Nutrition from a Bio-Hygienic Perspective

10 Oct Nutrition from a Bio-Hygienic Perspective

Most people relate the term nutrition only to the food we consume or what is called the diet. The process of nutrition, however, is much more encompassing. Nutrition involves all the steps involved in transforming food materials into living tissues.

Nutrition is the process by which living organisms develop, grow, repair, and maintain themselves, by which wounds and broken, bones are healed and by which reproduction is accomplished. Nutrition involves all the steps in the process of transforming food into cell substance and maintaining it. It is a process that involves every part of the body including the gastrointestinal tract, the nervous system, the endocrine system, the immune system, the cardiovascular system, etc. and needs to be appreciated in all the health sciences yet is widely misunderstood or ignored.

Virtually all patients have nutrition related issues. Not all patients, however, have diet problems. Many have issues with the way what they eat is is processed by the body and transformed (or not transformed) into human flesh. Poor digestion, absorption, assimilation, excretion and elimination can bring about a wide variety of health issues. It is not just about diet! To understand this better please look at the following:

Steps in the Nutrition Process

Nutrition is the sum of all the processes involved in transforming food, air and water into living, animated tissues. This involves the following transformational steps:

1)         Consuming nutrients (diet).

2)         Breaking down food into water and fat-soluble molecules (digestion).

3)         Delivering nutrients into the blood and lymphatic systems (absorption).

4)         Efficiently carrying the nutrients from the blood and lymph into individual cells (assimilation).

5)         Eliminating cellular wastes from the cells (excretion).

6)         Eliminating wastes efficiently from the body (elimination).

Man is not what he eats. Your health largely represents how efficiently you are able to transform what you eat into body tissues. This is dependent not only on your diet but on many aspects of your life including:

•    Stress levels in your life

•    Hydration status

•    Sleep and rest habits

•    Overall vitality and physical vigor

•    Sun Exposure

•    Drug Usage

•    Toxic exposures and residues in your body

•    Your social relationships

•    The health of your gastrointestinal tract, your immune system and your endocrine system.

•    The microbial flora of your gastrointestinal tract

•    The inter-relationships of the above factors

Improving your nutritional status and restoring your health will involve working with your entire body…not just your diet. Following dietary instructions is important but it is only one step in helping you obtain better health.