I have to say that the last post about 'Study Skils' was so much fun to write! It reminded me of my very first post! I hope you enjoyed it!
In this post I'll be taking about Nutrition. I'll be talking about the major food groups that we all need to eat from in order to maintain good health. Enjoy!
Keeping a balanced diet is important in keeping up good health and maintaining your bodily systems.
A balanced diet for most people should consist of:
60% Carbohydrates
30% Fat
10% Protein
Vitamins, minerals and water
Here, I'll go on to explain each food group a bit more in detail...
Carbohydates
These are found in starchy and sugary foods. Complex carbohydrates are mainly starchy foods, including potatoes, rice, bread and pasta and have additional nutritional value as they contain many other vitamins, minerals and fibre. Simple carbohydrates are the sugary ones, found in cakes, biscuits and sweets which are sometimes termed empty calories, as they provide no other nutritional benefits. Dr. Richard Marotta, headmaster of the Garden School in Jackson Heights, actually said that, "Eating excessively sweet foods gives you a rush and then you come crashing down. You want to keep your blood sugar at a steady pace." Which could not be more true.
Carbohydrates are our main source of energy, in fact, energy from the breakdown of carbs is the only type of energy the brain can use. Carbohydrates are broken down in the liver and muscles, by a process known as glycogenesis. It is then stored as glycogen until it is needed.
Fats
Fats serve several important purposes. They provide energy and when stored, provide protection to our vital organs.
There are two types of fats, saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are 'the bad fats' which are normally solid at room temperature, such as butter and meat fat. Unsaturated fat is more difficult to breakdown and so is mainly stored within the body. Unsaturated fats are generally better for us and are often liquid at room temperature, for example olive oil and sunflower oil, although they can also be found in avacados and nuts.
A healthy diet should not contain more than 30% fat, and a maximum of 10% should be saturated fat. Fat provides a secondary source of energy and once the relatively small carbohydrate stores are exhausted, fat metabolism becomes the primary source of energy.
Proteins
Proteins are large compounds consisting of amino acids. There are 20 amino acids which the body requires. 12 of these can be synthesised within the body, and the other 8 (essential amino acids) must be consumed through our diets.
Proteins are found in abundance in meats, eggs, fish, dairy products, nuts and seeds. Protein is essential for growth, repair and maintenance of our body tissues and for this reason, many athletes (mainly those requiring strength or size) will increase the amount of protein they consume, in order to help their muscles grow and develop strength.
Fluids
Fluids are vital to help prevent dehydration. During the day our bodies sweat to help cool us down. This results in a loss of water which must be replaced. Electrolytes such as sodium are also lost in our sweat. The presence of these electrolytes also helps the water to diffuse through the small intestine, back into the body. Research also shows that those who drink water before an exam actually perform better and score a third higher than those who do not. So, drink lots of water before exams you students!!
Vitamin and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are vital in the diet for a wide range of functions, but only needed in tiny amounts. Providing you have a balanced diet as shown above, containing lots of fresh foods, there is no need for vitamin or mineral supplementation.
In more detail, Vitamins, one of the most essential nutrients required by the body, can be broadly classified into two broad categories namely, water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin C) get flushed out from the body; therefore there arises a need to consume these vitamins on a daily basis. On the contrary, fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E, and K) get stored in the body's fatty tissues. There are distinctive kinds of vitamins and each vitamin play a unique role in promoting health fitness.
Here is a list of different vitamin types:
Vitamin A: it helps a great deal in improving your eyesight. Also it aids in maintaining healthy skin. Rich sources of vitamin A are: eggs, milk, apricots, carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes etc.
Vitamins B: vitamin B is a list of multiple vitamins like B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, folic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid. Vitamin B aids in generating energy that the body utilizes to carry out its activities. Vitamin B also participates actively in making red blood cells that carry oxygen to different parts of your body. Rich sources of vitamin B include whole grains, such as wheat and oats, fish and seafood, leafy green vegetables, dairy products like milk and yogurt, beans and peas etc.
Vitamin C: it helps in strengthening your gums and muscles. Vitamin C found in citrus fruits like oranges, also aids in healing wounds. It enables you to overcome infections. Foods rich in vitamin C, apart from citrus fruits are: tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage and strawberries etc.
Vitamin D: it works towards strengthening your bones and teeth. It also aids in absorbing the calcium required by the body. Foods rich in vitamin D are: fish, egg yolk, milk and other dairy products etc.
Vitamin E: It takes care of your lungs and also aids in formation of red blood cells. Good sources of vitamin E are: whole grains, such as wheat and oats, leafy green vegetables, egg yolks, nuts etc.
Vitamin K: vitamin K helps in the maintenance of normal levels of the blood clotting proteins. Good sources of vitamin K are: leafy green vegetables, dairy products, like milk and yogurt, pork etc.
Just like your body needs vitamins, your body needs minerals for growth and health.
There are two kinds of minerals in food: macrominerals and trace minerals. Macrominerals are minerals your body needs in larger amounts, yet your body needs just small amounts of trace minerals.
Macrominerals
Calcium
Actions:
•Needed for making bones and teeth
•Helps nerves and muscles function
Sources:
•Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt
•Canned salmon
•Leafy green vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, bok choy, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens
•Broccoli
•Calcium-fortified foods — from orange juice to cereals and crackers
Chloride
Actions:
•Needed for keeping the right amounts of water in the different parts of your body
Sources:
•Salt
•Rye
•Tomatoes
•Lettuce
•Celery
•Olives
•Beef and pork
•Cheese
Magnesium
Actions:
•Needed for making bones and teeth
•Helps nerves and muscles function
Sources:
•Leafy green vegetables
•Nuts
•Bran cereal
•Seafood
•Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt
Phosphorus
Actions:
•Needed for making bones and teeth
•Needed for storing energy from food
Sources:
•Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt
•Red meat (beef, pork, and lamb)
•Poultry
•Fish
•Eggs
•Nuts
•Peas
Potassium
Actions:
•Helps nerves and muscles function
•Needed for keeping the right amounts of water in the different parts of your body
Sources:
•Bananas
•Broccoli
•Tomatoes
•Potatoes with skins
•Leafy green vegetables, like spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, and kale
•Citrus fruits, like oranges
•Dried fruits
Sodium
Actions:
•Helps nerves and muscles function
•Needed for keeping the right amounts of water in the different parts of your body
Sources:
•Salt
•Milk and cheese
•Beets
•Celery
•Beef and pork
•Green olives
Note: Many people get too much sodium.
Trace Minerals
Copper
Actions:
•Helps protect cells from damage
•Needed for making bone and red blood cells
Sources:
•Shellfish (especially oysters)
•Chocolate
•Mushrooms
•Nuts
•Beans
•Whole-grain cereals
Fluoride
Actions:
•Needed for making bones and teeth
Sources:
•Saltwater fish
•Tea
•Fluoridated water (water that has had fluoride added to it)
Iodine
Actions:
•Needed for your thyroid gland to function properly
Sources:
•Seafood
•Iodized salt (salt that has had iodine added to it)
•Drinking water (in regions with iodine-rich soil, which are usually near an ocean)
Iron
Actions:
•Helps red blood cells deliver oxygen to body tissues (If you don't get enough iron, you could get iron deficiency anemia.)
•Helps muscles function
Sources:
•Red meat, such as beef
•Tuna and salmon
•Eggs
•Beans
•Baked potato with skins
•Dried fruit, like apricots, prunes, and raisins
•Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and turnip greens
•Whole grains, like whole wheat or oats
•Breakfast cereals fortified with iron
Selenium
Actions:
•Helps protect cells from damage
•Needed for your thyroid gland to function properly
Sources:
•Brazil nuts
•Fish and shellfish
•Red meat
•Enriched breads
•Eggs
•Chicken
•Wheat germ
Zinc
Actions:
•Needed for healthy skin
•Needed for healing wounds, such as cuts
•Helps your body fight off illnesses and infections
Sources:
•Red meat (beef, pork, and lamb)
So, we've seen what we need to eat in order to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. But how can we do this? By eating the right types of foods, of course! And what better way to do this than by eating your five-a-day!
Why 5 a day?
Fruit and vegetables are part of a balanced diet and can help us stay healthy. That’s why it so important that we get enough of them.
5 A DAY highlights the health benefits of getting five 80g portions of fruit and vegetables every day. That’s five portions of fruit and veg altogether, not five portions of each.
Five reasons to get five portions
• Fruit and vegetables taste delicious and there's so much variety to choose from.
• They're a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium.
• They're an excellent source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems. A diet high in fibre can also reduce your risk of bowel cancer.
• They can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
• Fruit and vegetables contribute to a healthy and balanced diet.
Fruit and vegetables are also usually low in fat and calories (provided you don’t fry them or roast them in lots of oil). That’s why eating them can help you maintain a healthy weight and keep your heart healthy.
5 A DAY is based on advice from the World Health Organization, which recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
To get the most benefit out of your 5 A DAY, your five portions should include a variety of fruit and vegetables. This is because different fruits and vegetables contain different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
Almost all fruit and vegetables count towards your 5 A DAY. Potatoes and cassava don’t count because they mainly contribute starch to the diet.
So, when you think about it, eating your five a day is pretty easy really!
This motivates me to try to eat more healthily! Some days I just crave McDonalds! Which can be very hard to resist!!!
Hope you enjoyed this one! See you next time!
Emily
