansi.

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach and green peppers are also good sources of this vitamin. Vitamin C is the most easily destroyed of all the vitamins. Great care must be taken in the preparation of vitamin C-rich foods so as not to destroy the vitamin present. Exposure to air, high temperatures, and water, and dehydration tend to destroy this vitamin. Vegetables should be cooked in as little water as possible and until they are just tender. Try to avoid cutting up the food into tiny pieces since this exposes more surface area to the air. The loss of the vitamin from leftover vegetables may be minimized by keeping them tightly covered in the refrigerator. The vitamin B-complex is like a family that has many members. First we have thiamine, which is found in both plant and animal tissues. Thiamine, which is also called vitamin B1, aids in digestion and helps maintain normal appetite. This results in the promotion of growth, brought about by an increased consumption of food.

Thiamine also prevents the occurrence of ben-ben. Legumes, peanuts, brewer's yeast, soybeans and whole grains are good sources of this vitamin. Milk and eggs are also considered fair sources. Riboflavin, another member of the B-complex, was first called vitamin Bo or G. Riboflavin functions in several of the important enzyme systems. It is essential for growth and serves in the utilization of food for energy. The body's requirement for riboflavin may be taken from milk, cheese, eggs, kamote tops, kangkong, togue (mongo sprout ), brewer's yeast, green leafy vegetables and enriched rice. Niacin or nicotinic acid is another B vitamin. It should not be con-fused with nicotine which is an entirely different substance. Like the other vitamins, niacin is essential for growth. It is also a component of an enzyme system which effects the release of energy in the body. The best food sources of niacin are brewer's yeast, peanut butter, and peanuts. Potatoes, legumes and green leafy vegetables are also fair sources of niacin.

The general functions of the minerals are:

1. They serve as constituents of the bones and the teeth and they give rigidity to these hard tissues.

2. They are components of soft tissue, e.g., the muscles.

3. They make possible the normal rhythm of the heart beat.

4. They are essential for blood clotting.

5. They help control the contraction of muscles, the irritability of nerves, and the water balance of the body.

A diet that is rich in protein will provide adequate amounts of sulfur, and an ordinary mixed or varied diet supplies magnesium and manganese.

Chlorine and sodium may be derived from ordinary table salt. Actually, only calcium, phosphorus, iodine and iron are most likely to be lacking from the diet. The body contains more calcium than any other mineral. In the body, 90 to 99 percent of the calcium is concentrated in the bones and the teeth. Calcium serves two functions in the body. It aids in the building of bones and teeth and it is necessary for the regulation of certain body processes. Some of these processes are normal heartbeat and blood coagulation.

Good sources of calcium include:

milk, egg yolk, cheese, salmon, dried beans, green leafy vegetables and ice cream.

Iron is very necessary in the formation of hemoglobin. It is also an essential component of myoglobin, a compound which stores oxygen in the muscles. Good sources of iron are:

egg yolk, raisins, ampalaya leaves, prunes, spinach, malunggay, dates and potatoes.

Since the function of copper is closely related to that of iron, most foods that are good sources of iron are also good sources of copper. Iodine is an important constituent of thyroxin. It aids in the regulation of the nervous system and the maintenance of good health. One of the best ways to obtain iodine is by the use of iodized table salt. However, if iodized salt is not available, iodine may also be found in cod-liver oil, fish, and vegetables produced on soils with a high iodine content. Phosphorus is essential in the oxidation of carbohydrates and is needed by the body tissues. It constitutes nearly one-fourth of all body minerals. Phosphorus is necessary for the building of normal bones and teeth, the transport of fatty acids, and the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. It regulates the neutrality of the blood and controls cell activity. Good sources of this mineral are: cheese, corn, egg yolk, legumes, milk, whole grains and leafy vegetables.

Water for the Body Next in importance to oxygen, the body needs water. Around 70 percent of our body weight is made up of water. Water is used by the body in many ways. It acts as a solvent for all of the products of digestion, it is used as a building material, it prevents friction between the moving parts of the body and it is the means by which food is carried to the cells and waste products are carried out. Water is also important in that it helps regulate body temperature.

The body's requirement for water is taken from: (1) fluid intake—drinking water, fruit juices, and milk, (2) solid food—most foods contain some amount of water and some, such as tomatoes and strawberries, have a high water content, and (3) metabolic water—the water produced by the oxidation of foodstuffs in the body. Water passes out from the body by four avenues—the kidneys, skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Six to eight glasses of water daily is sufficient for a healthy person under normal circumstances. In hot weather when the water loss is greatest, one may have to take in more than the accustomed amount of water. Drinking water during meals is advisable just so care is taken not to wash down the food with the water.
Protein Supplementation According to Sacred Scripture, God did not intend for man to eat flesh. In the beginning, when He created Adam and Eve, the diet He gave them consisted of fruits, grains and nuts. After man sinned and was driven out of the Garden of Eden, vegetables were added to his diet. It was only after the flood, when for a time no plant foods were available, that God gave man permission to eat flesh foods. Although meat, fish, and poultry are among the sources of protein, a vegetarian diet is more conducive to good health. We need to find a way to get as much protein from plant foods as we would get if we were to eat meat.
Protein foods build and repair body tissue. Some pro-tein must be taken regularly, for the body cannot store this important element.

A complete protein is one that has all of the essential amino acids, and is capable of maintaining life and producing growth.

Many people who follow a vegetarian diet, have the erroneous belief that gluten (a component of wheat flour) has everything that meat has. They try to exist on a diet of gluten. It is true that gluten is a protein food, but it is an incomplete protein, for wheat is deficient in lysine, one of the essential amino acids. Four of the essential amino acids have been found to be in short supply in certain foods. Wheat, as we have already mentioned, is short in lysine. Rice is deficient in both lysine and threonine, corn in tryptophan and lysine, and beans in methionine. In order to have a diet that is com-plete as far as protein is concerned, it is necessary to combine foods so as to have all of the essential amino acids. Rice and corn would be a bad combination, because, although rice has tryptophan which corn is deficient in, and corn has threonine which rice lacks, both are cereals, so lysine would still be lacking. Rice and beans would go together better, for, although legumes are short in methionine, they are well supplied with lysine.

There are three possible methods of protein supplementation which can be followed:

1.Take in the correct mixtures together. Some good food combinations would be macaroni and cheese, gluten and tokwa, rice and beans, and cereal and milk. Having beans for lunch and gluten for supper will not solve the problem of protein shortage.

Foods that supplement each other should be eaten at the same meal, or at most, within thirty minutes of each other.

2. Add synthetic amino acids to the diet. Although this is not very practical because of the disagreeable flavor of amino acids, it could be resorted to in cases of tube feeding for the sick.

3. Eat your food with small amounts of complete protein. The Filipino practice of adding small bits of complete protein, e.g., eggs and pechay, to recipes, improves the total quality of protein in the diet.