When a man plans to build a house, he first secures the best materials he can afford.He tries to order just the right amount of each so there will be no wast.Then he begins to build.It is interesting to watch experienced men constructing such a house.
The same is true of this most wonderful of all houses-the human body.We each are builders, daily selecting materials for the building process going on within ourselves.This construction job begins at birth and continues for the rest of our lives.For a strong house or a strong body, we must have the right materials.
Nothing inferior must be allowed to go into it.Only the best will do.This is even more true when one is recovering from some illness or injury.
What are these body-building materials?Doctors refer as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water. These are the materials we must have, in sufficient quantity and at the right time, if we hope to stay strong and healthy.Where do we find them? In our foods, of course.Only from our foods can we derive the materials for building bones, muscles, nerves,and skin, all of which are essential for the smooth working of every organ in the body.hence the need for learning how to choose the right diet.
The most important of body-building materials is protein, the great cell-building food, so essential for maintaining life in the entire system. Our food must also provide us with calories for energy, otherwise we would soon feel weak and worn-out.Most of our calories come from carbohydrate(or starches) and fats.
Other very important chemicals, such as vitamins and minerals, are also needed in sufficient quantities to regulates all the activities of this highly complex machine, the human body.Vitamins and minerals come almost entirely from plants an important part of our diet.
To be sure of sufficient minerals and vitamins, we must select our food from a fairly wide variety.A good diet is not so much a question of money as of knowing how to choose and prepare foods properly.We cannot live very long on an unbalanced diet, no matter how much we spend for food.If we try to get along on a poor diet, we will soon find ourselves in need of medical care.