Here are two definitions of nutrition:

"Nutrition is the act or process of nourishing or being nourished; specifically: the sum of the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilizes food substances."¹

Nutrition is the science of food, the nutrients and the substances therein, their action, interaction, and balance in relation to health and disease, and the process by which the organism ingests, digests, absorbs, transports, utilizes, and excretes food substances.²

By the second definition, it is clear that the subject of nutrition includes a very large amount of material and would take several books or many chapters to completely explore.

On power4health.org, which focuses on a healthy lifestyle, the topic of nutrition will focus on:

• proper kinds of foods, beverages, and condiments
• other nutrients, such as supplements
• the basis of both good nutrition and poor nutrition in planning a healthy lifestyle
• the prevention or reversal of chronic diseases

¹ Merriam-Webster OnLine

²The Council on Food and Nutrition, American Medical Association

[Last revised: 10/3/06]