nutrition – the process of taking in food and converting it to energy

(pronounced nyoo-trish-uhn)

Note: Nutrient - a substance that plants or animals need, to grow and live. 

To remember the meaning of nutrition, use the following mnemonic:

The nutrients from many different nations (nutrition) were processed and converted into energy. 

Think of nutrients as the ingredients and nutrition as the process of cooking and eating. Nutrition is the process by which living organisms obtain and use nutrients to provide energy and materials for growth, repair and maintenance of their bodies. 

Photosynthesis is a crucial part of a plant's nutrition. Photosynthesis uses light energy, carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose while animals consume other organisms to obtain nutrients. 

In animals, nutrition involves ingestion (taking in food), digestion (breaking down food into smaller molecules), absorption (talking nutrients into the bloodstream), and egestion (removing undigested waste). Plants obtain their mineral nutrients from the soil through their roots.