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The ABC of nourishment
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| "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food". These are the words of Hippocrates, father of medical science who lived in ancient Greece around the V century. The connection between food and health being very close was already well known since the beginning of civilization. A theory that found scientific ground with the discovery of biochemistry, owing to which it was possible to closely study the make up of nutritional elements and the effects they have on the human body. |
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THE FIVE MAINSTAYS OF A COMPLETE NOURISHMENT |
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It was only at the beginning of the twentieth-century that doctors and scientists began to record all the elements that are necessary to maintain physical and mental health.
Therefore it was established that there are approximately fifteen vitamins, eighteen minerals, and about ten amino acids that are essential to carry out all vital functions. Just to make an example, think about vitamin C, so important for the immune system that a deficiency of this substance makes people become more subject to infections and slows down the healing process. In the eighteenth-century, when sailors were out at sea for long periods without the possibility of landing and getting fresh food supplies, they used to suffer from a disease called scurvy, which was actually caused by a vitamin C deficiency.
But how can we be sure that all of these nutrients are present in our diet?
The simplest way is to vary the food intake, since this inevitably brings to completeness. The nutritional groups, or rather the bricks of our nourishment, are five, divided into proteins, sugar, fats, minerals and vitamins. To this we must add water, which is present in most foods, and constitutes approximately 60% of the human body.
Fats, proteins and carbohydrates are our fuel, and they combine with other substances to supply energy to the body and to build bones and tissues. Specific vitamins are required to accelerate the chemical reactions within the human body.
Proteins should cover approximately 10-15% of our energetic requirements, carbohydrates 55-60% or more, while fats shouldn't go over 25-30%. Vitamins and minerals are present in each group and a balanced diet should guarantee an appropriate daily intake.
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WHERE THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND |
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Our body isn't able to make vitamins, therefore, only through food can we obtain our daily intake. Essential vitamins can be divided into two categories: water- soluble (B and C complex) and liposoluble (A,D,E and K). The first are absorbed by the intestine and transported to the tissues by means of the bloodstream. Our body does not store this vitamin group; therefore, in order to guarantee the correct intake and protect ourselves from eventual deficiencies, we must take them every day. Liposoluble vitamins instead have, among their other duties, that of preserving cellular membrane structures. They are absorbed by our intestine and transported in the various areas of our body by means of the lymphatic system. They dissolve in the body's fat so overdoses may determine pathological states.
At this point minerals come in: without minerals, vitamins would not be able to function appropriately. There are eighteen minerals we currently know of: among these we find the most important, iron, necessary to convey oxygen to the cells by means of the bloodstream; calcium, necessary for bone and teeth formation, blood coagulation and muscle contractions; finally sodium and potassium, utilized for nervous connections.
Proteins are long molecules composed by amino acid chains and they are fundamental mostly for growth. They are present in meat, fish, legumes, milk and eggs. They are also present in a lesser quantity also in fruit, vegetables and cereals.
Carbohydrates are our body's fuel. Besides allowing us to move, they also allow us to carry out a great number of cellular activities. They are contained in sweet food (and are called simple sugars) but also in potatoes and cereals and derived products. Among cereals, durum wheat - which is the one used for the production of pasta - contains glutens, a protein contained in certain cereals - which makes pasta have a relatively good amount of proteins. A nutrient, which makes a dish of pasta greatly important, able to satisfy mankind's nutritional requirements.
Last but not least, fats, which are not just enemies of our health and accomplices of obesity, but have important functions in storing energy. They allow our brain to function. Certainly this isn't a good reason to abuse of fat, but in a balanced diet they too have their role.
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If it is true that proteins, sugars, fats, minerals and vitamins are the bricks of our nutrition, as in all constructions, in order for it to be solid, you need a plan. For a balanced diet the pyramid scheme could help a lot. It is an intuitive synthesis of nutritional knowledge that has been in force for thousands of years. As a matter of fact, if on one side the choice of a dish rather than another is often dictated by our instinct (which, without exaggerating, it is only right to satisfy), the nutrition pyramid encloses in a rational manner the principles of a healthy nutritional regime, which moreover can identify itself with the ancient traditions of the Mediterranean diet.
Those who confide in the pyramid's basic directives, will not only be sure to take in all the nutrients that are necessary for perfect body functions, but that they are also doing so in the right quantities. The guiding principle of the pyramid is that nutrients that may be used more freely are at the base, while nutrients that must be limited can be found at the top.
The pyramid may be divided into five parts, to which the same number of nutritional groups corresponds, each characterized by specific nutrients. The placement of the groups within the pyramid is the interpretation to be able to understand how much of a certain group is necessary to introduce daily.
At the bottom of the pyramid you will find cereals, poor in fats and a source of carbohydrates, vitamins, salts and fibres: these elements are the basis of the Mediterranean diet, for example pasta, the keystone of our daily nutrition. At the second level you'll find fruit and vegetables, which supply vitamins, minerals and fibres, and are naturally poor in fat. Following, at the third level, you'll find products having an animal origin, divided between dairy products and eggs, meat and fish; these are nutrients that supply proteins, calcium, iron and zinc, but the pyramid starts going up, which means that the use of such nutrients must be moderate. And here we are at the top: at the summit of the pyramid, a sort of "red zone", where you find fats and oils, indispensable nutrients in low quantities for a nutritional regime that can be defined as healthy and balanced.
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