Basics About Nutrition

A balanced diet is important to get a healthy body weight, because our metabolism is a dynamic, constantly changing system of chemicals and nutrients that your body uses for energy, growth, and repair.

Eating foods rich in essential nutrients affects everything from healthy skin, immune system to your energy levels.

Having an understanding of a well-balanced diet of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals are essential to your optimal health.

Knowing what food groups are important and how they affect your body is the first step in getting the most out of your nutrition plan.

If your approach to healthy eating is to count calories or low fatty acids you will feel tired almost immediately after eating due to the high amounts of sugar or complex carbohydrates.

Without protein foods like vegetables, fish, meats and dairy products, your body will suffer from malnutrition [there are dairy alternatives].

It is very important to have good nutrition and essential vitamins to maintain good health.

There are three basic macronutrients or food groups to function properly; carbohydrates, fat and protein.

Carbohydrates help provide energy for your body when you've been active or stressed out.

Your basic carbohydrate intake should consist of water soluble vitamins found in fruits and vegetables and complex whole grains such as brown rice and whole grain bread.

Dietary fat is essential for the body to function, as also contains fat soluble vitamins.

The types of fat you need to include in your diet are unsaturated fats like monounsaturated fats found in foods like olives, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils, and polyunsaturated fats found in basic sources like oily fish and free range eggs.

Protein provides the building blocks for every body functions in the human body.

The different types of protein you need to include in your diet are animal proteins like beef, pork, and poultry and basic plant-based proteins like beans and lentils.

Poor nutrition can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, poor cardiovascular health and other chronic diseases.

Therefore you should limit simple sugars, fried foods and alcohol because these do not contain many basic nutrients to keep your body healthy. These foods will raise your blood sugar levels as they break down quickly and cause fast energy, but the energy doesn't last very long and will impact your weight loss goals.

To learn more about basic nutrition facts learn more - click here

 

The basic nutrition facts for adults is to consume the most important nutrients for optimal health such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats with every meal. 

It's essential to get the right balance of macronutrients to prevent ill health as you age to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

These three macronutrients maintain our cells by providing energy and essential nutrients.

Proteins are made up of amino acids that act as building blocks in muscles, tendons, organs, hair follicles, nails and skin. They also help to build neurotransmitters, hormones and enzymes.

Protein recommendations for adults are 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight if your goal is to maintain muscle mass in your older age.

If you want to build muscles, around 1.5-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight will be needed. This equates to 60g/day for men and 45g/day for women.

Calculate daily protein CLICK HERE

Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (CHO) molecules that can be broken down into single sugar units like glucose.

Glucose is the primary energy source used by brain cells, red blood cells and all tissues in your body.

Recommended carbohydrate intakes for adults are around 30-50% of total daily calories.

The best way to calculate carbohydrates is via Glycemic load GL Value - learn more

Fats provide energy and ensure the body absorbs fat soluble vitamins. They are also needed to manufacture hormones, keep skin healthy, store vitamins A, D, E and K.

Your brain is made up of 60% fats so getting enough fats into your diet will ensure a healthy brain.

Recommended fat intakes for adults are 20-35% of total daily calories.

People over 40 often have low blood sugar levels, which can lead to weakness, irritability and headaches if not remedied quickly.

The key is to eat only 3 meals per day with a minimum 5 hour fasting window with a minimum of 60g carbohydrate per meal. 

Vegetables rather than fruits are ideal to achieve this because they quickly help to balance blood sugars without causing a spike in insulin, due to fibre content, which can lead to the storage of belly fat.

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Proteins: Fish, Poultry, Meat, Legumes, Beans, Nuts, Seeds, Eggs, Cheese and Yoghurts

Carbohydrates: Full range of starchy, leafy, and fruits.

Fats: Olive oils, Butter, Coconut oil, Ghee

Protein, fat, and carbohydrates are the basic nutrition requirement for every meal to improve metabolic health, and this is true whether you are a vegan or a pescetarian.

Any basic nutrition meal should include all of these basic ingredients.

Protein is the basic building block for every cell in your body. It supports cell, tissue, organ, muscle and bone growth and repair. Protein also helps you feel fuller longer so therefore it can be used as a weight-loss tool.

Fat is necessary for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K.

It is also responsible for basic body functions including hormone production and cell regulation. Additionally, it provides insulation and protection from the sun's harmful rays and helps maintain your internal temperature.

Carbohydrates provide energy to your body in the form of glucose (blood sugar). They are the basic fuel for cells, tissues, organs and muscles.

Make sure to include basic nutrition in your daily basic nutrition plan.

These basic nutrients are the basic building blocks of a healthy lifestyle no matter how old you are.

Learn more about basic nutrition facts in the foundation course with Jen Adams - Click Here