Diet Defined

The term “diet” has several meanings. Generally, diet refers to the food and drink that is consumed by an organism (in our case, humans) in order to survive. On a more specific and healthier level, diet is a prescribed selection of food that one needs to follow strictly for health reasons. Diet could also mean the act of reducing or restricting one’s food intake.  For the purposes of this discussion, the general definition of diet will be used.

For humans to remain healthy, their daily dietary intake should be well-balanced, meaning it should contain the right amounts of food from the five food groups namely: bread, cereals and potatoes; fruit and vegetables; milk and dairy products; meat, fish, chicken and other alternatives; and food with fat and sugar. It does not mean, however, that one should have each item in equal quantities.

Researches have shown that a well balanced diet is composed of larger portions of carbohydrates (bread, cereals and potatoes); followed by 5 portions of fruit and vegetables; then protein (meats, fish and chicken), which should make up 10 - 15% of your daily diet; at least 700 mg of calcium from milk and dairy products; and a small amount of sugary morsels – just enough to sweeten your palate.

Nutrition Defined

The term nutrition is often used interchangeably with diet as both terms appear to have similar meanings. Generally, nutrition is defined as the taking in of food and drinks and other forms of nourishment by the body. However, unlike diet which stops there, nutrition involves other processes.

Nutrition basically comes in three stages: first would be the physical intake of food and drink; followed by the chemical process of breaking down the food into components that would easily be absorbed by the body; and finally, the last stage would be distributing the nutrients to other parts of the body where these nutrients will be used a fuel or for other purposes.