Introduction:
A healthy diet has various benefits for the human body and promotes well-being. When on a diet, one should consider several aspects, like the type of food consumed, What amount of food is consumed? And how many calories has one consumed? Though food is available in many forms, knowing what is good to eat and what not to eat is important for maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. A good diet is divided into nutritive and non-nutritive parts, where the nutritional part of food includes carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. At the same time, the non-nutritive components of food include water, fibers, flavors, aromas, and the color substances that are added to the food.
What Are the Nutrient Components of Food?
A nutrient is a food substance needed for the growth of cells, reproduction, and maintenance of life. It is the physical and chemical constituents of the food that play an important role in the energy-yielding substrate (a substance on which an enzyme can act), for the synthesis of large molecules called macromolecules, or for the other components needed in cell growth and differentiation, cell repair, cell defense, and cell maintenance. It also plays an important role in maintaining normal molecular cell structure and function.
The nutrient components of food are divided into two types:
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Macro-nutrients - These include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
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Micro-nutrients - These comprise vitamins and minerals.
What Are the Non-nutrient Components of Food?
Non-nutrient components are those with no nutritional value and no energy or calories, which are necessary only in small-small quantities for the body. It includes water, roughage (fiber foods), flavors, colors, pesticide residues, and minerals. The many non-nutritive components of food found recently should be avoided as they contain more phytochemicals (chemical compounds produced by plants), some of which may cause harm and affect health.
What Are Non-nutrient Types of Food?
There are thousands of non-nutrient components of food available, some of which are not identified and some of which are just beginning to be found in recent times. Many phytochemicals are present, some of which help check the cancer initiators in the body, while others can harm us. The most commonly used non-nutritive components of food are:
1. Roughage (fiber): It does not have any nutritional value. It is difficult for the human intestinal tract to digest. It mainly consists of water, thus adding volume to the food by improving intestinal function and controlling hunger. It does not cause constipation and helps resolve large intestine disorders. These fibers help in reducing certain cancers and heart diseases. Since it is difficult to digest, it has been included in the non-nutrient components of food. This roughage is divided into two types:
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Soluble Fibers: These are fibers that are dissolved easily in water. These soluble fibers help in reducing blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
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Insoluble Fibers: These fibers cannot easily dissolve in water. It helps in releasing the stools easily or softening them. The sources of fiber include wheat, fruits, vegetables, oats, meat, and fish.
2. Water: Water is essential for diet; even blood contains 90 percent of water, which helps transport essential nutrients to the cells in the body. It helps in the excretion of waste from the body in various forms, such as urine, sweat, and feces, and also helps regulate body temperature. It acts as a lubricant and helps in keeping the skin moist.
3. Color Compounds: At present foods are made more attractive by using various color compounds or pigments in many foods and dishes, which are also appetizing. There are also colors produced from animal products and natural color pigments produced from fruits and vegetables. The most commonly derived colors are red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.
4. Flavor Compounds: Nowadays, foods are made more flavorful and attractive by extracting and producing the essence from various other chemical products which has harmful effects on health. The flavor compounds are produced from both nutritive and non-nutritive components.
5. Plant Compounds: These are compounds extracted from plants that are non-nutritive substances. Some of these components have a good effect on health, like preventing cancers, whereas some have harmful effects when taken in excess. One example is caffeine, which increases urination and heart rate.
What Are the Health Benefits of Non-nutrient Components of Food?
Some non-nutrient components also have health benefits, including flavonoids, such as wine, tea, chocolate, and a few vegetables and fruits. Fermented milk also contains probiotic bacteria, which are essential for humans.
What Are the Health Benefits of Flavonoid?
Consuming flavonoids helps in reducing the risk of some chronic diseases and also reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. Flavonoid-rich foods are also associated with reducing stress, blood pressure, platelet function, and inflammation. Under the direction of a doctor, individuals can buy flavonoids supplements.
What Are the Health Benefits of Probiotics?
Many of them use probiotics such as yogurt in their diet. It is used to treat gastrointestinal conditions and bacterial infections associated with diarrhea and constipation. Many studies show that probiotics are used to lower cardiovascular disease risk and help control blood sugar levels.
What Does the Research Say?
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The current dietary guidelines work on determining the nutrient profile of certain foods to promote good health.
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Some studies investigate the health benefits of consuming non-nutritive food, especially flavonoids and probiotics, which clarify the importance of probiotics and flavonoids in health.
Conclusion:
Good health promotes physical and mental development, which can be achieved by taking a proper diet and nutrients in the right quantity. It is very important to recognize which nutrients are required by the body and which are causing harm to the health to avoid wasting the money and energy one spends on food. Since food is available in many forms and varieties, it is important to analyze what is needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
