We explain what food is and what eating disorders are. Also, what does the diet consist of?
What is food?
The term food refers to the set of actions that enable the nutrition of living beings of a certain degree of complexity, in general of animals, including humans.
Food not only includes food intake They contain the nutrients necessary for normal growth and development, but also selection and cooking, if ingested cooked.
Thus, Food and nutrition are two closely related concepts but not coincident, since the second occurs at the cellular level and depends on involuntary physiological processes, such as digestion and intestinal absorption, while the first is a voluntary process managed by the individual themselves.
It is important to highlight that the type of diet that a person maintains depends on various factors such as availability of food, culture, religion, socioeconomic situation, psychological aspects, advertising, and also individual needs that may be temporary (e.g., wanting to lose weight or at a given moment in life) or permanent for reasons health (e.g.: celiacs, diabetics, etc.).
Foods already transformed into nutrients allow us to cover global energy demands (which vary throughout life), regulate metabolic processes, maintain body structures and form new ones, and prevent diseases. The main nutrients belong to the following chemical groups: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. Water is also a fundamental nutrient that we often forget to consume in the appropriate amount.
See also: Vegan
Eating disorders
Currently The importance of food education is emphasized that is, in the awareness that the foods we choose and the way we prepare and consume them are extremely important for our health and our psychophysical well-being.
In this sense Some specific problems have been identified known today as eating disorders (ED). Among them, bulimia and anorexia stand out due to their cultural and social impact:
- Bulimia. In the first there is an urgent need to consume a large amount of food in a short period of time, and then proceed to actions aimed at eliminating it (such as self-induced vomiting).
- Anorexia. In anorexia there is a body distortion that causes the person to perceive themselves as fatter than they actually are, which generates an uncontrolled and irrational desire to lose weight, at the cost of physical deterioration due to insufficient daily caloric intake. below the vital minimum.
Diet
Diet is a traditional biological concept that tries to classify animals based on the food they consume and its location in the food chain, which in turn depends on various factors, including the degree of development of its oral apparatus, the conformation of its digestive system (whether it is monogastric or polygastric) and issues related to its behavior and living habits (domestic life, wandering, community life, etc.).
Thus, traditionally they have distinguished between animals of carnivorous, herbivorous, omnivorous, scavenging and saprophagic feeding as main types. The location of the human being in this sense continues to be a topic of debate.
Western medicine has historically insisted on importance of consuming foods of animal origin (meats) to obtain an adequate supply of proteins, and, above all, certain amino acids (the so-called essential amino acids).
Today we know, however, that our body is able to obtain all the nutrients it requires if provided with a good variety of plant-based foods, including legumes, grains, seeds, nuts, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
