health and nutrition essay wikipedia

• - Google Chrome

Intended for healthcare professionals

• Access provided by Google Indexer
• My email alerts
• BMA member login
• Username * Password * Forgot your log in details? Need to activate BMA Member Log In Log in via OpenAthens Log in via your institution

Search form

• Advanced search
• Search responses
• Search blogs
• News & Views
• History of modern...

History of modern nutrition science—implications for current research, dietary guidelines, and food policy

Visual summary available

A timeline of nutrition research, from the era of vitamin discovery in the early 20th Century, through current research on complex effects of dietary patterns, and onwards to the future possibilities for nutrition research and public health implementation

Food for thought

Click here to read other articles in this collection.

• Related content
• Peer review
• Dariush Mozaffarian , dean 1 ,
• Irwin Rosenberg , professor 1 ,
• Ricardo Uauy , professor 2 3
• 1 Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston MA, USA
• 2 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, UK
• 3 Instituto de Nutricion, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
• Correspondence to: D Mozaffarian dariush.mozaffarian{at}tufts.edu

Dariush Mozaffarian and colleagues describe how the history of modern nutrition science has shaped current thinking

Although food and nutrition have been studied for centuries, modern nutritional science is surprisingly young. The first vitamin was isolated and chemically defined in 1926, less than 100 years ago, ushering in a half century of discovery focused on single nutrient deficiency diseases. Research on the role of nutrition in complex non-communicable chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancers, is even more recent, accelerating over the past two or three decades and especially after 2000.

Historical summaries of nutrition science have been published, focusing on dietary guidelines, general scientific advances, or particular nutritional therapies. 1 2 3 4 Carl Sagan said, “You have to know the past to understand the present;” and Martin Luther King, Jr, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” This article describes key historical events in modern nutrition science that form the basis of our current understanding of diet and health and clarify contemporary priorities, new trends, and controversies in nutrition science and policy.

1910s to 1950s: era of vitamin discovery

The first half of the 20th century witnessed the identification and synthesis of many of the known essential vitamins and minerals and their use to prevent and treat nutritional deficiency related diseases including scurvy, beriberi, pellagra, rickets, xerophthalmia, and nutritional anaemias. Casimir Funk in 1913 came up with idea of a “vital amine” in food, originating from the observation that the hulk of unprocessed rice protected chickens against a beriberi-like condition. 5 This “vital amine” or vitamin was first isolated in 1926 and named thiamine, and subsequently synthesised in 1936 as vitamin B 1 . In 1932, vitamin C was isolated and definitively documented, for the first time, to protect against scurvy, 6 some 200 years after ship’s surgeon James Lind tested lemons for treating scurvy in sailors. 7

By the mid-20th century all major vitamins had been isolated and synthesised ( fig 1 ). Their identification in animal and human studies proved the nutritional basis of serious deficiency diseases and initially led to dietary strategies to tackle beriberi (vitamin B 1 ), pellagra (vitamin B 3 ), scurvy (vitamin C), pernicious anaemia (vitamin B 12 ), rickets (vitamin D), and other deficiency conditions. However, the chemical synthesis of vitamins quickly led to food based strategies being supplanted by treatment with individual vitamin supplements. This presaged modern day use and marketing of individual and bundled multivitamins to guard against deficiency, launching an entire vitamin supplement industry.

Key historical events in modern nutrition science, with implications for current science and policy

• Download figure
• Open in new tab
• Download powerpoint

This new science of single nutrient deficiency diseases also led to fortification of selected staple foods with micronutrients, such as iodine in salt and niacin (vitamin B 3 ) and iron in wheat flour and bread. 8 9 10 These approaches proved to be effective at reducing the prevalence of many common deficiency diseases, including goitre (iodine), xerophthalmia (vitamin A), rickets (vitamin D), and anaemia (iron). Foods around the world have since been fortified with calcium, phosphorus, iron, and specific vitamins (A, B, C, D), depending on the composition of local staple foods. 10 11 12 13

As one of the great accidents of nutrition history, this new science and focus on single nutrients and their deficiencies coincided with the Great Depression and second world war, a time of widespread fear of food shortages. This led to even further emphasis on preventing deficiency diseases. For example, the first recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) were a direct result of these concerns, when the League of Nations, British Medical Association, and the US government separately commissioned scientists to generate new minimum dietary requirements to be prepared for war. 14 In 1941, these first RDAs were announced at the National Nutrition Conference on Defence, providing new guidelines for total calories and selected nutrients including protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and specific vitamins. 15 These historical events established a precedent for nutrition research and policy recommendations to focus on single nutrients linked to specific disease states.

1950s to 1970s: fat versus sugar and the protein gap

During the next 20 to 30 years, calorie malnutrition and specific vitamin deficiencies fell sharply in high income countries because of economic development and large increases in low cost processing of staple foods fortified with minerals and vitamins. At the same time, the rising burdens of diet related non-communicable diseases began to be recognised, leading to new research directions. Attention included two areas: dietary fat and sugar. 16 17 18 19

Early ecological studies and small, short term interventions, most prominently by Ancel Keys, Frederick Stare, and Mark Hegsted, contributed to the widespread belief that fat was a major contributor to heart disease. At the same time, work by John Yudkin and others implicated excess sugar in coronary disease, hypertriglyceridemia, cancer, and dental caries. Ultimately, the emphasis on fat won scientific and policy acceptance, embodied in the 1977 US Senate committee report Dietary Goals for the United States, which recommended low fat, low cholesterol diets for all. This was not without controversy: in 1980, the US National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board reviewed the data and concluded that insufficient evidence existed to limit total fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol across the population. 20

Some interpret these controversies as evidence of industry influence, and others as natural disagreement and evolution of early science. 16 17 18 19 More relevant is that both the dietary fat and sugar theories relied on a nutritional model developed to address deficiency diseases: identify and isolate the single relevant nutrient, assess its isolated physiological effect, and quantify its optimal intake level to prevent disease. Unfortunately, as subsequent research would establish, such reductionist models translated poorly to non-communicable diseases.

In less wealthy countries, the main objectives of nutrition policy and recommendations during this period remained on increasing calories and selected micronutrients. In many ways, foods became viewed as a delivery vehicle for essential nutrients and calories. Accordingly, agricultural science and technology emphasised production of low cost, shelf stable, and energy dense starchy staples such as wheat, rice, and corn, with corresponding breeding and processing to maximally extract and purify the starch. As in high income nations, these efforts were accompanied by fortification of staple foods 10 11 12 13 as well as food assistance programmes to promote survival and growth of infants and young children in vulnerable populations.

Scientists focused on malnutrition disagreed on the relative role of total calories and protein in infant and child diseases such as marasmus and kwashiorkor—also termed “the protein-calorie deficiency diseases.” 21 22 Support for the “protein gap” concept led to extensive industrial development of protein enriched formulas and complementary foods for developing countries. Other scientists supported the primary role of calorie insufficiency and believed that protein enriched formulas and foods should not replace breast milk. As one prominent scientist wrote in 1966, “Millions of dollars and years of effort… into developing these [high protein] foods would have been better spent on efforts to preserve the practice of breast feeding... being abandoned everywhere.” 22

The debate essentially ended when in 1975 leading scientists in the US and London independently concluded from the scientific evidence that a lack of food was the main problem: 22 “The concept of a worldwide protein gap… is no longer tenable… the problem is mainly one of quantity rather than quality of food.” 23

This conclusion influenced subsequent efforts to tackle malnutrition in developing countries. For example, a formal UK advisory committee on international nutrition aid recommended that, “the primary attack on malnutrition should be through the alleviation of poverty… aid should be directed to projects that will generate income among the poor, even where such projects do not have any marked effect on the national income of the country concerned.” 22

However, the earlier decades of uncertainty had fostered a multinational industry that continued to promote formula and baby foods in low income countries based on their protein content and nutrient fortification. In addition, nutrient supplementation strategies remained effective at preventing or treating endemic deficiency diseases. Thus, despite the shift in scientific thinking to focus on economic development, substantial emphasis remained or even accelerated on providing sufficient calories, most often as starchy staples, plus vitamin fortification and supplementation.

1970s to 1990s: diet related chronic diseases and supplementation

Accelerating economic development and modernisation of agricultural, food processing, and food formulation techniques continued to reduce single nutrient deficiency diseases globally. Coronary mortality also began to fall in high income countries, but many other diet related chronic diseases were increasing, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and several cancers.

In response, nutrition science and policy guidelines in high income nations shifted to try to deal with chronic disease. Building on the 1977 Senate report, the 1980 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was one of the earliest such national guidelines. 24 Many of the available data were derived from less robust types of evidence, such as from crude cross-country (ecological) comparisons and short term experiments using surrogate outcomes, mostly in healthy middle aged men. More importantly, these studies followed the deficiency disease model, largely considering isolated single nutrients. Accordingly, the 1980 dietary guidelines remained heavily nutrient focused: “avoid too much fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol; eat foods with adequate starch and fiber; avoid too much sugar; avoid too much sodium.” 24 International guidelines were similarly nutrient focused. 25 This led to a proliferation of industrially crafted food products low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and fortified with micronutrients, as well as expansion of other nutrient focused technologies to reduce saturated fat such as partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils.

At the same time the global community prioritised action to eliminate hunger and micronutrient deficiency in lower income nations. Major micronutrient targets during this period were iron, vitamin A, and iodine. Evidence was increasing that vitamin A supplements could prevent child mortality from infection, such as measles, as well as preventing night blindness and xerophthalmia. 26 Field trials provided a basis for WHO recommendations for widespread micronutrient supplementation, especially during pregnancy, with iron and vitamin A, and for fortification of salt with iodine to prevent goitre and developmental abnormalities such as congenital hypothyroidism and hearing loss.

Based on these priorities, the UN, national governments, and other international groups adopted portfolios for preventing micronutrient deficiencies through supplementation and fortification and integration of the growing relevant evidence. Scientific investigations further focused on other environmental factors that may interact with micronutrients and dietary protein, such as infection and related poor sanitation, leading to concepts such as subclinical enteritis or malabsorption called first “tropical enteritis,” then “environmental enteropathy,” and currently “environmental enteric dysfunction.” 27 28 29

Thus, in both lower and higher income nations, for partly overlapping reasons, a nutrient specific focus continued to shape both scientific inquiry and policy interventions.

1990s to the present: evidence debates, diet patterns, the double burden

Among the most important scientific development of recent decades was the design and completion of multiple, complementary, large nutrition studies, including prospective observational cohorts, randomised clinical trials, and, more recently, genetic consortiums. Cohort studies provided, for the first time, individual level, multivariable adjusted findings on a range of nutrients, foods, and diet patterns and a diversity of health outcomes. Clinical trials allowed further testing of specific questions in targeted, often high risk populations, in particular effects of isolated vitamin supplements and, more recently, specific diet patterns. Genetic consortiums provided important evidence on genetic influences on dietary choices, gene-diet interactions affecting disease risk factors and endpoints, and Mendelian randomisation studies of causal effects of nutritional biomarkers.

These advances were not without controversy, in particular the general discordance of findings between cohort studies and those of supplement trials for specific vitamins on cardiovascular and cancer endpoints. 30 31 Some experts interpreted the discordance as evidence for irredeemable shortcomings of observational studies (inherent residual confounding). Others believed it showed the limitations of single nutrient approaches to chronic diseases as well as potentially reflecting the different methodological designs, with trials often focused on short term, supraphysiological doses of vitamin supplements in high risk patients, while observational studies often focused on habitual intake of vitamins from food in general populations.

In contrast to single nutrients, physiological intervention trials, large cohort studies, and randomised clinical trials provided more consistent evidence for diet patterns, such as low fat diets (few significant effects) or Mediterranean and similar food based patterns (consistent benefits). 32 33 This concordance was supported by advances in research methods and better understanding of the complementary strengths of different study designs. 34 35 36 37 38 39

Together, these advances suggested that single nutrient theories were inadequate to explain many effects of diet on non-communicable diseases. This pushed the field beyond the RDA framework and other nutrient metrics designed to identify thresholds for nutrient deficiency diseases, and towards complex biological effects of foods and diet patterns. 40 41 42 43 44 Such factors were increasingly seen to reflect joint contributions and interactions between carbohydrate quality (eg, glycaemic index, fibre content), fatty acid profiles, protein types, micronutrients, phytochemicals, food structure, preparation and processing methods, and additives.

Prospective cohorts and dietary intervention trials showed that a focus on total fat, a mainstay of dietary guidelines since 1980, produced little measurable health benefit; conversely, nutrient based recommendations for specific foods such as eggs, red meats, and dairy products (eg, based on dietary cholesterol, saturated fat, calcium) belied the observed relations of these foods with health outcomes. 32 33 For weight loss and glycaemic control, decades of emphasis on low fat diets were questioned by the results of a series of prospective cohort studies, metabolic feeding studies, and randomised trials, which showed that foods rich in healthy fats produced benefit, while foods rich in starch and sugar caused harm. 33 45 46 47 This progress was extended to recognition of the relevance of diet patterns such as traditional Mediterranean or vegetarian diets that emphasised minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, and plant oils and low amounts of highly processed foods rich in starch, sugar, salt, and additives. 32 33

These recent scientific shifts help explain many uncertainties and controversies in nutrition today. After decades of focus on simple, reductionist metrics such as dietary fat, saturated fat, nutrient density, and energy density, the emerging true complexities of different foods and diet patterns create genuine challenges for understanding influences on health and wellbeing. For several categories of foods, meaningful numbers of prospective observational or interventional studies have become available only recently. 33 38 Growing realisation of the importance of overall diet patterns has stimulated not only scientific inquiry but also a deluge of empirical, commercial, and popular dietary patterns of varying origin and scientific backing. 48 These range, for example, from flexitarian, vegetarian, and vegan to low carb, paleo, and gluten-free. Many of these patterns have specific aims (eg, general health, weight loss, anti-inflammation) and are based on differing interpretations of current evidence.

In lower income countries, concerns about vitamin supplementation have emerged, such as harms associated with higher dose vitamin A supplements, risk of exacerbating infections such as malaria with iron, and safety concerns about folic acid fortification of flour, which might exacerbate neurological and cognitive deficits among people with low vitamin B 12 levels. 49 50 51 52 In addition, a precipitous rise in non-communicable diseases in these countries has led to new focus on the “double burden”—both conventionally conceived malnutrition (insufficient calories and micronutrients) leading to poor maternal and child health and modern malnutrition (poor diet quality) leading to obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. These dual global burdens are increasingly found within the same nation, community, household, and even person. 53 54 55

Yet, after decades of focus in the international nutrition community on vitamin supplements, food fortification, and starchy staples to provide calories, the necessary shift towards diet quality is slowed by considerable inertia. This is seen, for example, in the reductionist, single nutrient focus of many of the UN sustainable development goals. Even when non-communicable diseases are considered, the predominant focus is on obesity rather than the diverse risk pathways and conditions affected by nutrition—facilitating a misleading concept of “overnutrition” rather than unhealthy dietary composition as the root problem. 55

Future of nutrition science

Building on the evidence for multifaceted effects of different foods, processing methods, and diet patterns, 32 33 new priorities for research are emerging in nutrition science. These include optimal dietary composition to reduce weight gain and obesity; interactions between prebiotics and probiotics, fermented foods, and gut microbiota; effects of specific fatty acids, flavonoids, and other bioactives; personalised nutrition, especially for non-genetic lifestyle, sociocultural, and microbiome factors; and the powerful influences of place and social status on nutritional and disease disparities. 33 56 57 58 59 60

For lower income nations and populations, rigorous investigation is required to understand the optimal dietary patterns to jointly tackle maternal health, child development, infection risk, and non-communicable diseases.

Our understanding of diet related biological pathways will continue to expand ( fig 1 ), 33 57 61 highlighting the limitations of using single surrogate outcomes to determine the full health effects of any dietary factor. In addition, future conclusions about diets and health should be based on complementary evidence from controlled interventions of multiple surrogate endpoints, mechanistic studies, prospective observational studies, and, when available, clinical trials of disease outcomes. 35 36 37 38 39 This will require moving away from the current simplistic belief that reliable nutritional evidence can be derived only from large scale randomised trials.

Given the large and continuing global rise in agribusiness and manufactured foods, nutrition science must keep pace with and systematically assess the long term health effects of new food technologies. Relatively little rigorous evaluation has been done on potential long term health consequences of modern shifts in agricultural practices, livestock feeding, crop breeding, and food processing methods such as grain milling and processing; plant oil extraction, deodorisation, and interesterification; dairy fat homogenisation; and use of emulsifiers and thickeners.

Additional complexity may arise in nutritional recommendations for general wellbeing versus treatment of specific conditions. For example, dietary recommendations for treating obesity are now particularly controversial. Many scientists continue to support a basic “energy imbalance” concept of obesity, wherein calories from different foods are all considered equal. 62 Conversely, growing evidence suggests that, over longer periods, diet composition may be a more relevant focus than calories because of the varied influences of different foods on overlapping pathways for weight control such as satiety, brain reward, glycaemic responses, the microbiome, and liver function. 56 63 64 65 Over months to years, some foods may impair pathways of weight homeostasis, others may have relatively neutral effects, and others may promote integrity of weight regulation. These long term effects will be especially relevant as anti-obesity efforts shift from secondary prevention (weight loss in people with obesity) towards primary prevention (avoidance of long term weight gain in populations).

Recognition of complexity is a key lesson of the past. This is common in scientific progress whether in nutrition, clinical medicine, physics, political science, or economics: initial observations lead to reasonable, simplified theories that achieve certain practical benefits, which are then inevitably advanced by new knowledge and recognition of ever-increasing complexity. 35

Nutrition policy

Like nutrition science, policy needs to move from simplistic reductionist strategies to multifaceted approaches. Nutrition policy to reduce non-communicable diseases has so far generally relied on consumer knowledge—simply inform the public through education, dietary guidelines, product nutrition labels, etc, and people will make better choices. However, it is now clear that knowledge alone has relatively limited effects on behaviour, and that broader systems, policy, and environmental strategies are needed for effective change. 66 67

Compounding these challenges, many current strategies remain focused on reductionist constructs such as total fat or total saturated fat, 41 68 overlooking the importance of food type and quality, processing methods, and diet patterns. Another example of policy lag involves energy balance. Policy makers continue to promote total calorie labelling laws for menus and packaging and other calorie reduction policies, rather than aiming to increase calories from healthy foods and reduce calories from unhealthy foods.

The public is understandably bewildered by these evolving dietary messages. Many food companies compound the confusion by marketing products rich in refined flours, sugar, salt, and industrial additives, exploiting added micronutrients or terms such as “organic,” “local,” or “natural” to supply a false aura of healthiness. Public uncertainty is amplified by competing nutritional messages from varied media sources, online and social networks, cultural thought leaders, and commercial outlets, whose messages vary depending on underlying goals, expertise, perspectives, and competing interests. 35

Although reductionist policies may have some value to reduce specific additives—eg, trans fats, sodium, added sugar—whole food based policies will be crucial to fully address diet related illnesses. Most policy innovation has focused on sugar sweetened drinks, following the model of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: tax, restrict places of sale, restrict marketing, use warning labels. This construct breaks down for incentivising consumption of healthy foods. Integrated policy, investment, and cultural strategies are needed to create change in food production and manufacturing, worksites, schools, healthcare systems, quality standards and labelling, food assistance programmes, research and innovation, and public-private partnerships.

To be effective, future nutrition policy must unite modern scientific advances on dietary priorities (specific foods, processing methods, additives, diet patterns) with trusted communication to the public and modern evidence on effective systems level change. This includes a shift from the global medicalisation of health towards addressing the interconnected personal, community, sociocultural, national, and global determinants of food environments and choices. 66 67 In both lower and higher income countries, interventions must consider the double burdens of food insecurity and chronic disease, and their links to disparities in education, income, and opportunity. This will require substantially more funding for research, both from government sources and through appropriately fashioned, transparent public-private partnerships. 69 70 Guided by knowledge of the past, creative new approaches are needed for accelerated scientific investigation, coordination, and translation of current and future advances.

Key messages

Modern nutrition science is young: It is less than one century since the first vitamin was isolated in 1926

The first half of the 20th century focused on the discovery, isolation, and synthesis of essential micronutrients and their role in deficiency diseases

●This created strong precedent for reductionist, nutrient focused approaches for dietary research, guidelines, and policy to address malnutrition

This reductionist approach was extended to address the rise in diet related non-communicable diseases—eg, focusing on total fat, saturated fat, or sugar rather than overall diet quality

Recent advances in nutrition science have shown that foods and diet patterns, rather than nutrient focused metrics, explain many effects of diet on non-communicable disease

●Lower income countries are recognising a growing “double burden” (combined undernutrition and non-communicable disease)

Nutrition policy should prioritise food based dietary targets, public communication of trusted science, and integrated policy, investment, and cultural strategies to create systems level change across multiple organisations and environments

Contributors and sources: All three authors have widely studied, reported on, and served in policy advisory roles on nutrition and health issues. DM had the idea for the article and drafted it with IR. All authors contributed to revising the draft and approved the final version. The authors selected the literature for inclusion in this manuscript based on their own expertise and knowledge, discussions with colleagues, and editorial and reviewer comments.

Competing interests: We have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests : DM reports personal fees from Acasti Pharma, GOED, DSM, Nutrition Impact, Pollock Communications, Bunge, Indigo Agriculture, and Amarin; scientific advisory board, Omada Health, Elysium Health, and DayTwo; and chapter royalties from UpToDate; all outside the submitted work. This research was partly supported by the NIH, NHLBI (R01 HL130735). The funders had no role in the design or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

This article is one of a series commissioned by The BMJ . Open access fees for the series were funded by Swiss Re, which had no input into the commissioning or peer review of the articles.

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ .

• Schneeman BO
• Carpenter KJ
• Vassilyadi F ,
• Panteliadou AK ,
• Panteliadis C
• ↵ Eijkman C. Nobel Lecture: the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 1929. https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1929/eijkman-lecture.html .
• ↵ American Chemical Society National Historic Chemical Landmarks. The Discovery of Vitamin C by Albert Szent-Györgyi. 2002. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/szentgyorgyi.html
• Backstrand JR
• Fletcher RJ ,
• Tazhibayev S ,
• Dolmatova O ,
• Ganiyeva G ,
• Laillou A ,
• Northrop-Clewes CA ,
• Macdonald B ,
• Moench-Pfanner R
• van den Wijngaart A ,
• Codling K ,
• Randall P ,
• ↵ National Nutrition Conference for Defense. JAMA 1941 ; 116 : 2598 - 9 doi: 10.1001/jama.1941.02820230042013 OpenUrl CrossRef
• Kearns CE ,
• Glantz SA ,
• Schmidt LA ,
• Apollonio D ,
• Oppenheimer GM
• National Research Council Food and Nutrition Board
• Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation on Energy and Protein Requirements
• Carpenter K
• Waterlow JC ,
• World Health Organization, Food and Agricultural Organization
• Scrimshaw NS ,
• Taylor CE ,
• Gordon JE ,
• Keusch GT ,
• Troncale FJ
• Woodside JV ,
• McGartland C ,
• de Koning L ,
• Shannon HS ,
• Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee ,
• Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
• Mozaffarian D
• Mozaffarian D ,
• Blumberg J ,
• Heaney RP ,
• Huncharek M ,
• Willett WC ,
• Shulkin ML ,
• Peñalvo JL ,
• Jacobs DR Jr . ,
• Jacobs DR ,
• Heidemann C ,
• Schulze MB ,
• Franco OH ,
• van Dam RM ,
• Mantzoros CS ,
• Mensink RP ,
• Kester AD ,
• Tobias DK ,
• Manson JE ,
• Ludwig DS ,
• Willett W ,
• Imamura F ,
• ↵ US News and World Report. Best diets. 2018. https://health.usnews.com/best-diet .
• Crider KS ,
• Bailey LB ,
• Castillo-Lancellotti C ,
• Rosenberg IH
• Victora CG ,
• Walker SP ,
• Maternal and Child Nutrition Study Group
• Ebbeling CB ,
• Feldman HA ,
• Gardner CD ,
• Trepanowski JF ,
• Del Gobbo LC ,
• Hallberg SJ ,
• McKenzie AL ,
• Williams PT ,
• Khatibzadeh S ,
• Benowitz NL ,
• American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, Council on the Kidney in Cardiovasc
• Lloyd-Williams F ,
• Bromley H ,

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Healthy Food Essay

Essay on Healthy Food

Food is essential for our body for a number of reasons. It gives us the energy needed for working, playing and doing day-to-day activities. It helps us to grow, makes our bones and muscles stronger, repairs damaged body cells and boosts our immunity against external harmful elements like pathogens. Besides, food also gives us a kind of satisfaction that is integral to our mental wellbeing, but there are some foods that are not healthy. Only those food items that contain nutrients in a balanced proportion are generally considered as healthy. People of all ages must be aware of the benefits of eating healthy food because it ensures a reasonably disease-free, fit life for many years. 

Switching to a healthy diet doesn't have to be a one-size-fits-all approach. You don't have to be perfect, you don't have to eliminate all of your favourite foods and you don't have to make any drastic changes all at once—doing so frequently leads to straying or abandoning your new eating plan.

Making a few tiny modifications at a time is a recommended approach. Maintaining modest goals will help you achieve more in the long run without feeling deprived or overwhelmed by a very drastic diet change. Consider a healthy diet as a series of tiny, accessible actions such as including a salad in your diet once a day. You can slowly add additional healthy options as your minor modifications become habitual.

Cultivating a positive relationship with food is also crucial. Rather than focusing on what you should avoid, consider what you may include on your plate that will benefit your health such as nuts for heart-healthy, predominant fat that reduces low-density lipoprotein levels called monounsaturated fatty acids(raspberries) for fibre and especially the substances that inhibit oxidation which we call antioxidants.

Why is Healthy Food Important?

Living a healthy lifestyle has immense payback. Over time, making smart eating choices lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease, certain malignancies, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even anxiety and depression. Daily, you will have more energy, feel better and possibly even be in a better mood.

It all boils down to how long and how good your life is. According to several surveys, A healthy diet consists of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish. A higher diet of red or processed meats on the other hand doubled the chance of dying young.

Types of Healthy Food: 

Following are the various types of healthy foods and their respective nutritional value:

Cereals,potatoes,bread and other root vegetables- These are the main sources of carbohydrates. The calories obtained from them enable us to do work. 

Pulses, milk and milk products, eggs, bird meat, animal meat in limited quantities - these are great sources of protein. They build muscles and repair the damaged cells of our body, i.e., they are important for our immunity. 

Ghee, butter, nuts and dry fruits, edible oil used in restrained quantities- These are rich sources of good fat. They provide more energy to our body than carbohydrates but should be consumed in a smaller amount. 

Fresh fruits, vegetables and leafy vegetables, fish, egg, milk-these are good sources of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are essential for normal functioning of the body. Though they are needed in small amounts, nowadays, nutrition experts prescribe their higher consumption as they help to fight lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity and even cancer. 

Different types of healthy food when included in our daily diet in the right proportions along with water and roughage comprise a balanced diet. However, a balanced diet is not the same for all individuals considering many factors. It depends on a person’s age, gender, condition of the body-healthy or suffering from any disease and the type of work or physical activity a human  does.

Benefits of Eating Healthy

Healthy food intake nourishes both our physical and mental health and helps us stay active for many years. One who break downs this broad benefit into micro-benefits will see that eating healthy:

Helps us in weight management

Makes us agile and increases our productivity 

Decreases the risk of heart diseases, stroke, diabetes mellitus, poor bone density, and some cancers, etc. 

Helps in uplifting mood

Improves memory

Improves digestion and appetite

Improves sleep cycle

Healthy food habits are inculcated in children by their parents early on. These habits along with the right education and physical exercise lead to an overall development of an individual which ultimately becomes the greatest resource of a country.

What is Unhealthy Food or Junk Food?

To fully understand the prominence of healthy food in our diet, we must also be aware of unhealthy food, that is, the food that we must avoid eating. These are mainly junk food items which are low in nutritional value and contain an excessive amount of salt, sugar and fats which is not healthy for a human body.

Junk food is one of the unhealthy intakes in the present day scenario. It makes us more unfit than ever before. It is high time that one realised this and adopted a healthy food habit for a sustainable lifestyle.

Steps to improve Eating Habits:

Make a detailed plan; break down the timings; kind of food to be included in each meal and keep the plan weekly and avoid making the process dull and repetitive. 

Cook your food, minimise eating from outside. It helps keep the ingredients, quality and measurements in check as well as saves money.

Stock your kitchen with healthy snacks for your cravings rather than processed food so that your options are reduced to consuming unhealthy food.

Take the process slowly. You do not have to have a strict plan; ease yourself into a healthy mindset. Your mind and body will adjust gradually. Consistency is important. 

Track your eating habits to understand the intake of food, items, portions etc. This motivates you to see the progress over time and make changes according to your needs.

Myths About Healthy Food:

Carrots affect eyesight: According to historic times, during World War II, there was a popular belief that eating a lot of veggies would assist maintain the pilot's eyes in good repair. In actuality, the fighter pilot's eyesight was aided by advanced technology. However, the myth has persisted since then and many parents still use this narrative to get their children to eat more veggies. Carrots are high in vitamin A and make a terrific supplement to any healthy diet, but they don't usually help you see better.

Fat-Free Food : Health foods continue to dominate grocery store shelves but it's always a good idea to look beyond the label before buying. This is especially true when it comes to "fat-free," "low-fat," and "non-fat" foods. It's generally true that anything with less fat is preferable for some dairy and meat items. 

Lower fat alternatives in packaged and processed foods contain other dangerous additives as fat substitutes. Manufacturers compensate for the loss of fat in packaged cookies, for example, by adding other undesirable elements like sugar.

Protein shakes: Pre-made smoothie beverages and protein powder mixes which typically claim to contain less sugar than milkshakes, slushies and diet sodas are likely to be the popular choice among customers because of the above mentioned reason. They both have the same amount of sugar and artificial sweeteners. 

However, this is not true of all pre-made protein shakes and smoothies. Many of them, particularly the plant-based mixtures, are still nutritious additions to a balanced diet. Check the nutrition label to be sure there are no added sugars or artificially sweetened mixtures.

Organic food is better: Foods that are grown organically are better for you. Nutritionists labelling a product as organic doesn't mean it's superior to non-organic foods. It's a popular misperception that organic produce is nutritionally superior to non-organic produce. Organic produce has the same caloric and nutritional value as non-organic produce since it is grown and prepared according to federal rules.

FAQs on Healthy Food Essay

1) Is sugar unhealthy?

Sugar is considered to be harmful for a healthy diet. Since it tastes so good in many foods, humans tend to increase it’s intake. It is also hidden in foods you wouldn't expect. It makes body organs fat, depresses well-being and also leads to heart diseases. However, to maintain a healthy diet, it is necessary to distinguish between natural and added sugars. Sugars are carbs that provide an essential source of energy and nourishment, nevertheless, sugar is often added to many popular dishes, which is when sugar becomes unhealthy. Natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables are regarded as healthy when consumed in moderation. Still added sugars give little nutritional benefit and contribute considerably to weight gain, compromising your healthy diet. As a result, it's critical to double-check the label.

2) What is Omega 3?

Omega-3 is the superfood of the fat group, which is particularly useful for various conditions, since the term "superfood" was coined. Omega-3 fatty acid is a medicine used in treating  nutritional deficiencies. It is one of the essential nutrients with good antioxidant properties. Depression, memory loss, heart problems, joint and skin disorders and general improvement of physical and mental health and wellness are among them. Omega-3 which is abundant in fish-based diets is considered a necessary fatty acid for good health.

Nutrition and Health Promotion Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Nutritiousness involves the process of the body taking in food and vital nutrients from it that are required for life. Nutrition is central to health promotion because it plays a critical role in a person’s body, including providing physical growth, recovering from injury and fighting diseases, lactation, reproduction, and general development (Vilar-Compte et al., 2021). Thus, a person with a specific nutritional deficiency is likely to have health problems. This study will evaluate the nutritional challenges for emerging populations and the roles of nutritional deficiency and nutritional excess on diseases.

In the modern world, emerging populations face various challenges, which have led to increased obesity and nutrition-related diseases. These may include the high availability of unhealthy foods with high fat, sugar, calories, and salt. The other factor is advanced marketing systems which significantly impact children’s eating decisions (Vilar-Compte et al., 2021). Sometimes, populations cannot access healthy foods due to poverty and geographic location. Finally, nutrition information is unavailable for most populations; hence they do not know the foods to take at a given age and how it impacts their body.

Nutritional deficiency or nutritional excess plays a significant role in disease management. For instance, high nutritional levels of refined fats and carbohydrates integrated with physical inactivity can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and obesity (Muscaritoli, 2021). On the contrary, when a person lacks various essential nutrients, they are likely to have poor immune functions, stunted growth, and other conditions such as depression, scurvy, xerophthalmia, and osteoporosis (Muscaritoli, 2021). A high intake of amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, and oligosaccharides can lead to anti-inhibitory functions in the body. This shows that nutritional balance is essential in the development of a body, and thus excess or deficient intake can lead to health complications.

Muscaritoli, M. (2021). The Impact of Nutrients on Mental Health and Well-Being: Insights From the Literature. Frontiers in Nutrition , 8 (2).

Vilar-Compte, M., Burrola-Méndez, S., Lozano-Marrufo, A., Ferré-Eguiluz, I., Flores, D., Gaitán-Rossi, P., Teruel, G., & Pérez-Escamilla, R. (2021). Urban poverty and nutrition challenges associated with accessibility to a healthy diet: a global systematic literature review. International Journal for Equity in Health , 20 (1).

• British Military Medicine in the 18th Century
• Vitamin C in Nutrition: An Informative Leaflet
• Vitamin C. Recommended Dietary Allowance
• Childhood Obesity: Review and Recommendations
• The Impact of DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) on African American
• The Workout and Nutrition Relationship
• A Healthy Diet: Influencing Factors and Culture
• Primary Healthcare Community Resources
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, May 26). Nutrition and Health Promotion. https://ivypanda.com/essays/nutrition-and-health-promotion/

"Nutrition and Health Promotion." IvyPanda , 26 May 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/nutrition-and-health-promotion/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Nutrition and Health Promotion'. 26 May.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Nutrition and Health Promotion." May 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/nutrition-and-health-promotion/.

1. IvyPanda . "Nutrition and Health Promotion." May 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/nutrition-and-health-promotion/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Nutrition and Health Promotion." May 26, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/nutrition-and-health-promotion/.

Essay on Health And Nutrition

Students are often asked to write an essay on Health And Nutrition in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Health And Nutrition

Importance of health and nutrition.

Health and nutrition are like two sides of the same coin. Both are very important in our lives. Good health helps us to work well and enjoy life. On the other hand, good nutrition gives us energy and keeps us healthy.

What is Health?

Health means being free from illness. It’s not just about feeling good, but also about being able to do all the things we want to do. A healthy body can fight off germs and diseases, and recover more quickly from illness or injury.

What is Nutrition?

Nutrition is about eating the right kinds of food. Our bodies need different nutrients to work properly. These nutrients include vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. We get these nutrients from the foods we eat.

Link between Health and Nutrition

Health and nutrition are closely linked. Eating the right foods can help us stay healthy. It can also prevent many diseases. For example, eating fruits and vegetables can help prevent heart disease. On the other hand, eating too much junk food can lead to obesity and other health problems.

In conclusion, health and nutrition are very important. They help us to live a happy and healthy life. So, we should eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly to stay healthy.

250 Words Essay on Health And Nutrition

Health is about feeling good, both on the inside and outside. It is about being strong and full of energy. To stay healthy, we need to eat well, exercise regularly, and take care of our mental well-being.

The Role of Nutrition

Nutrition is like fuel for our bodies. It comes from the food we eat. Our bodies need different types of nutrients to work well. These include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Why Nutrition is Important for Health

Good nutrition helps us stay healthy. It keeps our bodies strong and helps us grow. It also helps us fight off sickness. If we do not eat enough of the right kinds of food, we can become weak and sick.

How to Maintain Good Nutrition

To maintain good nutrition, we need to eat a variety of foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy products. We should also drink plenty of water. Eating too much of one type of food is not good for us.

Exercise and Health

Exercise is another key part of staying healthy. It helps keep our bodies strong and fit. It is also good for our minds. It can help us feel happier and more relaxed.

In conclusion, health and nutrition are closely linked. By eating well and staying active, we can keep our bodies and minds healthy. We can also feel better and enjoy life more.

500 Words Essay on Health And Nutrition

Understanding health and nutrition.

Health and nutrition are two important parts of our lives. Health is about how well our bodies are working. It’s about feeling good and being able to do the things we want to do. Nutrition is about the food we eat and how it helps our bodies work well.

The Importance of Good Nutrition

Good nutrition is very important for our health. Eating the right foods can help us grow strong and stay healthy. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins are all good for us. They give us the energy we need and help our bodies work the best they can. Eating the wrong foods can make us feel tired and can make it harder for our bodies to fight off sickness.

How to Eat Healthy

Eating healthy is not always easy, but there are some simple things we can do. One is to eat a variety of foods. This helps make sure we get all the different nutrients our bodies need. We should try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and make sure to get protein, like meat or beans, every day. We should also try to limit foods that have a lot of sugar or fat.

Exercise is another important part of staying healthy. It helps our bodies stay strong and can also make us feel good. We should try to be active every day. This could be playing a sport, going for a walk, or even just playing outside.

The Role of Water in Our Health

Water is also very important for our health. Our bodies need water to work properly. We should try to drink plenty of water every day. It helps us stay hydrated, which is important for our bodies to work well.

Health and Nutrition Go Hand in Hand

Health and nutrition go hand in hand. Eating the right foods and staying active can help us stay healthy. It’s important to remember that it’s not just about looking good, but about feeling good and being able to do the things we want to do.

In conclusion, health and nutrition are very important parts of our lives. By eating the right foods and staying active, we can help our bodies work the best they can. This will help us stay healthy and feel good. Remember, your health is important, so take care of it by eating well and staying active!

This simple guide on health and nutrition is a good starting point for understanding how to take care of our bodies. It’s important to remember that everyone is different, so what works for one person might not work for another. But with a little effort, we can all find ways to eat healthier and stay active.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Health And Medicine
• Essay on Health And Illness
• Essay on Health And Wellness

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Category : Perm Krai

Federal subjects of the Russian Federation:

• The City of Perm is the krai's administrative center.

Subcategories

This category has the following 22 subcategories, out of 22 total.

• Unidentified locations in Perm Krai ‎ (395 F)
• Perm Krai in art ‎ (2 C)
• Books about Perm Krai ‎ (3 C)
• Culture of Perm Krai ‎ (15 C, 2 F)
• Districts of Perm Krai ‎ (45 C)
• Documents of Perm Krai ‎ (1 C, 1 F)
• Economy of Perm Krai ‎ (13 C, 2 F)
• Fountains in Perm Krai ‎ (1 F)
• Geography of Perm Krai ‎ (17 C, 2 F)
• History of Perm Krai ‎ (16 C, 2 F)
• Information graphics of Perm Krai ‎ (2 C, 6 F)
• Komi-Permyak Okrug ‎ (7 C, 5 F)
• Medicine in Perm Krai ‎ (2 C, 1 F)
• Nature of Perm Krai ‎ (17 C, 19 F)
• People of Perm Krai ‎ (52 C, 25 F)
• Photographs of flags of Russia in Perm Krai ‎ (4 F)
• Politics of Perm Krai ‎ (2 C, 3 F)
• Settlements in Perm Krai ‎ (25 C, 39 F)
• Symbols of Perm Krai ‎ (5 C, 2 F)
• Videos from Perm Krai ‎ (1 C)
• Views of Perm Krai ‎ (9 C, 18 F)
• Wikivoyage banners of Perm Krai ‎ (2 C, 32 F)

Media in category "Perm Krai"

The following 108 files are in this category, out of 108 total.

• Krais of Russia
• East European Russia
• Ural economic region
• Volga Federal District
• Categories requiring permanent diffusion
• Uses of Wikidata Infobox
• Uses of Wikidata Infobox with maps
• Pages with maps

Navigation menu

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Roma communities in Perm Krai: historical and ethnical aspects

Two large groups of Roma are settled in the territory of Perm Krai, the Ruska Roma and Kalderari. Roma live both in cities and countryside. Roma living in the countryside keeps elements of traditional culture. In Perm Krai we can find different families of the Ruska [Russian] Roma: Gorbovichi, Nemzengery, Bashnengery, Polyaki, Sapuny, Gubany. In contrast to the Kalderari the community of Ruska Roma is based not only on family-territorial principle. Sometimes community is based on ethnic-territorial ground when the Ruska Roma living in an urban area despite family ties can be a part of the community. Traditional activity of Ruska Roma living in countryside is a seasonal grazing of livestock. One of the main sectors of activity is trading. Roma sell cars and jewelry. Kelderari live in compact groupings in Perm. They call themselves Moldavska Roma and consider themselves to be part of Ruvoni [wolf in Romani language] family. Traditional activity of Kelderari is metal work (especially tin-smith’s work) which impact also their modern business. The main work activity of men till now is working with metals such as base metal trading and metal items repair. Traditional women activity is fortune-telling. Bilingualism, traditional way of living, ethnic isolation, unique and particular material and spiritual culture are common for all of Roma. The main problems for Roma nowadays are safeguarding of ethnicity and as well as some educational and social issues.

RELATED TOPICS

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024