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Energy And Growth Food
By peace | April 23, 2007
Food comes in many forms, but it all has the same basic chemical functions — to supply body cells with a source of energy, and also to act as the raw material for growth, repair, and maintenance of vital organs and tissues. The substances in food that fulfill these functions are called nutrients.
As carbohydrates and fats are the main sources of energy in the diet, the value of any particular type of food for energy and growth depends mainly on its content of these two nutrients.
The sensations of hunger and of having overeaten are designed to ensure that you take in the correct amount of food to fulfill your own particular energy requirements.
Additional energy also comes from the body’s stores of glycogen(starch) and fat. Glycogen is made from the glucose molecules that were absorbed from carbohydrates and were not required for the immediate production of energy. Any surplus that cannot be stored as glycogen is stored as body fat.
Did You Know
- Energy activity requires energy. Your body needs to be able to convert your food into stores of energy that will be available at all times. This complex chain of events begins when your food is broken down by digestive processes in your stomach and intestines to release nutrients, such as glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids.
- Energy requirements depend partly on the physical activity you undertake, but the average person in a sedentary job burns up 70% of his or her daily energy expenditure just keeping the heart and other organs working and maintaining body temperature.
- Food energy is traditionally measured in calories, where one calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Centigrade. As the calorie is an extremely small unit, when referring to measurements of the energy value of food, the kilocalorie — equivalent to 1000 calories — is often used instead. Kilocalories are sometimes called Calories, with a capital C. The number of calories needed each day depends on your level of activity and your basal energy expenditure. The resting energy required by an adult woman averages about 1300 Calories and for a man about 1600. All exercise needs extra energy and therefore increases your total calorie requirements.
- Growth is a continuous process in your body tissues, throughout your life. Cells are continually replaced as part of a routine maintenance programme in most tissues and organs. Tissue damage also increases this regeneration.
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