CLASSIFICATION OF FOODS

 There are three broad categories of foods.These are:-

1. Body building foods_i.e food for growth.

2.Energy giving foods.

3.Health supporting foods.

1.Foods for growth

One of the most important functions of food in our bodies is growth and repair.The body is made up of millions of cells.A large proportion of each cell consists of substances called the "building blocks"of the body and without them the body cannot grow or repairs itself. Some food are particularly rich in protein,e.g milk,fish, eggs,cheese, beans.

2.Foods for energy

The body needs energy to;

*Keep the respiratory system working

*Keep the heart beating and the blood circulating.

*Keep itself at the right temperature (normal body temperature is 37oc)

The release of energy from foods is through the process of digestion

3. Health supporting foods

These are foods containing minerals and vitamins. There are essential to the healthy working of the body for example: Vitamin C is vital in the 'cement' between the cell walls. When this breaks down the disease scurvy results.  Vitamin C also helps the body fight germs. Iron (a example of a mineral) is essential for making the red blood cells ,in the blood, lack of iron leads to anaemia, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and liver are good sources of iron in the diet.(Williams, et al, 1990)

IODINE

Iodine is an essential element for human survival. It is needed for growth and development even before birth. Insufficient iodine can cause abortion, stillbirth,mental retardation, growth retardation and also goiter, which is often the only visible manifestation of all the damage brought by lack of iodine. Important as iodine is only very small quantities are needed to prevent deficiency. A person needs only 250 micrograms of iodine per day. A microgram is a thousandth of milligrams over a lifetime; the total quality of iodine needed is only one tea spoonful (WHO,1995).

What causes iodine deficiency?

All crops grown on soil are iodine deficient. Iodine deficiency is therefore a deficiency which affect rich and poor counties a like , because it depends on geographical properties of the land, on the way in which the land is formed ,the age of it's maintenance and on whether there are mountains or flood plains.

Effects of iodine deficiency.

The body for the production of hormones needs iodine. These hormones are manufactured by the thyroid gland and are therefore commonly known as thyroid hormones. Their hormones are essential for normal physical and mental development, including growth. When the diet contains insufficient iodine, this enlargement is called goiter, which is the outward sigh of iodine deficiency.

The damage done by this lack of thyroid hormone varies in severity depending on the time in life at which the deficiency occurs.The brain is particularly sensitive to iodine deficiency during its formation at fetal and postnatal life . Also , physical growth and psychomotor development are most severely affected in early life and youth. Iodine deficiency can cause a bortion , stillbirth, congenital anomalies, mental retardation and all forms of growth retardation. All these are called iodine deficiency disorders.