For Your Health
Proper N u tri t i on,
a Choice f or L i f e BY PAOLA TENNON, RN, BSN, MBA/HCA, CCM A Psalm of David written to the chief musician expresses the depts in which God knows us. In Psalm 139:14, he first gives praise, then exclaims, “for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” This gives reference to the entirety of the human body, mind, soul, and spirit. The human body although a single structure has many parts; each of which serves specific functions. A simple definition found at https://kids.britannica. com/ states that, the human body is a combination of parts and systems that work together to perform the necessary functions of life. It is composed of cells and extracellular materials that are organized into tissues, organs, and organ systems (1). To ensure that our bodies perform at their peak levels, we must provide our bodies with the proper nutrition in which to sustain them. Nutrition is more than just taking in food or drink to satisfy hunger and thirst or for growth and development. According to an article in the School of Health,
26 | June 2022
nutrition is the study of how food and drink affects our bodies with special regard given to the essential nutrients necessary to support human health (2). Similarly, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute defines nutrition as; the taking in and use of food and other nourishing material by the body. They break it down into a 3-part process. First, food or drink is consumed. Second, the body breaks down the food or drink into nutrients. Third, the nutrients travel through the bloodstream to different parts of the body where they are used as “fuel” and for many other purposes. They also stress that; in order to give the body proper nutrition, a person has to eat and drink enough of the foods that contain key nutrients (3). What we often do not take under consideration is that in order to improve, maintain or sustain an optimal quality of life, we need to make proper nutrition a focus. Case in point: the body systems
