Macro- and micro-nutrients
Every second our body needs nutrients in order to live and function properly. A differentiation is made between macro-nutrients, which it needs in large quantities (macro = large) in order to cover its energy requirements, and a large number of micro-nutrients which are just as essential but of which it only needs the tiniest quantities (micro = small). The macro-nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Micro-nutrients are vitamins, minerals and secondary plant compounds.
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Full but undernourished
Around twenty years ago a national consumption survey was carried out for the first time in Germany and only in West Germany in order to find out what the Germans eat, where and how often in which quantities. Much has changed since them: more fast-food and take-away foods, exotic specialities in supermarkets or more working women (and less housewives). This has also changed the nutrition habits of children and young people.
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What constitutes a healthy diet?
If you regularly eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, then it is proven that you are contributing towards the prevention of cancer. American scientists established this already in the nineties. The campaign “5 a day” has been in circulation in Germany for the past 10 years, considerably supported by the German Society for Nutrition. But what is contained in fruit and vegetables that keeps us healthy and what substances in them are particularly good for us? In the meantime we know a lot more about this topic, but there is still a great deal of research needed.
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