You Are What You Eat - The Basis of a Healthy Diet is Good Nutrition
- By:Andreas Francis
If you are looking to reduce weight but also see an overall improvement in your health, you will no doubt be aware that it is not just a case of burning more calories than you take in. Good nutrition skills are also part of the equation simply because proper nutrition can help to reduce your risk of a variety of health problems.
To reach your ideal weight and health goal you will need to consume a variety of healthy and nutritionally balanced foods and count calories at the same time. A good diet should offer balanced nutrition that not only reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, but also aids in weight loss. The basis of a healthy diet is good nutrition as our bodies require a balanced combination of nutrients in order to function properly.
Vitamins are required nutrients as they ensure that our bodies function as they were designed to. Vitamins can work together with the metabolism to help with energy levels as well as protecting the body against various infections and disease. Although vitamins are classed as essential, the body has no mechanism to produce its own. Instead, we must rely on outside sources in order to meet our nutritional requirements.
Another of the main nutrients that your body requires are carbohydrates. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose levels which are used immediately or stored in the body for later use. However, if you consume too much carbohydrate, the body will build too much glucose which is then stored as fat. There are two types of carbohydrate which are termed simple and complex. Sugars are considered simple carbohydrates whilst fibers and starches fall into the complex carbohydrate category.
Proteins are another important nutrient which help your body build and fix muscles and other tissues. Proteins also function in the creation of hormones but like carbohydrates, to much protein in the body is stored as fat.
Two of the major categories of protein are animal and vegetable. Excess consumption of animal protein can lead to high cholesterol levels as it is high in saturated fat. That being said, fat is an important nutrient that your body requires. However, there are two versions of fat which are classed as saturated and unsaturated.
Saturated fat is NOT good for you as it can put you at risk of health problems. Unsaturated fat is healthy provided that it has not been through any type of refinement process. If it has, the chances are that the refinement process has turned it into saturated fat which is not good for you.
In order to create a nutritionally balanced diet, several guidelines should be followed. Try to consume three to five servings of vegetables each day together with three to four servings of fruit. Select vegetables from all of the sub groups at least four times a week and choose good quality varieties, preferably organic.
Between six and eleven servings of grain products should be consumed on a daily basis. Products such as rice, bread, pasta and grains fall into this group. It is preferable that at least half of your grain consumption should be whole grain based.
Two to three servings of low fat milk or milk products, such as yoghurt, should also be part of your daily intake.
The basis of healthy eating is a way of balancing the food that you eat so that you maintain your body in peak health. As well as getting the vitamins that your body needs, you will also have the energy to pursue your daily activities whilst also maintaining a healthy weight. The saying of 'You Are What You Eat' is very true when it comes to food and nutrition.About the author:
Andreas Francis writes articles on different topics. To get more information visit http://www.squidoo.com/exposedskincare/, http://www.squidoo.com/exposedacnekit/ and http://www.squidoo.com/exposedacnetreatment/