INTRODUCING THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION

These fascinating questions illustrate the importance and the relevance of the science of nutrition, which is an interdisciplinary science that studies factors that affect our food choices, the chemical and physiological processes involved in processing and delivering the chemical components of those foods to cells throughout our body, and ultimately how those chemicals affect our health every day. (INFOGRAPHIC 1.1)

NUTRITION

the study of dietary intake and behavior as well as the nutrients and constituents in food including their use in the body and influence on human health

A lifetime of good health is a key reason to study the science of nutrition. We eat every day and the substances we consume are broken down to fuel activity and to build and support the body’s tissues. How can we fine-tune our food choices to optimize health? How can we maintain strong bones and a high degree of activity well into our later years? How do we avoid heart disease, eat to run a marathon, or support a growing baby during pregnancy? These are questions at the center of the study of nutrition.

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INFOGRAPHIC 1.1 The Science of Nutrition The science of nutrition is fundamentally about how foods maintain health and influence the risk of disease.
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Photo credit (top left): Roger Jegg - Fotodesign-Jegg.de/Shutterstock

Question 1.1

image Can you think of several factors that affect your daily food choices? (Stay tuned: Chapter 19 provides a full discussion of factors that influence eating behavior.)

Food choices are influenced by many factors including taste of food, cost, availability, food habits, culture, time of day, the people you are eating with, emotional state, state of health, and occasion.