Nutrition is the process of ingesting food to carry out different functions of the body necessary for the survival of organisms. There are two main types of nutrition: autotrophic and heterotrophic. Autotrophic nutrition is when an organism can prepare its own food, such as plants. Heterotrophic nutrition is when an organism obtains its nutrition from other living organisms.
This type of nutrition is further divided into saprophytic, parasitic, and holozoic nutrition. Good nutrition is essential for biological life to maintain its ability to repair, grow and function. Nutritious foods are those that are especially dense in one or more necessary nutrients, such as eggs, fish, liver, avocado, green vegetables, beans, and legumes. On the other hand, low-nutritional foods are those that contain no more nutrients than some simple carbohydrates in sugar, such as hard candy.
For humans, good nutrition is extremely important for cellular function, tissue repair, metabolism, immune competence, cognitive function, physical activity, maintenance of internal homeostasis, and overall health. Plants, algae and bacteria (cyanobacteria) are some examples of autotrophic nutrition. Autotrophs consume water, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and solar energy to make sugar and starch, which are plant nutrients. Heterotrophic nutrition involves the ingestion, digestion, absorption and assimilation of solid and liquid material.
An example of this type of nutrition is amoeba which absorbs complex substances and converts them into simpler substances. For more information on what nutrition is and the different types of nutrition, keep visiting the BYJU'S website or download the BYJU'S app for more information.
