It’s all about food

Why do we need food? What a great place to start a nutrition blog!

Most people know, generally speaking, why they need food. But take a moment to answer this question for yourself. Your answer might include “to stay alive”, “to stay healthy” or “to give me energy to do things”. And you’re absolutely right…

To start at the very beginning, all the energy for life comes from the sun. Of course humans and animals can’t directly consume sunshine, but plants can. They convert solar energy to chemical energy (energy that can be used by humans) in the process known as photosynthesis. Animals can take this energy in by eating plants and humans by eating both animals and plants.

So, food is any substance that, when absorbed by the body, provides energy to:
- Carry out key functions such as digestion, breathing, circulation and movement
- Grow, maintain and repair your muscles, bones, body tissues and organs
- Build up resistance to and fight illness and disease

What’s important is that not all food provides nourishment, and some foods are more nutritious than others. If you’re interested in nutrition and managing your diet, you’ll be familiar with this concept already. You might even be putting it into practice when choosing products at the supermarket, when eating out, or when grabbing a quick snack on the run.

Eating food that doesn’t contain enough nutrition will impair your body’s performance, which can lead to serious illness. But the good news is, no matter what your diet looks like, making simple changes, starting today, will have a positive impact on your health.

So keep coming back to Apples and Peanut Butter – there’ll be new information each week on diet and nutrition, as well as hints and tips for making practical changes to suit your lifestyle.

Of course, if you have any questions or would to see a specific topic covered here, please get in touch!