You are what you eat It is true that the quality of the food you eat will have a decisive role in determining the quality of life in every cell of your body. Food has a huge effect on health and a diet rich in any aspect would be an unhealthy diet, in the same way that a diet lacking in a certain nutrient would also affect health. A balanced diet consists of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. Carbohydrates provide us with energy. Fats (lipids) with healthy cell membranes and energy reserve. Proteins are essential for the growth and repair of body tissues. Vitamins are needed to keep our cells functioning properly and minerals build molecules in cells, such as calcium (Hudson, 1998). Although water is the most essential component of our diet for humans, as we can survive weeks without food, even just days without water. In a way you could say that human beings are what we drink: seventy percent of our bodies, and most organisms, are made up of water. Water is essential for every chemical reaction that occurs in the body. It makes up blood and is used to dilute toxins and be excreted as urine. The reason humans eat the same foods and can't share food groups with other animals, like cows, is because we don't have the enzymes to be able to digest these things. Cows are able to eat grass, which is very difficult to digest because they have four stomachs and can allow the grass to ferment and break down before being digested. Humans eat as much food as their digestive system can handle. We are given guidelines on how much we should eat of each component of our diet. Fo...... middle of paper ...... atically over the last hundred years; we have entered a new era of “processed” and “convenience” foods. This leaves foods stripped of their nutritional qualities and this is sacrificed for quick and easy meals. Furthermore, over these years, it is not surprising that the number of the overweight and obese population has increased dramatically. I think it's fair to say that what you eat affects your basic appearance, your well-being, and your future health. Bibliography http://pigtrail.uark.edu/pubs/Research_Frontiers/fall_2000/05_Feature1.htmlwww.4girls.gov/eat/ Food magazine. Published by Food Commission. "Too much salt?" Number 57.P.3Indge.B. Rowland. M. Baker. M. Published 2000. A New Introduction to Biology.Hudson.T. 1998. Science Lesson Book. Letts Education.Samuels & Henett. 1973. The Healthy Body Book. Wildwood House