Mimeo HE-361
Purdue University
Cooperative Extension Service
Lafayette, Indiana
EAT WISELY AND WELL Miriam G. Eads
Nutrition Specialist
"First comes first" is a familiar statement about food and its vital role in the life of a family and a nation. Food is one of the most urgent daily needs of your life. The science of food and its relation to health is called nutrition. Nutrition deals with the ingredients of food known as nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals; and with the way in which the body makes use of these ingredients. As people grow to understand the importance of food, they gain respect for their individual needs and for the effect of nutrition on their health, happiness and well-being. With our improving standard of living, a greater supply and selection of food is available, making healthful meals possible for everyone. Scientific knowledge applied in every home, can be used to improve health, lengthen life and produce effective happy individuals with a sense of well-being.

WHY WE EAT
The body must function twenty-four hours a day. This required function is known as "basal metabolism." Some essential functions, even when the body is at rest, are; heart beat, blood circulation and breathing. These basal needs require between 800 and 1200 calories a day depending on the individual. Each extra activity requires energy in addition to the basal needs. Thus the day's total food intake must be adjusted to meet the needs of the particular body. It is an important function of every home to select,
prepare and serve food which meets the body needs of every individual. The National
Research Council recommends daily allowances for nutrients needed by various individuals and age groups. These allowances establish minimal requirements which vary for each individual according to his activities and physical make-up.
Eating is a pleasure and a necessity. The food you eat affects your rate of growth, your size, vigor, appearance and age as measured by physical condition. Indirectly, food affects your attitude, your ability to achieve and your happiness. Food can help you face daily problems with strength and confidence, while a deficit of food may make you irritable, weak and subject to disease.

The materials of which you are composed -- millions of complex, organized cells --all come originally from food. All the materials contained in your skin, hair, muscle, teeth, nerves and bones are derived from the food you eat.
This vital process of utilizing the food you eat to secure the essential nutrients which become you, is the science of nutrition.