Aesthetics of nutrition
…Normal and healthy food eat food with appetite, food with enjoyment.
I.P. Pavlov
The title of this section is perhaps overly sonorous and promising. The author of the book "Encyclopedia of Nutrition" D.V. Kanshin, who published his work in 1885, discussing a similar title, believed that it might be more correct to speak not about aesthetics, but about the gastronomy of food. The word "gastronomy" comes from the Greek words: gaster - stomach and nomos - law. D.V. Kanshin called a gastronome a person who "... being able to extract the greatest amount of taste pleasure from these supplies, moreover, he knows how to cook them so that they are not only tasty, but at the same time easily digested by the stomach and provide us with the greatest nutrition."
We will not deny ourselves the pleasure of quoting the author of the Encyclopedia of Nutrition further: “Is it possible to eat beautifully? Yes, you can eat neatly, deftly, you can also serve food beautifully; and all this together makes the impression that you sit down at the table without the slightest appetite, but look at what and how the interlocutors of the grocery store eat, and the appetite will appear, and you will eat with pleasure ... The gastronome will never eat too much; he leaves this to the glutton, whom he despises because he is embodied in his stomach, he only lives for it and does not know the limits of food. The gastronome descends to the weakness of the gourmet, who is carried away by the taste of some dish and submits to his weaknesses. The deli admits that ladies can be gourmets and give preference to sweet dishes ... The deli itself always acts consciously and its body is subordinate to the mind; that is why a person who is not developed and not a distant mind cannot be a grocery store. You need to be very developed to be a gastronomist, because he analyzes everything, notices everything, thinks everything: the causes, and the consequences, and the methods of preparation, and the form, and the taste, and the smell.
Turning to history, we find out: the ancient Greeks and Romans, in addition to cooks, also had gastronomers who invented new dishes. The ancient Roman commander Lucullus went down in history not so much with feats of arms, but mainly with unusually luxurious feasts (“Lukullus feast”). Even in ancient times, the art of a cook was highly valued (and not only morally), and only men were allowed to work as a cook in those days.
The Encyclopedia of Nutrition also contains the following lines:
“... the less humanity satisfies its taste, i.e. the worse the food, the stronger the drunkenness, and vice versa, in countries where they eat well, if they drink wine, then you rarely meet drunk people ... Taste is the combined impression on the brain of the nerves of the mouth , tongue, nose and eyes. It is not the tongue that determines the taste; it is only one of the instruments of taste impressions. Kanshin believes: "... the composition of the dinner, that is, the menu, is the highest school of culinary art and food aesthetics." He writes: “For us, dinner is not so much important as the spiritual mood that is felt after it, and we prefer a simple broth and a piece of chicken ... than the most exquisite dinner.”
The concept of "food aesthetics" includes many attributes, comfort conditions during lunch: good lighting in the hall, comfortable chairs, beautiful serving, pleasant quiet music. The aroma of dishes is very important for the appearance of appetite and activation of digestion.
Let us turn again to Kanshin: “The point is not to give expensive and extremely rare at dinner, give a piece of bread, but one that would be tastier than others, and for this you will already find stomachs grateful to you ... It’s not about money, and without them, one can make a good dinner; no matter how much you throw money at the ignorant, he will not achieve a dinner equal in value to one that costs ten times less, but to which knowledge, skill, attention, art, etc. are attached. We can agree with the author that the concept of "aesthetics of nutrition" should include everything that distinguishes the nutrition of animals from the nutrition of a rational person, and as far as there is no limit to the human mind, the requirements of this mind are just as unlimited - the requirements of a thousand trifles. But if, writes Kanshin, these trifles make up all the comfort of life, then it is no wonder that there can be many of them, and why not study and satisfy them then!
When we talk about the aesthetics of nutrition, which should contribute not only to a feeling of satiety, but also to spiritual comfort, which involves a varied menu, we involuntarily turn to one of the best cookbooks that was published many times at the beginning of the last century. This is a book by Elena Molokhovets "A gift for young housewives, or a means to reduce household expenses", which includes recipes for 4163 different dishes!
We must not forget about such a seemingly small detail of rational and therapeutic nutrition as spices: we can name more than 150 types of spices that are obtained from plants and which can hardly be replaced by artificially prepared ones. Spices are valued for their peculiar taste and aroma, due to essential oils, alkaloids and glycosides.
This text is an introductory piece.Often at the table you have to communicate with people of different ages, gender, professions, nationalities, different cultural levels, mental makeup, etc. In your behavior, you must strive to ensure that each of those present feel free and at ease at the table, enjoying not not only from deliciously prepared dishes, but also from good serving, as well as from communication.
Therefore, the ability to behave correctly in society, a solid knowledge of the norms of behavior and rules of etiquette is very important. 
Etiquette is a set of historically established rules of human behavior in society. The rules of etiquette usually develop in close connection with the development of the culture of the people, their national traditions and are based on the education in people of politeness, attention, respect for each other. The rules of etiquette provide, in particular, the ability to keep oneself at the table, to use cutlery correctly, etc., a skill that both hosts and guests should possess to the same extent.
The "aesthetics of food" is closely related to the beauty of the table setting. Food should be beautiful to the smallest detail. Dishes and serving bring up the aesthetic taste of a person. The basis of the rules of behavior at the table is the observance of aesthetic norms, convenience and expediency. 
So, it is not recommended to sit too far from the edge of the table or too close and put your elbows on the table. By doing this, you can embarrass your neighbor. You should sit straight on the chair, without bending over the plate. If you lean too far back in your chair, you can drip sauce on the suit. It is not supposed to reach across the table - the waiter can put the dish on the plate. Taking a napkin intended for individual use, you need to unfold it and put it on your knees to protect the suit or dress from drops, splashes, crumbs. After eating, you can wipe the ends of your fingers with a napkin, but for lips it is more correct to use your own handkerchief. After finishing the meal, the napkin, without folding, is placed on the table. For children, the napkin is tucked into the collar. 
When eating, you need to take care of yourself, observing the established rules. An unaesthetic eating style irritates others. Eating with gusto does not mean eating in a hurry. If you like the dish, you can eat it to the end, but the piece of bread at the end of the fork looks ugly, which is sometimes used to clean the plate from the remnants of the dish.
Usually food is taken using a fork, spoon, spatula or tongs, but a number of products are taken by hand. These are bread, cookies, cake, fruits and citrus fruits, sugar (if tongs are not put for it). This order was not adopted by chance: these products do not need to be divided with a knife or fork, they do not stain the fingers, the hand touches only one piece, which is then placed on a plate or in a cup. 
A number of rules are caused by the requirements of aesthetics. So, it’s ugly to bite off a large piece of bread or a whole roll, so small pieces are broken off from them with your fingers as needed; sometimes the bread is pre-cut into small pieces. When serving caviar, it is first placed with a spatula on a plate, and then spread on small pieces of bread. After eating the first piece, you can spread the second one, etc. In the same way, they eat pate, butter, using special knives for spreading. 
There are certain rules when using cutlery.
So, cold snacks are eaten by snack bars with a fork and knife;
hot from a kokotnitsa or a kokotnitsa - with a kokotny fork or a teaspoon;
hot fish - with a fish knife and fork;
hot meat dishes - with a table knife and fork;
dessert dishes (pudding, ice cream) - with a spoon;
fruit - with the help of a fruit knife and fork, etc. 
The spoon is held so that thumb lay on top of her arm. Soup is eaten by scooping with a spoon from oneself, otherwise you can splatter the suit. You need to scoop up as much liquid as you can bring to your mouth without spilling. Care must be taken to ensure that the soup does not drain from the spoon back into the bowl.
The spoon is brought to the mouth with the left wide edge. 
It is not supposed to cool the soup by stirring with a spoon, it is better to wait until it cools down a bit. Similarly, you can not blow into a plate, cup or spoon. Soup is eaten quietly, silently; to eat it to the end, it is not forbidden to slightly lift the edge of the plate with your left hand away from you. After finishing eating the soup, the spoon should be left in the bowl. They act in the same way, without finishing the soup to the end. Dumplings, meatballs in the soup are divided into parts not with a knife, but with a spoon. If soup meat is served separately on a dish or in a bowl, you need to take a piece, cut it with a knife and fork, and only then put it in a bowl with soup. The thick is eaten simultaneously with the liquid. When adding soup to yourself, leave a spoon in a plate. Broth and puree soup are served mainly in a cup and are usually eaten with a dessert spoon, with the handle of the cup held in the left hand. Only the leftovers are drunk from the cup. 
When using a fork and knife while eating, the knife is held in the right hand and the fork in the left hand.
When eating only with a fork, it is taken in the right hand.
Do not take a fork, knife or spoon too close to the base.
You cannot take with a spoon what you can take with a fork.
You can take on a fork as much as it fits on it without falling off. 
You have to resort to the help of a knife quite often. They cut fish gastronomy, meat (beef, pork, lamb, veal, elk, wild boar, saiga, bear meat, hare, poultry, game). Do not cut several pieces at once - the meat will cool and become tasteless. So you can cut only for children who are not yet accustomed to eating on their own or know how to use only a fork. Dumplings, dumplings, boiled vegetables are not cut with a knife, but, if necessary, are divided into pieces with a fork. 
If cutlets, zrazy, meatballs, cabbage rolls or other chopped dishes are on the table, the use of a knife is unnecessary. They are eaten with a fork held in the right hand. With a piece of bread with your right hand, you can help put a piece of food from the plate on the fork. Dishes such as omelettes, vegetables, casseroles are eaten only with a fork. With a knife that cuts meat, they do not take salt from the salt shaker, food from a common dish. Do not crumble bread into a sauce or other dish. Having failed to eat the sauce with the main product - meat, poultry, fish, it is better to leave it on a plate. 
If you have to temporarily interrupt food in order to drink water, take bread, put a piece of meat, put the knife and fork on the plate as they were held: the knife with the handle to the right, and the fork to the left. 
After finishing the meal, the knife and fork are placed on the plate parallel with the handles to the left next to each other. This is a sign (to the waiter, serving persons) to remove the plate.
If someone asks to pass the device, then knives, forks, spoons are passed with the handle forward. In this case, you yourself can take the device by the neutral middle (for example, in the place where the knife is connected to the handle). This will avoid contamination of the device with your fingers. 
If you are using a knife and fork, keep the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand all the time, without shifting them from hand to hand. In cases where a drink is offered for food, one should swallow what is in the mouth first and only then drink it. It’s good to wipe your lips with a napkin before that so as not to leave greasy spots on the glass. It is ugly to top up from a bottle only to yourself. Taking a bottle or a decanter, first offer to a neighbor on the table. It is impolite to choose the best from the portions on the dish. Take the piece that is closest to you. You should not dip the bread in the sauce, but if you can’t resist, help yourself with this with a fork, not your fingers. In any case, do not wipe the plate dry with bread. If there is no spoon in the salt shaker, pick up the salt with the tip of your knife, but the knife must be clean. 
It is absolutely forbidden to sit down at the table with a cigarette, and at home receptions to smoke between courses. You can afford to smoke only after a full treat, during coffee. In the most extreme case, between the last course and dessert - usually at this moment there is a short break due to the change of appliances. But it is better to wait until the owners offer. 
You should sit at the table straight, but not as if you "swallowed an arshin". Do not put your elbows on the table, especially if you are holding a knife or fork. When eating, they sit, slightly leaning over the table, the same posture remains when you drink. The spoon with which soup is eaten is held in the right hand, it is brought to the mouth a little obliquely. Some types of soups, broths and fruit cold soups served in a cup are eaten with a dessert spoon.
The stomach of an enlightened person has best qualities good heart: sensitivity and gratitude
A.S. Pushkin
All people have a different attitude to the ritual of eating. Someone really makes a cult out of a simple lunch, someone sees food as a source of energy and vigor, for someone it is a reward or bonus (for example, treats for children), for someone it is satisfaction of the needs of the body, there are those for whom food is an obstacle to spiritual growth, however, there are those for whom eating is an art.
It would be wrong to believe that the perception of eating as a small creative act is hedonism and consumerism.
In fact, such a position is a reasonable approach, the formation of moderation and the ability to selectively approach the choice of products and their reception. Treating food as an art is also the ability to combine products in accordance with their natural origin, season and even color.
Food will be useful if you eat it in the season of its ripening (for example, watermelon is good in August-September, fresh herbs in June). In addition, ethnically different foods are poorly absorbed by the body, which means that Mediterranean pasta is unlikely to be good with Slavic fried mushrooms. The law of the palette also works great, which means that meat is well absorbed with vegetables, simply because the colors of these products are combined with each other, and dairy products are best consumed independently.
Beautiful dishes and the ability to set the table are important components of a healthy diet. After all, both of these parameters require an intellectual approach, which means that you have already secured yourself from the thoughtless absorption of food.
An important role in building competent eating habits is family tradition. If it is customary in your house to eat together at a large table, then you not only support the principles of a competent and traditional approach to eating, but also provide yourself with a balanced diet with which your family will receive useful nutrients.
In addition, food is the most powerful emotional channel, and a homemade dinner prepared with love is the best prevention of diseases of the digestive tract and nervous system.
The aesthetics of nutrition is also a thorough information about what, for what, and why we eat.
Before spontaneously purchasing food and cooking, it is important to know exactly what your body needs. Therefore, the choice of products must also be approached wisely. As a rule, harmful products can easily be found with a useful equivalent.
So, if you want:
chocolate is a magnesium deficiency
Found in: Unroasted nuts and seeds, fruits, legumes and legumes.
bread - lack of nitrogen
Found in high protein foods (fish, meat, nuts, beans).
crunchy cold food - lack of iron.
Contained in: meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, herbs, cherries.
sweet
1. Lack of chromium.
Found in: broccoli, grapes, cheese, chicken, calf liver
2. Lack of carbon.
Found in fresh fruits.
3. Lack of phosphorus.
Found in chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, legumes and legumes.
4. Lack of sulfur.
Found in cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables (white cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), kale.
5. Lack of tryptophan (one of the essential amino acids).
Found in cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potatoes, spinach.
fatty foods- lack of calcium.
coffee or tea:
1. Lack of phosphorus.
Found in: chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, legumes and legumes.
2. Lack of sulfur.
Found in: cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables (white cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), kale.
3. Lack of sodium (salt).
Contained in: sea salt, apple cider vinegar (season this salad).
4. Lack of iron.
Found in: red meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, green vegetables, cherries.
unhealthy overcooked food- lack of carbon.
Found in fresh fruits.
carbonated drinks - lack of calcium
Contained in broccoli, legumes and legumes, cheese, sesame.
salty - lack of chlorides
Contained in unboiled goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt.
sour - lack of magnesium
Found in unroasted nuts and seeds, fruits, legumes and legumes.
liquid food - lack of water. Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, with lemon or lime juice added.
solid food - lack of water
The body is so dehydrated that it has already lost the ability to feel thirst. Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, with lemon or lime juice added.
cold drinks - lack of manganese
Found in: walnuts, almonds, pecans, blueberries
The concept of "aesthetics of nutrition" includes hygienic rules and the whole atmosphere of eating - a room, lighting, furniture, dishes, table setting, appearance food, behavior at the table, the order of eating, self-eating skills, appetite, mood.
The basis of a competent approach to the aesthetics of eating is the mood, in particular, positive or negative emotions. If the mood during eating is aggressive, then the body is not set up to accept food, no matter how refined or healthy it is. If the mood is upbeat, satisfied, peaceful, then eating will become a real holiday for the body.
Of great importance is the color of dishes. The same dish, laid out on plates of different colors, will affect your appetite in different ways. So, for example, orange and yellow colors will increase appetite, blue - on the contrary, will reduce it.
An important factor influencing the development of appetite is table setting. The use of beautiful dishes, bright and colorful tablecloths, sophisticated glasses and pleasant colors of napkins is a big plus. After all, as scientists have proven, food is not only micronutrients and calories, it is a source of information that enters the brain with the help of visual receptors.
Food will be useful if you eat it in the season of its ripening (for example, watermelon is good in August-September, fresh herbs in June). In addition, ethnically different foods are poorly absorbed by the body, which means that Mediterranean pasta is unlikely to be good with Slavic fried mushrooms. The law of the palette also works great, which means that meat is well absorbed with vegetables, simply because the colors of these products are combined with each other, and dairy products are best consumed independently.
Often at the table you have to communicate with people of different ages, gender, professions, nationalities, different cultural levels, mental makeup, etc. In your behavior, you must strive to ensure that each of those present feel free and at ease at the table, enjoying not not only from deliciously prepared dishes, but also from good serving, as well as from communication. Therefore, the ability to behave correctly in society, a solid knowledge of the norms of behavior and rules of etiquette is very important.
Etiquette is a set of historically established rules of human behavior in society. The rules of etiquette usually develop in close connection with the development of the culture of the people, their national traditions and are based on the education in people of politeness, attention, respect for each other.
The rules of etiquette provide, in particular, the ability to keep oneself at the table, to use cutlery correctly, a skill that both hosts and guests should equally possess.
The basis of the rules of behavior at the table is the observance of aesthetic norms, convenience and expediency. So, it is not recommended to sit too far from the edge of the table or too close and put your elbows on the table. By doing this, you can embarrass your neighbor. You should sit straight on the chair, without bending over the plate. If you lean too far back in your chair, you can drip sauce on the suit. It is not supposed to reach across the table - the waiter can put the dish on the plate.
Taking a napkin intended for individual use, you need to unfold it and put it on your knees to protect the suit or dress from drops, splashes, crumbs. After eating, you can wipe the ends of your fingers with a napkin, but for lips it is more correct to use your own handkerchief. After finishing the meal, the napkin, without folding, is placed on the table.
For children, the napkin is tucked into the collar.
An unaesthetic manner of eating causes irritation to others. Eating with gusto does not mean eating in a hurry. If you like the dish, you can eat it to the end, but the piece of bread at the end of the fork looks ugly, which is sometimes used to clean the plate from the remnants of the dish.
Usually food is taken using a fork, spoon, spatula or tongs, but a number of products are taken by hand. These are bread, cookies, cake, fruits and citrus fruits, sugar (if tongs are not put for it). This order was not adopted by chance: these products do not need to be divided with a knife or fork, they do not stain the fingers, the hand touches only one piece, which is then placed on a plate or in a cup.
A number of rules are caused by the requirements of aesthetics. So, it’s ugly to bite off a large piece of bread or a whole roll, so small pieces are broken off from them with your fingers as needed; sometimes the bread is pre-cut into small pieces. When serving caviar, it is first placed with a spatula on a plate, and then spread on small pieces of bread. After eating the first piece, you can spread the second one ... In the same way, they eat pates, butter, using special knives for spreading.
State of mind while eating
It turns out that the color of the plates matters. So, the same food, laid out on orange and blue plates, affects appetite in different ways. Orange color will increase appetite, while blue will decrease it.
Table setting and the use of beautiful tableware is a big plus. Food is not only calories, vitamins and trace elements, food is also information.
The moment of preparation for a meal is very important. You need to bring yourself into balance. It would be good to pray, to offer gratitude to the Creator for the provided food.
You can’t sort things out at the table, scolding children while eating. By doing this, you will destroy your health, since information during meals enters the subconscious mind directly. Do you want your child or other relative to have a stomach ulcer?
You can not watch TV while eating (with the negative there - more than enough!).
It is strictly forbidden to eat while working or playing at the computer - you can also "get involved in virtual reality"! And then treated for computer and gaming addiction.
Everything that you see and hear while eating goes directly to the subconscious and increases the corresponding emotions.
When eating, light casual communication is allowed. If this is not possible in your situation, then silence is the best!
Family tradition plays an important role in building healthy eating habits. If it is customary in your house to eat together at a large table, then you not only support the principles of a competent and traditional approach to eating, but also provide yourself with a balanced diet with which your family will receive useful nutrients.
In addition, food is the most powerful emotional channel, and a homemade dinner prepared with love is the best prevention of diseases of the digestive tract and nervous system.
- References 10
The modern world is characterized by dynamism and a progressive reduction in the share of physical labor. The phrase "a car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation" has become quite realistic. All this contributes to hypodynamia, violation of the diet, the qualitative and quantitative side of the diet. The problems of nutrition and physical inactivity are usually considered in a complex, which is explained by the summation of their negative effect. Rational nutrition is the nutrition of a healthy person, aimed at the prevention of alimentary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, allergic and other diseases. Rational nutrition should correspond to the energy costs of the body (quantitative side of nutrition), fill its need for nutrients - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral salts and trace elements (qualitative side of nutrition). At the same time, nutrients must be supplied in certain, most favorable proportions (balanced nutrition), a prerequisite is also the observance of the diet.
Quantitative and qualitative side of nutrition
Today's life testifies to significant and unfavorable changes in both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of nutrition. The consumption of the most valuable foods high in minerals - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts - is decreasing, while the share of baked goods, peeled potatoes and refined sweets (sugar, sweets, sweet water, etc.) is increasing. . The use of natural products is decreasing and the use of canned products with a long shelf life, subjected to technological processing, is increasing. As a result, the intake of minerals and other important substances into the body is significantly reduced.
The qualitative and quantitative side of nutrition depends on a number of factors. In particular, the chemical composition and ratio of nutrients in the daily diet can be influenced by seasonality, which determines the range of products, the duration and conditions of food storage, food processing and cooking technology, and a number of other reasons.
Food is not only a source of energy, but also a factor that determines the state of acid-base balance, the synthesis of hemoglobin, enzymes, blood cells, the functioning of tissues and organs through regulatory physiological mechanisms. Both excess and deficiency of nutrients, especially essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, a number of mineral salts and vitamins, can have a negative impact on the functional state of a person. Nutrition should be balanced, balanced in terms of food ingredients, consistent with the body's needs for energy and nutrients. Quantitative quantities of nutrition, variety, volume and chemical composition of food are determined on the basis of the principles of rational nutrition.
In the doctrine of human nutrition, great importance is given to the quantitative side of nutrition, expressed in the calorie content of the daily diet. The calorie content of a food is the amount of energy (in calories); obtained due to the combustion in the body of each gram of the product. Meanwhile, caloric content, no matter how significant it may be, cannot serve as an exhaustive indicator of the assessment of nutrition without taking into account the qualitative side, that is, the ratio of nutrients in the diet - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
Recent studies show that the most useful and in the full sense of the rational are food rations of relatively low calorie content, but in which all the necessary nutrients are optimally selected. Moreover, these studies suggest that high-calorie diets are not only unhealthy, but in some cases harmful to many people. High-calorie nutrition is most often excessive during mental work or fully automated work, with a sedentary lifestyle and other lifestyles with little physical activity and insufficient muscle activity.
In these conditions a large number of calories in the diet is a factor contributing to obesity and the development of early atherosclerosis. Thus, in the prevention of atherosclerosis, the fight against violations of the quantitative side of nutrition, that is, with abundant food, especially at night, is becoming increasingly important.
Caloric content characterizes the quantitative side of nutrition, which is determined by the need for energy. Knowing the chemical composition of food, it is easy to calculate, using special tables of the chemical composition of basic foodstuffs, how much energy material a person receives per day.
All food products, depending on their calorie content (indicated per 100 g of edible part), can be divided into five groups. 1st - very high calorie content (450-900 kcal) - butter, vegetable, nuts, chocolate, halva, puff pastries with cream, fatty pork, raw smoked sausage; 2nd - high calorie content (200-400 kcal) - cream, sour cream, fat cottage cheese, cheese, ice cream sundae, meat pork, boiled sausages, sausages, geese, ducks, fatty herring, saury, salmon, caviar, cereals, pasta, bread, sugar, honey, jam, marmalade, fondant sweets; 3rd - moderate calorie content (100-199 kcal) - semi-fat cottage cheese, milk ice cream, lamb, beef, rabbit meat, chickens, eggs, horse mackerel, mackerel, sardines, low-fat herring, sturgeon; 4th - low calorie content (30-99 kcal) - milk, kefir, low-fat cottage cheese, cod, hake, pike perch, flounder, carp, pike, Ocean pasta, fruits, berries, potatoes, beets, carrots, green peas; 5th - very low calorie content (less than 30 kcal) - zucchini, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, turnips, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet peppers, cranberries, fresh mushrooms. Decrease in calorie content (malnutrition) leads to the consumption of not only carbohydrates, fats, but also proteins, to a decrease in the mass of skeletal muscles, resulting in reduced working capacity and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. Excessive calorie intake leads to the deposition of fats and carbohydrates in the form of subcutaneous fat in fat cells, to weight gain, obesity.
For the normal functioning of the body, not only the appropriate energy supply is necessary, but also a constant supply of all nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral salts. You should be aware that some nutrients (mineral salts, a number of amino acids, vitamins) are not formed in the human body. They are indispensable nutritional factors and enter the body only with food.
For good assimilation of food and the vital activity of the body, a balanced diet is of great importance. This term refers to the optimal ratio between proteins, fats and carbohydrates in food. Normally, it should be 1: 1.1: 4.1 for men and women of young age engaged in mental work, and 1: L3: 5 - for heavy physical labor In the diet of healthy young people living in a temperate climate and not employed physical labor, proteins should provide 13%, fats - 33, carbohydrates - 54% of the daily energy value of the diet, taken as 100. Animal proteins should be 55% of the total protein, and vegetable oils - up to 30% of the total fat in the diet.
In nature, there are no products that would contain all the nutrients necessary for a person. Therefore, in the diet it is necessary to use a combination of different products.
Diet
Proper nutrition is extremely important for our body. The most optimal mode of eating is four times a day. The intervals between meals with four meals a day are 4-5 hours, while the load on the digestive tract is distributed evenly, the food is completely processed by digestive enzymes and is well absorbed.
With four meals a day, breakfast should be approximately 25% of the daily diet, lunch - 35%, afternoon tea - 15% and dinner - 25%. Dinner is recommended no later than 3 hours before bedtime.
Unfortunately, not everyone can eat four times a day. Most people eat three times a day. Breakfast with three meals a day should be 30-35% of the daily diet, lunch - 35-40%, dinner - 25-30%. With three meals a day, it is especially important not to allow too long breaks between meals. The longest break should not exceed 6 hours. And it is absolutely unacceptable to eat only 1-2 times a day.
It is important to eat at the same time every day. This is the only way to ensure the rhythm of the gastrointestinal tract. Our body, so to speak, "remembers" the hours of eating and "prepares" all the digestive organs for work in advance.
Failure to comply with the diet can lead to serious disturbances in the activity of the digestive system, as well as adversely affect the state of health in general.
The diet includes the time and number of meals, the intervals between them, the distribution of the diet according to energy value, chemical composition, food set and weight by meals. Throughout your life, you must be guided by the following rules of a rational diet:
1) 4 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, a glass of yogurt before bedtime); one or two meals a day is dangerous to health (threat of myocardial infarction, acute pancreatitis);
2) the exclusion of food in the intervals between the main meals;
3) the time between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner should be 5-6 hours, and the interval between dinner and the beginning of sleep 3-4 hours;
4) a set of products at each meal should provide for the optimal ratio of all essential nutrients, a healthy person should receive more than 2/3 of the total daily calorie intake at breakfast and lunch, and less than 1/3 at dinner;
5) eating at strictly fixed hours; the time factor plays an important role in the formation of conditioned reflex reactions (excretion of saliva, gastric juice); the body, as it were, is preparing for the reception and digestion of food;
6) do not rush while eating; so, you need to spend at least 30 minutes on food during lunch;
7) thorough, unhurried chewing of food (good condition of the teeth);
8) the last meal (no later than 1.5-2 hours before bedtime) should include only low-calorie foods (milk, sour-milk drinks, fruits, juices); fried foods, foods rich in fats, coarse fiber, spices, salt are prohibited;
9) cleanliness, comfort of the dining room, good table setting; exclusion of factors distracting from food (talking, radio, television, reading, etc.).
Failure to follow the rules of a rational diet is one of the main reasons for the development of diseases of the digestive organs (peptic ulcer, chronic gastritis, colitis, etc.).
Modern achievements of science indicate that by changing the nature and diet, it is possible to positively influence the metabolism, the adaptive capabilities of the body and, therefore, have a beneficial effect on the pace and direction of the aging process. Irrational nutrition and violations of its regimen are important sources of various diseases. What diseases can arise due to malnutrition? Firstly, diseases caused by a deficiency or excess of certain nutrients in the diet: alimentary dystrophy, obesity, vitamin deficiency, etc. Secondly, malnutrition plays an important role in the development of diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension disease, diabetes, gout, cholelithiasis, diseases of the liver and pancreas.
Aesthetics of nutrition
The concept of nutritional aesthetics includes the entire dining environment - the room, lighting, furniture, dishes, table setting, the order of eating, behavior at the table, the appearance of food, its color.
Food should give pleasure not only by its taste and smell, but also by its appearance. Cooking is the art of cooking and decorating food. Both require skill and skill, practical skill, ingenuity and artistic taste. But the design of food at home does not have to be complicated and pretentious. For example, boiled fish is not combined with pasta either in taste or color: white fish and white pasta. Fish and potatoes combine in taste, but little in color: white fish - white potatoes. To make the dish sparkle with a variety of colors, just add two or three slices of red tomato and green cucumber.
You should widely use vegetables of different colors, collecting them in a complex side dish, consisting of two, three, four products. Potatoes, carrots and green peas; potatoes, carrots, green peas, stewed cabbage. Potatoes can be served mashed or boiled or fried. Cabbage can be used cauliflower, white, red cabbage in the form of salads, pickled, fried, etc. It must be remembered that the overall chemical composition of a complex side dish should be equal to the chemical composition of the main side dish.
Greenery branches can be widely used to decorate dishes: parsley, celery, lettuce, lemon slices, etc. Bright colors give a festive look to the simplest dishes, and their taste seems better. Uniformly colored food, if not repulsive, is not appetizing.
Beautiful tableware gives a particularly attractive look to the table. Dishes should be comfortable, light, stable, hygienic, matched to the shape and size of the culinary product (fish - in an oblong tray). The color of the dishes matters in stimulating the appetite or suppressing it. If milk is served in red glass glasses, it will take on the appearance of blood and will be unpleasant to drink. Milk is best served in colorless glasses, because the white liquid easily perceives the shade of the dishes and subconsciously inspires the impression of a different drink. But the same milk mixed with strawberry syrup can be safely served in dark red glasses - the taste of strawberries will seem stronger. If colored glass has an effect on the appearance of drinks, then serving food on brightly colored dishes helps digestion. Roast on a bright yellow plate seems more appetizing and tastier than on an ordinary white plate. As for the color of the products themselves, it should be natural. Vegetable dyes included in chicken feed can color the inside of a chicken egg in the desired colors - orange, green, blue-gray, etc., without violating the taste and nutritional value of the egg, but strangely colored eggs are difficult to digest and digest.
The red butter on green bread tastes the same as the yellow butter on white bread, but the food is not as easy to swallow and digest due to the unusual combination of colors. The natural combination of yellow butter on white bread and yolk with egg white remains the best. Food seems to have lost its purpose if it takes on new unusual colors. It is true that the artificial coloring of food has not become widespread and is not practiced, but artificial lighting can change the color of food and food and have a depressing effect on appetite.
Artificial colored lighting can achieve extraordinary effects. If food is illuminated with only two colors of the spectrum - red and green, then green peas will look like black caviar, lemon will take on the color of an orange, coffee will be an unpleasant yellow color, etc. Despite the excellent quality, taste and smell of such food, it is practically turns out to be inedible, difficult to digest and digest.
From the foregoing, it is clear that all dining environments should be as beautiful as possible. You need to eat in a well-lit, cleanly tidied room (and not in the kitchen, hastily, somehow). The table should be covered with a beautiful tablecloth or oilcloth. In the center of the table, it is desirable to put a vase with fresh flowers. Tables, chairs, cutlery should be specially selected. Everything should be neat, starting with clothes. Food should be neatly placed on a plate. It is unacceptable to carelessly impose food, dirtying the edges of the plate.
Fried potatoes, chopped meat and fish should be eaten with a fork with the teeth down, and mashed potatoes, crumbly cereals should be eaten with a fork with the teeth up, as if raking them. Chopped cutlets are not recommended to be cut with a knife, as they can be separated with a fork, and the meat needs to be cut, but not all at once, so that it does not cool down. After the previous piece is eaten, cut off the next one.
In order to correctly compose the menu, you need to know that cold and hot snacks should be small in volume, the purpose of which is to stimulate the appetite. Soups and broths increase the secretion of juice due to the extractive substances in them and contribute to the absorption of the second course. Sweet dishes suppress juice secretion, as if they neutralize it. Hot drinks and fruits complete the meal.
When compiling the menu, one must remember that tasty, healthy, moderate food creates a cheerful, cheerful mood. Excessive food or its wrong combination (heavy meals) cause fatigue, drowsiness, unpleasant heaviness, spoil the mood.
Before eating, you need to create a calm atmosphere in the house and a good mood. Eating quickly, swallowing large pieces unchewed, is ugly and harmful. Taste and aroma are elements of the aesthetics of a healthy diet.
The culture of nutrition is one of the components of the general cultural potential of mankind. This means that nutrition cannot be considered as a purely physiological process, neglecting its aesthetic aspect, which connects it with the mental sphere. In this article, we will discuss only one side of nutritional aesthetics, which is most closely related to internal organization man is the taste and aroma of food.
Conclusion
By studying human nutrition, scientists have convincingly proved that physiologically complete nutrition is necessary for growth, development, health maintenance, maintaining high performance, resistance of the body to infectious diseases and other factors. environment. It has been found that the human body must receive about 600 different nutrients daily in order to function at its best. These include amino acids, vitamins, macro- and microelements, organic acids, phytocomponents, dietary fiber and other substances.
In nature, there are no products that would contain all the components necessary for a person (with the exception of mother's milk for babies).
Therefore, only a combination of different foods in the daily diet best provides the body with the greatest amount of necessary substances. Most of all, this applies to such food components as vitamins and trace elements, but the process of their assimilation and metabolism largely depends on the presence of other nutrients.
The diet of a modern person, sufficient to cover daily energy expenditure, cannot provide the recommended physiological norms for the consumption of essential nutrients, and one of them is mineral.
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