| It is the ideal of every living creature to maintain | | | | Good health and nutrition requires more than just the |
| itself in a healthy condition. Primary to this function is | | | | intake of these items in quantity. Too much of a |
| the quality of the foods they eat to achieve this top | | | | good thing can ultimately be as detrimental to good |
| level of physical necessity. The old adage that "you | | | | health as a lack of these essential elements. Too |
| are what you eat" is very true as there is no other | | | | much fat or carbohydrate intake can develop |
| way to absorb the necessary nutrients than through | | | | problems of weight gain and its adverse effects on |
| consumption of the proper foodstuffs. | | | | the healthy body. Too great an intake of some of |
| The first basic step to good health is with a proper | | | | the minerals and vitamins can actually toxify the body |
| diet. This often-misunderstood word refers to the | | | | and create an unhealthy condition that can lead to |
| foods we eat, not to some plan for weight loss as is | | | | illness and occasionally even death. |
| so often the modern usage of the term. Of the | | | | Just eating a lot of everything will not provide a |
| types of nutrients needed for good health are water, | | | | proper diet for maintaining good health. As an |
| vitamins, proteins, minerals, fats, fiber and | | | | example, lycopene is an effective antioxidant |
| carbohydrates. Some of these elemental foodstuffs | | | | chemical that is a prevalent nutrient in tomatoes. It |
| are needed in massive quantities. The carbohydrates | | | | can be concentrated even more in processed tomato |
| and fats are necessary for the muscles to use as | | | | products like sauce and juice, however, these |
| energy while proteins are used to create new body | | | | processed tomato products are also loaded with salt |
| tissue. Water is a primary nutrient unto itself and | | | | and sugars which can have a detrimental effect on |
| performs a wide range of functions from keeping the | | | | the overall health of the body's systems. |
| cells of the body functioning to the removal of | | | | It does require a bit of study to find the right |
| waste products from the body. | | | | balance between obtaining the necessary beneficial |
| The other types of nutrients needed by the body in | | | | elements for a healthy nutritious diet and the intake |
| order to maintain good health are the amino acids | | | | of excessive amounts of those nutrients that |
| and small quantity minerals to help regulate the | | | | become actual health hazards with over-consumption. |
| function of cells and provide the trace elements that | | | | The basic food charts are not quite enough although |
| individualized cells require to perform their specific | | | | following a simple diet plan will help obtain the balance |
| function. Proper diet will also contain chemical | | | | better than just foraging for anything you can find in |
| compounds referred to as antioxidants. These | | | | the pantry. |
| compounds remove excess free radical isotopes | | | | The time spent in researching the best way to obtain |
| created by the absorption and use of the other | | | | a proper nutrition is well spent in the potential for a |
| compounds that throw off the balance of cell health. | | | | longer, more active life and the less time spent in |
| Antioxidants are required in sufficient amount to | | | | fighting off an illness or disease that could have been |
| negate the effects of cancer and aging of the cell | | | | prevented by merely eating properly. |
| body. | | | | |