Final answer:
Metabolism is a biological process involving catabolic reactions that break down food for energy and anabolic reactions that build complex molecules. Good nutrition maintains energy homeostasis, essential for growth, repair, and sustaining life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Metabolism is the sum of all processes involved in taking in nutrients and using them to maintain body tissue and provide energy. This includes numerous metabolic processes that are happening in the body constantly, which are categorized into two types: catabolic reactions and anabolic reactions. Catabolic reactions are responsible for breaking down food to obtain energy, and anabolic reactions use this energy to synthesize larger molecules from smaller ones, like forming proteins from amino acids.
Good nutrition is critical as it involves meeting nutrient needs while maintaining energy balance, a state known as energy homeostasis. Energy homeostasis is a balance between the energy consumed in food and the energy expended through metabolism and physical activity. Overall, these processes contribute to the maintenance of essential bodily functions such as growth, repair, and sustaining life.