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1.1: Introduction

  • Page ID
    155885
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    Nutrition is a science, not an opinion. In a world often focused too much on surface appearances, and access to millions of opinions throughout the online space, it is important to remember that nutrition is rooted in science. The foods we choose to eat impact our quality of life, both in terms of immediate health and risk of disease. To understand a complete picture of how nutrition and human health fit together, it is essential to understand the biological and chemical bases of what nutritional science has discovered for us. Nutritional science spans almost all disciplines, including medicine, immunology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and psychology. Some nutritionists study food production and availability, and others study why people choose to eat certain foods, or the relationship between diet and diseases, athletic performance, weight management, and so forth. Comprehending the nutrients we need, how to obtain them and in what amounts, what our body does with them, and how these nutrients impact our overall health today and in the future are the keys to connecting the science of nutrition to our personal lives.

    A croissant, egg, cabbage, avocado, and fish arranged in a row, representing various food items.
    Figure 1.1 Image by Stefan Schweihofer from Pixabay.

    This page titled 1.1: Introduction was last modified on Wed, 23 Sep 2026 05:36:34 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Heather L. Lehman via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.