Free
In a song from the musical Oliver! called “Food, Glorious Food,” a group of children sing about “magical food, wonderful food, marvelous food, fabulous food.” Those words describe most people’s feelings about eating.
Food is tasty, and it makes the feeling of hunger go away. But most important of all, just like air and water, food is something your body needs for survival.
Foods contain nutrients. Those are substances that give the body energy, help it grow, and keep it strong and healthy. Nutrition studies how the body uses nutrients and what the best ways are to get the nutrients your body needs. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are macronutrients. Macro- means “large,” and your body needs fairly large quantities of these. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients. Micro- means “small,” and your body needs smaller quantities of these.
