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DIET

Diet is the total amount of food consumed by a person. Nutritious food contains all the essential nutrients proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. A balanced diet should contain all these in the correct proportions and sufficient quantity. The word  diet implies a particular intake of food for health or weight management reasons. Nutrition is the provision of materials to an organism to support its life. Food is a thing which, when eaten and digested, can be used by the body to provide energy, or substances that help in the body building and repair or in the preservation of health.
    Foods may be grouped into types according to whether they are solid or liquid. Solid food are potatoes, rice, beans and liquid foods are milk, fruit juices.
    Foods can also be grouped into classes based on the chemical composition of the food and the nutrients present in the food. Foods are grouped into six classes, namely carbohydrate, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Carbohydrate are energy giving food. E.g garri, yam e.t.c. Protein comprises carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen atoms. They may also contain sulphur and phosphorus. Protein are used in body building and growth and repair of worn out cells.E.g meat fish. Fats and oils are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Fats are solid at room temperature while oils are liquid at room temperature, but their chemical compositions are similar. They are energy giving foods. E.g are animal fats, Palm oil, margarine. Vitamin are required by in small amounts. E.g are vitamins A,B,C,D,E and K. When present the body is healthy. When each vitamin is absent, the body suffers from a specific disease, unique to the absence of that vitamin.The diseases arise when vitamins are absent these are called vitamin deficiency diseases.

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