| Have you ever heard the saying you are what you | | | | healthy eating. In out daily lives, we use energy to think, |
| eat? In some sense, this is true, because if you eat | | | | walk, talk, breathe, and perform any other action. The |
| unhealthy foods you are prone to be an unhealthy | | | | energy it takes our body to do these things comes |
| person. The foods we ingest are extremely important | | | | from two places: fat reserves in the body or our daily |
| to our ability to grow, maintain function, and prevent | | | | food intake. If you don't eat healthy foods, you will find |
| illness. Therefore, if you value your health, you should | | | | that you are storing more fat that necessary or that |
| learn as much about healthy eating as possible. | | | | you aren't getting enough and you feel sluggish or |
| Healthy eating is important from the day we are born. | | | | weak. Along with energy-providing nutrients, like fats |
| As a child, we grow quite rapidly and this is due in part | | | | and carbohydrates, we also need the right nutrients to |
| to the foods we eat. Foods all contain nutrients that | | | | allow our organs to do their jobs. Hormones and other |
| provide us not only with fuel to live our daily lives, but | | | | substances in the body make sure that everything is |
| also with the very substances that build our bones, | | | | working properly. If you don't eat the right nutrients, |
| muscles, and organ tissues. Not getting enough of one | | | | your body cannot produce these hormones and, as a |
| nutrient or another can cause a variety of problems, | | | | result, cannot function properly. |
| including stunting our growth. For mothers who are | | | | Lastly, healthy eating is important in order to prevent |
| nursing, nutrition is important because breast milk | | | | illness. When we do not get the right nutrients, or |
| contains the nutrients a child needs to grow and | | | | body's natural defense system against diseases |
| develop properly. Upon growing older, these nutrients | | | | weakens, allowing viruses and bacteria to attack the |
| are then found in food, but don't think that healthy | | | | body. It's like a well-trained army-if the army doesn't |
| eating isn't important for growth after you've gone | | | | have enough to eat, it will not do well in battle. Without |
| through puberty. Cells continuous break down and | | | | healthy foods and plenty of water, our bodies simply |
| rebuild, so healthy eating for growth continues to be | | | | could not operate on a day-to-day basis. Learning how |
| important until the day we die. | | | | to eat healthy foods is therefore and important lesson, |
| Maintaining function is also not important without | | | | and one which we should begin learning as children. |