When we talk about nutrition we are talking about the types of foods we humans need to eat in order to maintain our bodies in a healthy state. While the USDA has developed ways to determine our general daily nutritional needs, our individual eating habits also have an impact on our health. The ability of the body to maintain its health in any conditions other than the ideal ones is directly related to the nutrition it receives every day. And the mind has an enormous role to play in our ability to stay healthy as well. The human brain does not develop or function very well without its required dose of protein every day, however.

Nutrition means nurturing the body to keep it healthy and functioning. We must provide our bodies with all the food, vitamins, and minerals they need in order to thrive. So, how can we determine whether or not we are giving our bodies what they need?

A health class in school is taught as a science. Such classes address issues such as personal hygiene, disease, and other health matters as they apply to the general public. There is no individual attention give to methods for achieving optimal health levels through our eating habits. It is ironic that the most important and basic thing we can do to influence out health is essentially ignored: the way we eat and what we eat.

Experts recommend combining the fields of nutrition and physical activity to develop an approach that can be offered to everyone who enters the school system. A program such as this would give each individual the personal knowledge to meet his or her body's unique caloric and nutritional needs. Then they could complete their education by attaining the mental competencies expected.

Nutrition represents an important concept that should be given more attention in the educational system. Our ability to recognize nutritional requirements and to find the foods that meet those requirements is a critical part of good health. We need to learn the difference between healthy eating and unhealthy eating habits if we want to live long and healthy lives. We need to incorporate good nutrition into our lifestyles.

Bad nutrition choices currently receive more advertising money than healthy alternatives. This does not mean that it is easier or more convenient to follow a bad nutrition path. It just means that habits should change. Research has shown that it takes about two weeks to move from conscious action to unconscious thought. This is not a long time to spend altering patterns that could affect us for the rest of our lives. It is also not a long time to spend in order to achieve the reward that comes from setting a good example to your children and others.