Nutrition Article 2

Nutrition

Weight reduction and a good balanced diet go hand in hand. The basic principles of a healthy eating plan are as follows; (Eat like a queen at breakfast, a princess at lunch and pauper at dinner time)

Breakfast= Carbohydrates + Proteins (main meal of the day)

Lunch= Carbohydrates + Proteins

Dinner= Proteins + Salads/ vegetables

(Eat smaller portions and fill the hunger gaps with fruit/ dried fruit or protein supplements)

At least 8x glasses of water a day and do not wait to be thirsty until you have a drink of water, your body is telling you it is already dehydrated if you are thirsty.

The carbohydrates will act as a fuel to support your body through the rigours of the day. Think of carbohydrates as fuel, that unless used through out the day or evening will self store until it gets utilised. Why would you want to store your body full of carbohydrates (fuel) in the evening if you have no intention of burning the fuel off?

Proteins act as a replenisher. Once your body has been through the rigours of exercise or day-to-day activities, it is crying out for proteins to replenish your muscles and repair any damaged muscles affected through exercise.

Fruits/ vegetables are a great source of nutrients (vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates and proteins) and keep a good balance in your diet.

Regular water intake allows the body to flush out toxins and keep your body hydrated and healthy.

As I have stated before, there are NO quick fix diets to alleviate you of any excess weight. If you attempt a crash diet, your body will simply hold on to stores of fat within your body and you will find that you will not lose weight. Your body has a good memory and will retain fat as long as it can until it gets back to its state of equilibrium.

Protein only diets will work great for the short term, the only problem is, where do you get the fuel source required to fire up your body for exercise and day to day activities. Your body will be out of sync and a non balanced diet will result in short term gains.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates (meaning ‘’carbon plus water’’) are the most widely eaten food in the world. Along with fat and protein, carbohydrate is an essential nutrient, but what makes carbs different is that they are easily converted to energy by the body. Also, glucose the simplest carbohydrate is essential fuel for the brain. Any healthy diet must include carbohydrates.

How to choose good carbs

As a general rule, the more natural and unrefined the carb- food, the healthier it is. Also the lower the glycemic index value, the better the carb is for your blood glucose levels. So choose unrefined ‘whole grain carbs’ that have a low or intermediate GI rating.

Carbohydrates and glycemic index

The Glycemic index is a relatively new classification of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on our blood glucose levels. Carbs that are converted to glucose very fast have a high GI value. Carbs that metabolise slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream have a low GI value. Nutritional experts now believe that high blood sugar and insulin levels, caused by over eating high GI carbs in our present- day diet, are one of the key factors responsible for the rise in heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and insulin resistance.

Good carb foods

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are generally low in calories and packed with nutrients like vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fibre. This means that they are healthy addition to any diet, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Studies show that people who eat plenty fresh fruit and vegetables have a lower risk for heart disease and some cancers, For optimum nutrition eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day- Fresh, canned, frozen or cooked.

Whole Grains

This group includes pasta, rice and noodles- the starchy carbohydrates – your body’s main source of energy. All these foods begin life as a grain, such as wheat, rye, corn, rice or barley. Potatoes and grains are very healthy and filling, but for optimum health and glycemic benefits choose unrefined whole grain versions of these foods over refined versions.

Unrefined carbohydrates are medium- calorie and because they contain the whole grain, including the bran and the germ, they’re higher in fibre and keep you feeling fuller for longer- great if your trying to reduce weight. Examples include basmati or brown rice, Uncle Ben’s converted long grain rice, whole grain bread, porridge oats and whole-wheat pasta.

Curiously the leanest and longest living people in the industrialized world are Japanese whose diet contains regular amounts of these healthy whole grain carbohydrates.

Potatoes

Another high-starch carbohydrates, potatoes have higher GI values. New white potatoes (fresh or canned) are better choices, with sweet potatoes being best of all. Potatoes are a fat free healthy food that provides useful amounts of vitamin C, potassium and fibre. Eating them with other low- GI foods as part of the same meal can reduce their high GI value.

How much carbohydrate do we need in our daily diet?

Assuming you choose nutrious less refined carbohydrates, you can eat any thing between 40 and 60% of your calories in the form of carbs. If you wish to try a low carb diet, that’s fine- but for optimum health you should avoid the very-low carb weight loss plans for very short periods of time. Some of these very-low carb diets rely on nutritional supplements, which generally speaking is not a good long dietary habit to adopt.

Protein

What is protein?

Proteins are the basic units of the body, which are required for nutrition, growth and repair and affect a huge number of metabolic, enzyme and chemical processes that occur inside the body. Fortunately, protein deficiency is extremely rare in the west, but very low energy diets (VLEDS) or unbalanced vegetarian eating plans may be too low in protein and may require supplementation.

Protein composed of amino acids

Protein actually consists of smaller units called amino acids, which link together in a variety of differing combinations to perform differing functions. Some amino acid chains are created by the body, but some essential amino acids must come from the outside the body from food. Although all animal and plant cells contain some protein, the amount and the quality of the protein varies considerably.

Best protein food choices are proteins low in saturates

Protein may come in many forms, but the better type of protein is low in saturated fat. Good protein choices include: fish, lean beef, lean ham, egg whites, whole eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, soy products and vegetarian protein foods such as quorn and seitan.

How much protein do we need in our diet?

Assuming you choose nutrious protein, low in saturated fat, your can eat anything between 10 and 20 percent of your calories in the form of protein.

In practise eating a variety of foods every day is all you need to do in order to ensure an adequate protein intake.

Good and bad fats

Good fats to eat

Fat has an undeserved reputation as a diet food that is bad for weight loss and health. True, saturated fat is bad for health, as it is proven to clog arteries causing heart disease and stroke. However, health warnings to avoid saturated fat have been misinterpreted to mean ‘’ avoid all fats’’ but the truth is, good fat is absoulty essential for good health

What type of fat is ‘’Good’’?

By good fat, I mean non-saturated fat- both polyunsaturated and mono saturated. This type of fat or oil has numerous health benefits.

It transports fat- soluble vitamins A, D, E and K through out the body
It cushions and protects internal organs
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) benefit your heart, metabolism and immune system.
Some EFAs are used by the body for structural, hormonal and electrical functions rather than for energy. These EFAs increase metabolic rate and increase fat burn off resulting in loss of weight.
Fat is concentrated source of energy

Saturated Fat

Saturated fats include hydrogenated fats or trans fats- frequently found in commercial bakery products and margarines. Saturated fat is generally solid at room temperature. It is found in animal meats, chicken skin, lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese, whole milk and anything these ingredients are used in, such as cakes, chocolates, biscuits pies and pastries.

Non saturated fat

Unsaturated fat including monosaturates and polyunsaturates is usually liquid at room temperature and generally comes from vegetables sources.

The best fats and oils

Really good fats and oils come from unrefined vegetable sources or oily fish. Here are some basic guidelines for how to choose the best type of fat.

For cooking choose extra virgin olive oil
For salads, choose from flax oil, canola oil, soy oil, extra virgin olive oil, wheat germ oil, walnut oil, and hemp seed oil.
Eat regular helpings of oily fish salmon, mackerel sardines, and tuna.

Note: Flax seed oil, canola oil and oily fish are great sources of one of the key essential fatty acids, omega 3.

What fat/ oil is best for weight loss?

If you want to loose weight quickly or if you’re on a reduced fat diet, a good type of oil to use in cooking is a fat spray. Fat spray typically provide 1 calorie per spray. This compares with 120 calories per tablespoon of regular cooking oil.

Which is better Butter or margarine?

Neither, both have good and bad points. Choose whichever you prefer on bread but use is sparingly. Try to avoid adding it to other foods.

How much fat do we need in our daily diet?

Official dietary health guidelines advise that fat makes up no more than 30% of total calories. On a 1600-calorie diet, this means about 50 grams total fat per day. Of this a maximum of 1/3 should be saturated fat.

Fat intake and heart health

Most heart experts and heart associations suggest a lower total daily fat intake, typically in the range 20-25 percent of calories. If you have high cholesterol, you must reduce your saturated fast intake to a minimum, and reduce you is consumption of cholesterol- containing foods.

Good luck

Ian Watson

‘’ Fitbody Fitmind ’’