Food and Nutrition Cleo Chana
             Nutrition refers to the study of the way in which the substances in food affect our health.
             Over the last one hundred years, American diet has changed drastically. It was not uncommon for a person's diet 100 years ago to reflect a heavy dependence on grains, fruits, and vegetables. While there is far more attention paid today to health and nutrition. the typical American diet is not as nutritionally balanced as that of our grandparents. Analyzing your eating patterns is very important because diet is related to six of the ten leading causes of death in the United States. Most students know that too much fat, sugar, and salt are unhealthy. They know these substances increase the chance of getting chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. But most students cannot choose between foods based on their fat, sugar, salt, and fiber content. It is also clear that the eating patterns of students frequently include many friend foods and snack food, and beverages that have added sugar and salt.
             Foods contain substances needed for growth and development. The substances are classified into six groups called essential nutrients, which are necessary for the maintenance of health. There are six categories of essential nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Of these six groups, carbohydrates, fats, and protein provide energy for the body in the form of calories. The remaining three nutrients-vitamins, minerals, and water- are essential for the body to use these other nutrients properly. When choosing a variety of foods, your diet can supply all your daily requirements. One way to select from a variety of goods is by grouping them. The idea of foud basic food groups was once used to group foods for nutritional purposes. In May 1992, the U.S Department of Agriculture provided a new way of categorizi...