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Nutrition

Nutrition Basics

These days, a wealth of nutrition information is at your fingertips. From diet books to newspaper articles, everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should be eating. It's no secret that good nutrition plays an essential role in maintaining health.

Do you ever feel like you can't keep up with the changes in technology? Sometimes it seems that way with dietary advice, as if things are always changing. While it's true that the fields of diet and nutrition are areas of evolving research, there are some basic concepts you can keep in mind. By knowing these basics, you will be better equipped to sort through nutrition research and dietary advice.

Food Groups

What are the basic food groups? Foods are grouped together when they share similar nutritional properties, by understanding the basic food groups, you'll be able to plan a healthy daily diet.

Water

Water is involved in every function of the body. It's in every cell, tissue and organ of the body. In this section you'll learn why getting enough water every day is important for your health.

Dietary Fat

Whether you're looking for information about monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, trans fat, or cholesterol, you'll find what you need here.

Carbohydrates

You may be wondering what all the hype is about carbohydrates or "carbs" as they are often called. Find out the facts.

Protein

Then there's protein. How much do you really need? Can you get too much? You'll find answers to these questions and more by visiting this section.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are nutrients your body needs to grow and develop normally. The NIH Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Fact Sheets provide information about the role of vitamins and minerals in health and disease.