Optimized nutrition provides numerous mind, body and spirit wellness advantages. It plays an essential role in supporting growth and healthy development while decreasing the risk of chronic disease in later years.
Select foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and salt (sodium). Include an array of vegetables and fruits into your diet as well as dairy products like milk cheese yogurt as excellent sources of calcium.
Immune System
The immune system is a vast network of organs, white blood cells, and proteins that work together to safeguard our bodies against germs, as well as aid healing from infections or injuries. It recognizes microbes (like bacteria) and their by-products as foreign to the body before attacking and eliminating them – antibodies are the cornerstones of immune defense!
At birth, your body develops and activates its natural defenses to defend itself – this includes skin and mucous membranes in your respiratory, digestive and urinary tracts as well as immune system cells which respond rapidly when they detect an invader.
When this first response fails, the second line of defence kicks in: it involves complex interactions among immune system cells and specialized tissues like lymph nodes and the spleen to form immunological memory; when encountering that particular germ again in future encounters, your immune system can react more swiftly and effectively than ever.
Wound Healing
Wound healing requires many essential building materials (proteins), energy sources (calories) and medical professionals (vitamins and minerals). Proper nutrition supports your body’s natural wound healing processes to speed recovery times.
Failure of wounds to heal on time may be caused by many different factors, including malnutrition. Therefore, it is crucial that clinicians understand each phase of wound healing and its specific nutritional requirements for each phase. With this knowledge in hand, clinicians can screen patients for malnutrition and provide proper supplementation when needed.
A healthy diet includes proteins from lean meats and seafood, skinless poultry, dairy products, eggs, tofu and tofu as sources of proteins. Carbohydrates also play an essential role in fueling our bodies – be sure to include whole grains, fruits and vegetables for maximum carb consumption. Vitamin C has been associated with wound healing due to its role in collagen formation; be sure to include plenty of foods rich in this nutrient when fueling up with whole grains, fruit and veggies. Keeping hydrated with water but limit sugary beverages; avoid smoking as this delays the healing process significantly
Digestive System
Your digestive system breaks down food into nutrients your body can use for energy, growth and repair; packaging and eliminating waste products (like stool) from your system.
Digestion begins when we chew and swallow food, breaking large molecules of food down into smaller ones. Food then mixes with juices from mouth, esophagus, stomach and small intestine as it passes along its journey toward being chemically broken down further by enzymes. The small intestine is the star player of this digestive process; a long tube loosely coiling around our abdomens (if spread out it would cover 20 feet!) which has its work cut out for it!
Drinking water and eating nutrient-rich foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats is essential to maintaining optimal digestive health. Staying hydrated while limiting processed food and alcohol intake also aids digestion. Your digestive system requires an ideal balance of bacteria within its ecosystem – without it, your GI tract could become inflamed and potentially disrupt your wellbeing.
Child Development
Child development refers to the process by which children grow from infancy into adulthood, a journey which unfolds differently for every person.
Optimized nutrition can aid in the healthy development of children. This requires eating a well-rounded diet comprising fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins as well as restricting high fat processed food consumption.
Children who are properly fed have more energy and are better able to interact with their peers, with lower obesity rates and fewer behavioral issues as a result.
Supplying infants and young children with optimal nutrition is vital for their survival, health, and development. It reduces morbidity and mortality rates, promotes neurodevelopment, lowers chronic disease risk across their lifetime and generates economic benefits to families and societies.
