The process by which living things take in and use food for growth, energy, and health. It also refers to the science of what foods the body needs and how they affect it.
From Latin “nutritio,” meaning “a nourishing,” from “nutrire,” to nourish or feed. It entered English through scientific and medical language.
Nutrition isn’t just about calories—it’s about the quality and balance of what you eat over time. The same root appears in “nurture” and “nurse,” reminding us that food is deeply tied to care and development.
Nutrition discourse has often targeted women as primary managers of family diets and bodies, reinforcing gendered responsibility for health and appearance. At the same time, women’s expertise in food preparation and community nutrition has been undervalued compared to male-dominated medical research.
Discuss nutrition as a shared responsibility and interest across genders, and avoid assuming that women are solely responsible for family or child nutrition.
Women have long been central to practical nutritional knowledge—cooking, preserving, and distributing food—laying groundwork for modern nutrition science without equal recognition.
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