15 septiembre, 2024

The 4 laws of food

What are the food laws?

The food laws They are the parameters where the nutrition that we must take properly is based. Food must be sufficient, balanced, complete and adequate. Therefore, the laws of food can be considered universal.

Food gives us the energy and nutrients we need to grow and develop, be healthy and active, move, work, play, think and learn.

The body needs a variety of the following 5 nutrients to stay healthy and productive: protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals.

food laws

law of quantity

This law determines the amount of food needed to meet the energy requirements of the human body, and thus maintain a balance. The amount of food a person eats will guarantee a long and healthy life, to which physical activity must be added.

The amounts of food depend, of course, on the size of the individual, as well as their body composition (fat and lean mass), the type of physical activity that is carried out, and activities outside of the sports field, such as the type of work and study.

It will also depend on gender and age.

law of quality

The law of quality refers to the qualitative and not to the quantitative. In other words, the diet must be complete and healthy to maintain the body as an indivisible unit.

For this, the body needs proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals and water.

law of harmony

By harmony is meant the ratio of foods to each other, to maximize the benefits of each of them. That is, the amount of nutrients must be balanced.

law of adequacy

Last but not least, there is the law of adaptation, which basically says that each person is a world with their tastes and habits, economic and cultural situation, and that food must be adapted to these contexts.

Therefore, each eating plan must be made individually and take people as a whole.

In other words, a food plan needs to take multiple variables into account, it is not only about determining what is healthy, but also what is appropriate.

The importance of a balanced diet

To stay healthy, the human body needs more than just the five nutrients mentioned at the beginning of this article. You also need to administer them in the correct amounts, that is, have a balanced diet.

Otherwise, the consequences are numerous and dangerous. If the body does not eat enough food for energy (for example, carbohydrates and fats), it will feel very tired. But if you eat too much fat, you will be overweight. The key is balance.

Many people in the so-called developed world (for example, the United States) eat too much saturated fat, so obesity is becoming a big problem.

Being obese goes far beyond being cosmetic: it has serious health implications, including increased chances of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer.

On the other hand, in the underdeveloped world many people suffer from hunger or are undernourished, so they do not have enough food or are “malnourished”.

Malnutrition is characterized by inadequate intake of protein, energy or micronutrients.

refereencias

Why is food important to the human body? (nd). Retrieved from reference.com.
The Importance of Food (nd). Retrieved from healthline.com.

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