The importance of nutrition
Nutrition – the things we consume – is arguably the most important modifiable factor in determining the health outcomes you experience, maybe in combination with sleep. The foods we consume determine much of the enjoyment we get from mealtimes and as I’m sure you’re more than aware they also modify your bodyweight, but food is far more than that.
The foods that we eat provide the macronutrients required to build and maintain muscle mass, which enables proper movement and significantly reduces our age-associated physical decline. They provide the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) which support our immune system to fight off disease, to maintain strong hair and nails, and the nutrients needed to maintain skin elasticity long into later life.
Your nutritional choices can even modify certain genes through epigenetics, switching some on and some off to modify your risk of chronic disease, and even affecting your development. Even your hydration status alters your...