Nutrition - Basic Nutrition For Your Family

Nutrition

Basic Nutrition For Your Family

Each year brings advances in our knowledge of nutrition.  New information reveals that reactions taking place within the human body each day, even each second, are extremely complicated.  We are also told about the extensive study of the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of many chronic disorders.

With nutrition facts seeming to change so frequently, many homemakers wonder whether it is possible for them to feed their families adequately.  Yet it is really quite easy for menus to add up to good nutrition.  Keep in mind that we need nutrients for three purposes:  to provide materials for growth and replacement of muscles tissue, to provide a source of energy (measured as calories), and to provide materials for regulating body processes.  Some nutrients help in only one of these functions.  Others can (and do) provide materials that participate in more than one.  Sometimes they take part in all three functions.  Which nutrients are needed daily?  Are there certain amounts that we should have, and do we need more of some than of others?  It is easy to remember that we need five groups:  protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, and minerals.

Protein is essential because it contains materials for all three nutritive functions.  The proteins in our foods are composed of even smaller units, known as amino acids.  It is through amino-acid activity that proteins function.  Some amino acids can be synthesized within our bodies from materials in other foods.  But there are others that our bodies cannot manufacture; these are called “essential amino acids.”  Sources of these should be included in the diet each day.  We have also learned that the amino acids we can synthesize (known as “Nonessential”) function better in the presence of the essential amino acids.  And we know that all the essential amino acids must be present at the same time, to obtain the most benefit from all.  So one might easily wonder if the foods selected meet all these qualifications.  Yet there are simple guides to help you get the most nutrition from foods for your family.

Carbohydrates and fats are necessary as energy-givers.  However, there are also essential fatty acids (part of some fats) that many believe we need each day.  So sources of these should be included in the diet.

Minerals are important as sources of materials that regulate body functions.  They may also become part of the structure of the body.  Calcium, for example, is an essential component of the skeletal frame.  Although this function takes place primarily during growth, there is a continued calcium exchange within the body.  So we need calcium as adults.  And calcium is necessary for the coagulation of blood.  This mineral has other important functions, too.

It is believed that we must have certain amounts of calcium and iron each day.  Other minerals equally important to health are needed in such small quantities that we apparently obtain adequate amounts.  Some of these are:  sodium, potassium, chlorine, phosphorus, copper, zinc, magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iodine, sulfur, fluorine, and others.

Even the youngest family member is soon familiar with the idea that vitamins are important.  But again, how much and which ones to include can become a nagging worry to the homemaker.

The National Research Council’s Food and Nutrition Board has published a Table of Daily Recommended Allowances for those nutrients that its members consider necessary to include in the diet each day.  The vitamins specified are:  vitamin A, thiamine, (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and vitamin D.  Other vitamins are equally essential and perform vital roles in our body’s metabolism.   However either we are able to synthesize adequate amounts or our need for them is so small that we obtain enough from our food.  Chief among these additional vitamins are:  pyridoxine, biotin, antithetic acid, folic acid, Vitamin B-12.  You have probably seen these names on labels.

The possibility is realized that some factor, unknown at present, remains to be identified as an essential nutrient.

Even though you require some twenty to thirty nutrients daily, your menu planning need not resemble a complex calculator.  The United States Department of Agriculture has developed an easy-to-follow menu plan.

A Daily Food Guide

Milk Group Vegetable, Fruit Group Meat Group Bread, Cereal Group

Some milk for everyone.  Children, 3 to 4 cups. Teen-agers, 4 or more cups Adults, 2 or more cups 4 or more servings. Include:  A citrus fruit or other fruit or vegetable important for vitamin C.  A dark-green or deep-yellow vegetable for vitamin A - at least every other day.  Other vegetables and fruits, including potatoes. 2 or more servings.  Beef, veal, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, eggs.  As alternatives - dry beans, dry peas, nuts 4 or more servings.  Whole grain, enriched, or restored.

The guide is flexible.  You can adapt it to fit family preferences.  Even though you have freedom of choice, keep in mind that foods within each group are similar but not identical.  Thus, to safeguard your nutrient intake, plan to have variety within each group.  The foods listed in the guide probably will provide you with your nutritive needs - except for calories.  So you may select additional foods, from the four food groups or from other foods, such as desserts, fats, oils, and sweet foods, to provide the necessary calories. 

Each food group makes certain contributions to the diet.  For example, fruits and vegetables supply vitamins and minerals.  They are especially rich in vitamin A and vitamin C.  Dark-green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale, chard, provide vitamin A; while citrus fruits and other fresh fruits, such as strawberries and cantaloupe, and vegetables, like green pepper and broccoli, provide significant amounts of vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Milk supplies many nutrients.  Several studies have indicated that if we do not have enough milk ( or its substitutes), our diet may be low in protein, calcium, and riboflavin.  You may have the following, instead of 1 cup of milk, to obtain approximately the same amount of calcium:

1 cup fluid skim milk or buttermilk

1 ¼ cups dairy sour cream

1 ¼ ounces process Cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cups cottage cheese

2 cups (approximately) ice cream

The meat group is especially important for its protein value.  It, as well as the milk group, contains high-quality protein.  This means that a good supply of all the essential amino acids is found in meat foods - eggs, fish or all varieties, and poultry are included.

Other nutrients found here are the B vitamins and iron.

Breads and cereals, the fourth group, often reflect ethnic cultures, as types of bread vary from country to country.  Rice, noodles, macaroni, crackers, grits, and baked goods are among the foods in this group.  They can be a good source of the B vitamins and iron if they are whole grain or enriched.  You may also obtain some amino acids to supplement those from the meat and milk groups.  Read the label to see if the food has been enriched.

The same basic rules can be used for the whole family - children and parents need the same nutrients, just different amounts.  And, of course, there will be different needs for foods that supply calories primarily.