Which of the following is defined by the processes involved in taking in nutrients and assimilating and utilizing them?

• A. Metabolism
• B. Nutrition
• C. Digestion
• D. Absorption

Answer: (B)

Nutrition captures the whole process of taking in nutrients and then assimilating and using them for the body's needs. It includes not just ingestion, but how those nutrients are processed, absorbed, incorporated into tissues, and finally metabolically utilized for energy, growth, and maintenance.

Digestion refers to breaking down food, absorption is the uptake of nutrients into the bloodstream, and metabolism covers all the chemical reactions inside cells. The definition given—taking in nutrients and assimilating and utilizing them—encompasses all these steps, making nutrition the best fit.