Health and Food

It comes under the food group called energy giving foods. These types of foods will contain both carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates are the main sources of energy and fats give us almost double the amount of energy given by the same amount of carbohydrates.

These materials are for making hormones, muscle and other essential biological equipments. When there is a shortage of fats or carbohydrates, these proteins can also yield energy. As fuel proteins contain 4 kcal per gram just like carbohydrates and unlike lipids which contain 9 kcal per gram.

Monosaccharides and disaccharides are called simple carbohydrates. They all digest quickly and enter the bloodstream quickly.

Margarine is a butter substitute made from a wide variety of both animal and vegetable fats and often mixed with milk and/or butter. Oleo oil is obtained from beef fat. It is used in making margarine and soap and in lubrication.

Cholesterol is needed to construct the important membranes which surround cells. The body is able to manufacture cholesterol but is unable to destroy this substance. Cholesterol is removed from the body combined with bile acids. This removal is increased by dietary fibre and diminished in the absence of dietary fibre.

When our body loses large quantities of water due to excessive sweating, vomiting or through loose motions, the condition is called dehydration. In extreme cases of dehydration we must take Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). The salts present in the ORS packet replace the vital salts that are lost. Dehydration can be life threatening.

Water present in our body in the form of body fluids helps to absorb nutrients from the digested food. These nutrients are carried around the body by the blood in solution form.

Goitre is a swelling of the thyroid gland which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx (voice box). The most common cause of goitre worldwide is a lack of iodine in the diet.

Deficiency of proteins in children leads to a deficiency disease called kwashiorkor. Its symptoms are stunted growth, swelling of face, lethargy, discolouration of hair and a large pot-like belly. The large extended abdomen or pot belly or protruding abdomen is due to the accumulation of body fluids and fat.

Fats play a vital role in maintaining healthy skin and hair, insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature and promoting healthy cell function. Fats also serve as energy stores for the body. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble meaning they can only be digested, absorbed and transported in conjunction with fats. Fats are also sources of essential fatty acids, which are an important dietary requirement.

Sucrose is found in the stems of sugar cane and roots of sugar beet. Sucrose content is a highly desirable trait in sugarcane as the worldwide demand for cost effective biofuels surges. Sucrose content in the mature internodes of sugarcane may reach around 20% of the culms dry weight.

Complex carbohydrates are formed from three or more sugar molecules but the sugar molecules are strung together to form longer, more complex chains. Complex carbohydrates include fibre and starch. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates include vegetables, whole grains, peas and beans. They are loaded with fibre, vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. During digestion, these complex carbohydrates are cleaved into single 6 carbon molecular units. Then they are absorbed and transported to the cells in the blood. These sugar molecules are either metabolized immediately to provide energy for the cell or stored in liver and muscle cells as glycogen to be used for future energy needs.

Fat (lipids) provides insulation for the body and padding around internal organs. Some dietary fat is needed as a source of essential fatty acids for fat-soluble vitamins. Several nutrients are found in fat including vitamins A, D, E, K and essential fatty acids.

They are the cheapest and most readily available sources of energy. Simple carbohydrates are digested faster and converted into glucose which is used by the body for energy in the blood as glucose or stored in either the muscles or the liver as glycogen. If we eat more carbohydrates than we need for our energy requirements, the excess is converted to fat which is stored in our body.

The sweet potato is loaded with fibre, vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. It is a complex carbohydrate that is digested more slowly, so glucose enters the bloodstream at a rate of only 2 calories per minute. Our digestive system breaks a complex carbohydrate (starch) back down into its component glucose molecules so that the glucose can enter our bloodstream. It takes a lot longer to break down a starch. Complex carbohydrates are like time-release capsules of sugar. Unlike simple carbohydrates these complex carbohydrates cause a balanced and controlled release of sugar into our system. As a result there is only fewer turning to fat and insulin remains stable.