Eating Healthy and your Nutrition

You must understand the effect of food on your body in order to keep yourself healthy. You should eat nutritious foods and cut down or completely avoid unhealthy foods. As much as possible, you should be enjoying what you eat. You should be able to give your body everything that it needs.

The way you eat and the choices of food that you make will have an effect on your health today and in the long run. If you eat healthy food, you will be able to reduce your risk of developing diseases like obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis.

Why is it important to eat healthy foods?

All foods have their own set of nutrients. They may contain fibre, minerals, and vitamins that will aid in the metabolism and other processes in your body. Here are some examples of nutrients and components that you will find in your food

• carbohydrates - these are the preferred source of energy for your body. All of your organs need carbohydrates in order to function. Your heart, your brain, your lungs, and the rest of your organs will rely on energy in order to function. These carbohydrates will also be used to repair the tissues of your body. They will be used to keep you warm and they will also be used to power your muscles when they move
• protein - this is important for repairing your muscles. It can also be used as a source of energy for the body
• fat - this allows important vitamins to be transported throughout your body. It is a highly concentrated source of energy as well
• vitamins - there are a lot of vitamins in healthy food and they perform different functions in your body. For instance, vitamin D helps in making your bones healthy. Vitamin C is needed for healthy wound healing. Vitamin A will keep your eyes clear and healthy
• minerals - there are several minerals that are useful for your body. For instance, iron is used for transporting oxygen through the blood. Calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth
• fibre - this keeps your digestive system clean and healthy. It also controls your cholesterol levels and your blood sugar levels

Having a balanced diet

Not one single type of food out there will have all the nutrients needed by your body. It is essential that you have several sources of nutrients from a variety of foods. You must eat different kinds of food from different kinds of food groups in order to maintain a healthy body. Here are the five main food types or food groups

• fruits and vegetables group
• dairy group
• starch group
• meat, fish, and non-dairy sources of protein like beans
• fats and sugar

The Starch Group

This group is composed of foods rich in starch or complex carbohydrates. Foods that are in this group are bread, potatoes, cereals, pasta, chapattis, and rice. These foods are voluminous and they tend to make you feel full. There are also wholegrain types of foods in this group. They are rich in fibre and in several nutrients. These wholegrain types should be chosen over their pure white counterparts.

The Fruits and the Vegetables Group

This group is rich in nutrients. They are particularly rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Everyone must eat more than five portions of fruits everyday. With fruits, you can cut the risk of disease which includes heart disease and cancers.

The Milk and the Dairy Products Group

Milk and dairy products are great sources of calcium, vitamins, and proteins. Included in this group are cheese and yogurts. It is a good idea to choose low fat dairy products like skimmed milk or semi-skimmed milk, low-fat cheese, and low-fat yogurts. In order to grow and develop fully, children less than two years of age need the full-fat milk and cheese in order to grow.

Some kinds of food in this food group should not be consumed too much. For instance, you should not eat too much butter and too much cream because these foods are high in fat content. In fact, there are a lot of saturated fats in this group that could be linked to certain diseases. To some extent, you could consider these foods under the fats and sugar group instead of the milk and dairy foods group.

Meat Proteins and Non-Dairy Proteins Group

Included in this food group are poultry, fresh fish, frozen fish, red meat, beans, pulses, eggs, and nuts. Non-dairy sources of protein are just as important as the meat proteins so balance them in your diet. When you prepare meat and poultry, you can cut off the excess fat and the extra skin. Do not add butter or cooking oil anymore if possible. You should consider grilling your meats instead of frying them in oil. You should consider baking your meat or poaching it. Fish and poultry should be grilled, baked, or poached as well instead of being fried. You should limit the amount of processed meat that you consume. These processed meats include sausages. These processed meats have a lot of fat and a lot of salt so you should cut down on its consumption.

You should eat two portions of fish every week. One portion of fish is around one hundred and forty grams. This serving should be oil because fish oil is rich in long chain omega three fatty acids which are good for your heart. They protect your heart and keep it healthy.

The Fats and the Sugar Group

Foods in the fats and sugar group should only be eaten in small portions. You should try to substitute the pure forms of these foods with the lower fat counterparts. Still, you should minimize your consumption of food in this group. Foods in this group include butter, mayonnaise, cakes, crisps, and puddings.

Your body needs a certain amount of fat but too much of it will make you overweight. When you are overweight, you are at an increased risk of getting a heart attack or a stroke. You should keep in mind that the quality of fat in your diet is important. It is not the amount of fat in your body that matters but the quality of fat in it. There are some fats like long chain omega fatty acids found in oily fish that are known to protect your heart from disease.

Sugars that are highly refined like table sugar, sugary drinks, and snacks provide you with energy but do not have any nutritional value. In a sense, they are referred to as foods with empty calories. Moreover, if you eat food of this type, you are increasing your chances of developing tooth decay and gum disease. You should cut down your consumption of these types of food from your diet. Limit your consumption of refined sugar as much as possible.

Alcoholic beverages have the same effect as sugary foods. You should limit your consumption of alcohol. In order to stay healthy, you should not have too much alcohol in your diet.

Vitamins and Minerals

People should ideally get their vitamins and minerals from a variety of food groups. There are some exceptions to this rule though. For instance, children who are six months old to five years old and for women who are trying to or are already pregnant are exempted. Overdosing on vitamins could affect your health negatively in these cases so it is recommended that you read the labels before you take any supplements. It would even be better if you ask your pharmacist for advice regarding the matter. You can ask a general practitioner or a pharmacist for advice regarding the consumption of vitamin and mineral supplements.

Some common Questions about nutrition:

How much fruit and veg should i eat in one portion?

What are the protein sources for vegetarians ?

What is the GI diet?