Food makes your body
work, grow and repair itself. The kind of food you eat can affect the
efficiency of these processes. Body function and the food that sustains it is
infinitely complex. Food is in fact one of the most complicated sets of
chemicals imaginable.
Getting to know which
nutrients are in which foods can help you to understand something of this
complex relationship between your food and your body.
Chemicals
in food
Food is composed of
many different chemical substances - 'macronutrients' (major nutritional
components that are present in relatively large amounts, such as protein),
'micronutrients' (major nutritional components that are present in relatively
small amounts, such as vitamins), water, and roughage (dietary fibre). Many
other components can also be present in food
Food may contain
colours (natural and synthetic), flavours, pharmacologically active substances
(such as caffeine, steroids, and salicylates, which chemically affect the
body), natural toxicants (naturally occurring poisons, such as cyanide), and various
contaminants (substances resulting from a contaminated environment, such as
pesticides). Even characteristic flavours such as those of oranges and
passionfruit can depend on the presence of a dozen or more chemicals.
The chemical nature
of food is changed by storage, preservation and, especially, by cooking. Food
chemicals can also interact amongst themselves within the body. For example,
the availability to the body of iron from plant sources depends on the amount
of vitamin C present in the food eaten. The way in which carbohydrate is
absorbed from the bowel depends to some extent on the presence of dietary
fibre, even though the fibre itself is not absorbed.
Physical
form of food
Food is also more
than just the chemicals it contains. Its physical characteristics are important.
The size of food particles can affect the extent to which nutrients are
digested and made ready for by the body. For example,
eating an intact apple has nutritional value different from drinking all the
same chemicals in an apple purée. Ground rice is more rapidly digested than
unground rice. Nutrients can be more easily absorbed from peanut butter (paste)
than from peanuts eaten whole.
Acid or
alkaline
The acidity and
alkalinity of food are physical properties often thought to be important. In
fact, they are only important insofar as they might alter the rate of emptying
of the stomach, digestion in the small bowel and the acidity or alkalinity of
the urine. Our bodies can cope with a wide range in and
alkalinity without much problem. Acid foods are generally sour while alkaline
foods often have a slightly soapy taste. The use of sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda) can make foods alkaline. It can also cause loss of vitamin C and
contribute to our intake of sodium.
http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/maintext/main2a.html
No comments:
Post a Comment