Nutrition

I am the secret power hidden in your crunchy apple that gives you the zoomies to run across the playground. I am the magic in your milk that helps your bones grow strong and tall. You can find me in a rainbow of foods—the orange of carrots that helps you see in the dark, the protein in chicken that builds your muscles, and the goodness in bread that fuels your brain for learning. My job is to be your body’s best helper, keeping you healthy and full of energy. Have you guessed who I am yet? I am your friend, Nutrition!

For a very long time, people knew that eating was important, but I was a big mystery. A wise doctor in Ancient Greece named Hippocrates had a good idea way back around 400 BCE. He told people, 'Let food be thy medicine,' guessing that I had special healing powers. Hundreds of years later, on the 20th of May, 1747, a Scottish doctor named James Lind solved a big puzzle. He saw that sailors on long voyages got a terrible sickness called scurvy. He did one of the first science experiments ever! He gave some sick sailors lemons and oranges, and they magically got better! He had discovered a secret part of me, now called Vitamin C. Later, in the 1780s, a French scientist named Antoine Lavoisier discovered that your body uses me like fuel to create energy and heat. And in 1912, a brilliant biochemist named Casimir Funk gave my tiniest helpers a name: vitamins! People were finally starting to understand my secrets.

Today, I’m not a mystery anymore! Scientists, doctors, and your family all know how I work. When you eat a colorful plate of food, you are inviting me to help you in so many ways. I give you the power to learn new things at school, the strength to score a goal in soccer, and the ability to fight off pesky germs that can make you feel yucky. I am in every healthy bite you take, working hard to help you grow. So next time you enjoy a sweet strawberry or a yummy piece of cheese, remember me, Nutrition! I’ll always be here to help you be the strongest, smartest, and happiest you can be.