Good nutrition is central to a healthy life. Many people on the quest to excel in a competitive capitalist society like ours have become so busy working tirelessly to meet the challenges of the time. Consequently, due to their busy schedule, most of them often depend on processed food without minding its nutrient value and health consequences. 

Although this topic is a familiar one, how well people respond and pay attention to their nutrient requirement is another concern. The required amount of nutrient varies from one individual to another under different conditions. Analysts have also affirmed that nutrient requirements are expressed in relation to age, sex, nutritional status, size and psychological state. There are seven classes of nutri­ents and they are categorised into macronutrients which include carbohydrate, fats, fibre, protein and water. They are needed in a relatively large amount than the micronutrients, which comprise of minerals and vitamins. 

CARBOHYDRATES are classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides measured in the amount of sugar unit they contain. Foods like rice, bread, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods should be part of all meals, making about a third of your plate. Note that increased heart vascular disease has been associated with high simple sugar consumption. Simple carbohydrates like the mono and disaccharides are absorbed quickly and thus could raise blood sugar levels more rapidly. !t is better to feed more on polysaccharides because they are long chains of sugar and it takes longer time to digest.

FIBER: Dietary fiber are essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system; a high-fibre diet may reduce the risk of developing diabetes and colecteral cancer, it also helps to lower blood cholestrol, promotes bowel regularity and keep the gastro-intestinal tract clean to help reduce the risk of devel­oping diverticular disease. Fibres are plant foods (plums, prunes and figs, fruit and vegetable.)They contain four calories per gram which, due to its limited absorption, contribute fewer calories; they consist mainly of cellulose. 

FAT: is a source of energy but one gram of it provides nine calories, which is more than double the calories in one gram of protein and carbohydrate; therefore, too much intake of high fatty foods can cause obesity. People who want to reduce weight should reduce fatty foods. Fat is classified into satu­rated and unsaturated fat. How much saturated fat like butter, hard argarine, milk, chocolate, pies and white fat on red meat you eat is associated with increased blood cholestrol. It is advisable to eat unsaturated fat from soybeans, olive oil and sesame seeds. Fat should not be more than 35 percent of your energy diet. Saturated fats should provide less than 11 percent of the total energy intake. For the average woman, this means about 70 grams of total fat a day while for men, roughly 95 grams. 

SUGAR: The level of sugar added to diet is increasing by the day, as most medical specialist agree, this is why so many people are diabetic. Sugar is a great source of energy, but does not provide any other nutrients to the body. There are two types of sugar; those found naturally in fruits and milk and those that are added to the diet. All sugary foods and drinks, even sugars in honey and fruit juices pose a great threat to dental health, especially if consumed between meals. It is safer to eat sugary food at meal time, when other dietry and oral factors can help to minimise the risk they pose to your teeth. Sugary drinks have been identified as possible causes of obesity. These drinks do not trigger the same sense of fullness as food with similar calories, increasing the risk of overeating. 

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 
Fruits and vegetable are a great source of nutrients and vital for a healthy diet. They form the basis of your diet and should form a third of your daily food consumption. They should be incorporated into every meal. 
PROTEIN is a major functional and structural component of all our cells. Protein provides the body with about ten to fifteen percent of its dietry energy, and is needed for cellular growth and repair. Proteins are large molecules made up of long chains of amino acid sub-units. Some of these amino acids are nutritionally essential as they cannot be made or stored within the body and so must come from foods in our daily diet. Protein is sourced from both animal plants; protein from animal sources contains the full range of essential amino acids needed for an adult diet, but red meat in particular should be eaten in limited amounts due the high level of the saturated fat it contains. It is advisable to include fish in our diet because of its importance. Fish is our diet because of its importance. Fish is a good source of animal protein. Oil rich fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna, trout and sardine are all rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which help to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Aim to eat a couple of portions of fish every week with a least one portion being an oily fish.

HOW MUCH OF PROTEIN IS ENOUGH
The intake of protein for men should be 55.5 grams a day while women should be 45 grams. It is advisable to eat two to three serving of protein everyday from both plant and animal source. Intake of low-fat protein foods help to keep the heart healthy, keep cholesterol low and minimise the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and other related disorder. 

Having looked at the essential basic nutrients the body needs to function properly, it is important to harp more on the consequences of depending on processed foods. The major concern about processed food is not simply that they are nutritionally useless to the body, they are capable of depleting the essential nutrient reserves as well as stress the digestive organs. The chemical implications of these junk foods includes thickening the blood thereby slowing blood circulation and depriving the body of oxygen, promoting triglyceride proliferation and clumping, a condition which makes the victims energy sapped and tired. Therefore, there is no gain saying that eating a variety of fresh whole unprocessed food is important to healthy living as it has proven favourable compared to the monotonous diet based on processed foods. In particular, the consumption of whole plant foods slow digestion and provides higher amount of balanced essential nutrients per calorie resulting in better management of cell growth, maintenance and mitosis as well as better regulation of appetite and blood sugar.