1. Liquid and/or solid substances to keep the organism functioning.
2. Recognition of foods that provide real nutrients compared to those that do not or that are even harmful.
3. Classification of organic food, the production of which excludes the use of chemical agents.
4. Power supply, which provides power to the equipment connected to it.
Etymology: By the Latin verb I will feedregarding alimentumrooted in the verb alĕrebefore the action of ‘feeding’.
Grammatical category: noun fem.
in syllables: a-li-men-ta-tion.
Feeding
When describing the concept of food, it can be said that this is the process by which living beings consume different types of food in order to receive the necessary nutrients to survive. These nutrients are the ones that are later transformed into energy and provide the living organism with those elements it requires to live. Food is, therefore, one of the most essential activities and processes of living beings since it is directly related to survival.
Feeding is always a voluntary act and generally carried out in response to the physiological or biological need to incorporate new nutrients and energy to function properly. The types of food can vary according to the type of living being we are talking about. In this sense, we must mention feeding herbivore (that which is sustained only by plants), feeding carnivore (which uses only the meat of other animals) and finally the feeding omnivorous (combination of the previous two and characteristic of the human being).
While plants and animals resort to food as a simple physiological need that seeks to cover basic survival needs, since time immemorial human beings have transformed the feeding process into a social situation in which, in addition to ingesting the desired products, and useful, experiences and situations are also shared with peers. To this end, human beings have developed not only instruments that allow them to obtain food more easily, but also spaces and practices specially designed for food, and nowadays it is possible to find different types of food according to each individual need.
It is considered that a good diet for humans is one that appropriately combines all the different foods found in nature. The nutritional pyramid is in this sense a good method to establish which types of food should occupy a greater place in each individual’s diet and which ones should have a smaller place. Human nutrition is in many cases linked to emotions and that is why health problems related to this issue can easily develop, for example eating disorders, obesity, diabetes, malnutrition and other problems that are not only a consequence of biological factors.
Promote a healthy and organized diet from the earliest years
Good nutrition and a balanced diet are two fundamental issues for a child to grow up in a healthy way, for this reason it is essential that socializing agents, schools, parents, take care of promoting healthy habits in terms of food and of course discourage those who are not in the least.
Among the most functional strategies to achieve this are: establishing a regular schedule for the intake of each meal, serving varied and healthy foods, being an example by following a healthy diet, discouraging fights that have food as their axis, encouraging children to participate in the process of elaboration or selection of food, always following the guidelines of a balanced and healthy diet.
Another essential issue is to promote family meals, that is, that the entire family sit down to eat and savor the same foods all together. This is also a good way to strengthen ties between members and control what children eat.
typical eating disorders
Among the health problems linked to a poor diet, the following stand out: obesity, bulimia and anorexia.
The obesity It is a chronic disease characterized by the accumulation of fat in the body. Meanwhile, among the causes of it, the inclination to eat foods rich in saturated fats is pointed out, that is, a greater amount of calories are entered into the body than it needs and is capable of synthesizing. Also, this trend is usually added to leading a sedentary life, so both issues have a combo that is certainly dangerous for health.
For his part, anorexia and bulimia They are the main eating disorders that humans can suffer from. It is worth noting that they have an important psychological component.
In the case of anorexia, the patient eats very little or does not eat at all because he looks overweight, although most of the time he is not.
And bulimia is characterized by consuming many foods rich in calories in a short period of time, and after that, because of the guilt that this generates, it is decided to eliminate them from the body, causing vomiting.
Both diseases can be treated with a psychotherapy that is in tune with the case.
While obesity can be treated from a balanced diet, directed by a specialist doctor, doing physical activity and of course avoiding excessive consumption of foods rich in fat.
Following