|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Martial Arts, For Whole Life by: Calvin D. Lester Health Nourishment The human body is a complex organism with the ability to heal itself - - if you only listen to it and respond with proper nourishment and care. In spite of all the abuse our bodies endure - - whether through exposure to environmental toxins, poor nutrition, smoking, alcohol consumption, or inactivity - - they still usually serve us well for many years before they start to break down. Even then, with a little help, they respond and continue to function. Think of your body as being composed of millions of tiny little engines. Some of these engines work in unison, some work independently; they all are on call twenty-four hours a day. In order for the engines to work properly, they require specific fuels. If the type of fuel given is the wrong blend, the engine will not perform to its maximum capacity. If the fuel is of a poor grade, the engine may sputter, hesitate, and lose power. If the engine is given no fuel at all, it will stop. And in the same vain, if the engine is not started and driven, it will decay and become unresponsive. The fuel we give our bodies' engines comes directly form the things we eat. The foods we eat contain nutrients. These nutrients come in the form of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water, amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. It is these nutrients that allow us to sustain life by providing us with the basic materials our bodies need to carry on their daily functions.
Nutrition The principal physical urge of the human body is for food - - and this is every day - - as long as life lasts. Why is this true? It is because the cells and tissues of the body demand material in order to carry on their proper functioning. This material provided in food will answer the need. Nothing else will. Everything else being equal, when these nutritional needs are met, the body is said to be nourished. In other words, good nutrition is the utilization by the body of those nutrients which it calls for to maintain itself in health and vigor.It has been well said that the appetite will accept foods that do not supply the body needs, but the body will accept NO substitutes. Good nutrition depends upon three factors:
Most foods are eaten in forms very different from those which the blood can absorb. Almost all food is built up from very simple substances - - amino acids, simple sugars, fatty acids, and glycerol. Before the blood can absorb the foods we eat - - bread, potatoes, bananas, eggs, etc., they must be broken down into these simple forms. This takes place during the process of digestion. There would be no digestion of food if there were no enzymes. And the enzymes are seriously handicapped in their action unless the food has first been broken down into a very fine form - - this is largely the responsibility of the mouth and teeth. After this mechanical activity, the division and sub-division of the food into tiny particles, the enzymes go to work. These enzymes, which are produced in the digestive juices of the stomach, intestinal tract, and pancreas, are chemical substances which act upon the food, breaking it down into the simple nutrient forms. In these simple forms, the nutrients are absorbed through the walls of the small intestine. With them go the minerals and vitamins which were a part of the original food. Many factors affect digestion and the digestibility of our meals. To some extent digestion is slowed down or speeded up according to what we eat and the form in which we eat it. Liquids digest faster than solids, but except in sickness this rapidity is no particular advantage. In fact, it is usually a disadvantage, because the stomach is emptied that much sooner, and we find ourselves hungry again. The type of complexity of food also determine the rate of digestion. Carbohydrates alone, such as honey, fruit juices, or soft fruits, will pass quickly through the stomach. This time element is one reason why the orange juice and black-beverage breakfast leaves us feeling weak and spineless by mid-morning. Protein alone, of which cottage cheese, without added cream, will take only slightly longer than the pure carbohydrate to leave the stomach. Fat alone, such as an olive, will require longer to digest than an equal amount of protein. A mixture of all three of these nutrients will require longer than any one of them alone. Almost always we prefer this mixture because we do not want to be hungry too soon after the previous meal. The quantity of food eaten has a considerable effect. Too little leaves us feeling hungry very soon, while too much delays digestion and leaves us feeling over-full and uncomfortable.
Minerals and Nutrition Minerals form a part of every cell and every fluid in the body, and it might be said that they control the vital processes of life. They are constituents of food which remain in the body after the other substances have been burned. They are as important to the welfare of the body as proteins and energy foods. Calcium is the chief constituent of bones and teeth. This and other minerals are important parts of all soft tissue. When dissolved in body fluids they influence muscle tone, irritability of nerves, and enable body fluids to carry nourishment to the cells. Daily loss of minerals through skins, kidneys, and bowels must be replaced by food and drink, and if not replaced the following conditions may develop.
Specific minerals and their functions:
Potassium, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, manganese, cobalt, fluorine, silicon, zinc, are other minerals important to good nutrition. Some of these are found in such small quantities that they are called trace elements. These minerals are found in the same foods that supply the aforementioned minerals.
Gaining Energy The body is in constant need of energy for heat and for activity without and within. This heat and energy comes from the burning of the fuel foods within the tissues of the body. Carbohydrate, or the starch and sugars of food, and fats are the fuel foods. If these are not in the diet in sufficient amount, proteins can also be burned to provide energy. But this need not occur for carbohydrate and fats are very prevalent in common foods. Avoid the use of inferior foods. Do not be misled by advertising. For instance, white bread somewhat colored and showing a scattering of bran may bear the label "100% Wheat Bread" or "Whole Wheat Bread." This means that nothing but wheat flour, even though mostly white, has been used. The label, though misleading, is technically true. Thus, some producers cleverly mislead the buyer and yet get by legally. Be watchful. Read the labels discerningly. The remedy is to choose the major portion of our foods from natural sources. The more highly refined the foods we eat, the more likely we are to be using inferior food and thereby not getting the full energy value.
A Better Breakfast Physically, there is no better way to begin the day than partaking of good food, physical sustenance - - breakfast! A good diet for the day begins with a good breakfast. The body is in need of food, after the fast of the night, more than at any other time of the day. Energy must be renewed, nutrients in the body tissues must be replenished, and vitamins and minerals, moisture and bulk must be present for their special functions. Stamina and strength for the hours ahead can be obtained in no other way. The proper breakfast will furnish all of this, but if the breakfast is skipped or skimped, individuals will be cheated. Their bodies will have to call upon their reserves, which they have for times of special need. Even at that, they will feel a lack which shows itself in a number of ways - - lessened energy, lack of pep, headache, languor, even dizziness, a lower plane of physical and mental performance. A poor breakfast, or no breakfast at all, usually means a poor total diet for the day. Since the breakfast should furnish a good supply of the day's nutrients, it is almost impossible to make up for the neglected morning meal later in the day for a very simple reason: it is impossible to supply needs that exist in the past. The feeling of well-being and zest for our work seems to parallel the blood sugar levels of the blood stream. An interesting study was made in which different groups were given different types of breakfasts. The blood sugar levels during the forenoon were then recorded and the condition of the subject noted. It was found that when the breakfast contained only foods high in carbohydrates, such as toast, butter, jam, coffee, cream, sugar, the blood sugar level rose quickly, but also fell quickly below the fasting level, and the subject felt the need of a mid-morning snack, the modern coffee-break. But, when the breakfast contained in addition to the aforementioned items, foods such as an egg and cooked cereal with milk and added dry-skim milk, furnishing not only sufficient calories, but protein up to 17-22 grams, the blood sugar rose and remained well above the fasting level until lunch time, and even on into the afternoon past the lunch time, with the resultant feeling of well being and zest for work. The conclusion drawn from this study was that the breakfast should contain not only adequate calories, but should also carry its share of the protein quota for the day.
|
||||
|
||||
