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Basic Nutrition
Health and Nutrition
What you eat creates who you are. Your nutrition, the foods you eat act not only as the fuel for your body but provide the building blocks that construct you. What you eat plays an important role in determining both your immediate and long term health. The illnesses you suffer from and the level of health that you attain.
Adequate nutrition can only be obtained through appropriate eating habits. That is, since what you eat becomes you, you have to think about and choose wisely the foods you eat and those you choose not to eat. While the foods you eat provide the building blocks that create your body and your health and well-being, the foods you do not eat can either support the best result or undermine you.
If you avoid eating foods that have certain nutrients your body needs then your body will have to do without them. Much like building a brick wall if you chose to leave the mortar out, the wall will ultimately be much less stable and much weaker. When we eliminate foods that are rich in nutrients and we do not provide alternative sources for these nutrient our body has to be created without them. In such cases, the end result may be much less than it would have been had the exact rights nutrients ben consumed.
The foods we eat and drink are the sole resource for the proteins, carbohydrates vitamins, minerals and micronutrients that are essential to the proper building, maintenance, repairs and fuel necessary to allow us to function on a day to day basis. They ensure our ongoing good health thereby promoting maximum performance during work and exercise. As a result, we can enjoy a higher level of well-being, more joy from life, a sense of increased welfare, a higher level of self esteem and we can achieve a greater sense of control over our selves and our lives.
Diet and Disease Prevention
Our proper nutrition is essential to helping us prevent disease and illness. With proper nutrition, our risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and obesity related diseases can be reduced by making sensible dietary changes. Dietary management can help us to prevent, control and even eliminate elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.
It is important to reduce our consumption of animal fats, alcohol, refined sugars and salt while we increase our consumption of non-animal protein sources, complex carbohydrates, foods high in vitamins, minerals and micronutrients as well as fiber and water.
The Most Important Keys to Successful Dietary Modification Are:
Eat a blanced diet. Use the Food Guide Pyramid to help you chose.
Make dietatry change and changes in eating habits slowly over time so that they are not rejected because of taste or cost. This will encourage the development of a
sensible nutritional intake on a permanent basis.
Steadily lower fat and increase fiber in your diet. Fat is the highest contributor of unnecessary and excessive calories in our diet and therefore, should be minimized to
below 25%, and preferably less than 20% of our daily diet.
Foods high in fiber and complex carbohydrates such as whole grain breads, potatoes, brown rice, whole grain pastas and cereals contain proportionally fewer
calories and are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals. They are much healthier for satisfying hunger than foods high in simple sugars or fats.
I
n Order to Make These Necessary Changes There Are a Few Tips That Can Help You:
Purchase only fat-reduced dairy products, e.g., low fat (1% or 2%) or skim milk, low fat yogurt and low fat cheeses. Be careful when you read that a product has "reduced fat" on its label. This may only mean that it now has less fat than it did before, but it may still have much more fat than you need or want in your daily diet. Read the label to see how much fat is actually in the product. All foods you purchase should have less than 20% fat in within them. Go to Reading Labels
Cook your foods without fat or oil (oil is just a liquid form of fat). Learn to broil, BBQ, boil, steam, roast (on a rack) or poach your foods. When you cook meats always use a rack or cook in such a way that fat can fall away and therefore you will have a leaner cooked meat. Remember, all fats and oils contain the same amount of calories (9 calories per gram) and that total number of calories from fat should be kept to a minimum. If you are going to use oils than, use a small amount of poly- or monounsaturated oil (olive oil and/or canola oil) or vegetable margarine.
Eat lean meat (cut off all visible fat off of meats and remove the skin before cooking. The leanest meats are fish, turkey, ostrich, chicken and the lean cuts of pork,
lamb, veal or beef (as your butcher which cuts are the leanest and still, remember to cut off all visible fat). Use low fat cooking methods and make sure that there are
more vegetables and salad on your plate than meat. To understand the role of animal fat, especially cholesterol, incausing heat attack and stoke click here.
Increase the amounts of vegetables and salads in your diet. While avocados and olives are relatively high in vegetable fat and their use should be minimized, if you
must have fat in your diet (for the taste or for the energy) they will be better for you than even lean meats. Potatoes should not be eaten roasted or fried in fat or as
chips from a package. Potatoes can however, be served baked, steamed, boiled or microwaved and can be top with low fat natural yogurt, green onions, salt and/or
pepper, cumin or any other seasoning you enjoy. Occasionally, if you must, you can use a small amount of vegetable margarine instead of sour cream or butter. For
salads try using balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and fresh herbs as salad dressings instead of oily dressings.
Instead of salt, you can use potassium salt, pepper, garlic, herbs and any one of the many spices available that match your taste. Read labels to make sure that the
foods you buy are not excessively high in salt. To check out what foods are high and low in salt, click here
Avoid creamy sauces where possible. The juice of the meats you have just cooked are often extremely high in fat. You can however, cool them in the refrigerator and
then remove the fat layer from the top which will leave pure broth which can be safely used.
Include whole grain pastas and brown rice in your daily diet. You can top your pasta dishes with low fat sauces, for example a sauce made from stewed tomato with or
without lean hamburger sea foods (shrimp, tuna, white fish), or herbs such as Italian herbs, oregano, etc.
Keep simple sugars (white table sugar, molasses, honey, corn sweetener, starches, white rice, package mashed potatoes, soft drinks to a minimum. Instead use fresh
fruits to moderate your sweat tooth.
For Breakfasts Consider the Following:
A whole grain cereal with low fat milk.
Whole grain toast, muffins or crumpets topped with a low sugar jam, or a banana.
You can have a boiled or poached egg one or two times a week) and
Fresh fruits are always a treat for breakfast.
Try not to use too much butter or margarine, once or twice a week is probably okay unless you are on a strict low fat diet.
Eating complex carbohydrates (whole grains, fruits and vegetables) early in the day increases your metabolic and prevents the need for a mid morning snack attack.
For Lunches Consider the Following:
Sandwiches made on a whole grain bread or roll or a salad and a whole grain bread roll.
A hardy bowel of soup, vegetable or chicken (without white rice or white flour noodles)
Once again fresh fruit is always a winner.
For Dinners Consider the Following:
Plenty of red, green, orange or yellow vegetables of any or all kinds.
Lean chicken, fish or meat, broiled or BBQ.
A sauce made from vegetables such as tomatoes, capsicums, mushroom plus herbs and a little wine.
Potato, brown rice or whole grain noodles.
Fresh fruit with or without low fat yogurt, green salad, or a small portion of a light or low fat ice cream.
For Fluids During the Day Consider:
Water is generally the best drink. You should have at least 6-8 12 ounce glasses each day. You can drink it hot, warm or cold, with or without flavoring.
If you use tea or coffee you should have maximum of 4 cups per day. Unless absolutely necessary use as little as possible sugar and consider low fat milk.
Minimize fruit juice, eat the whole fresh fruit as much as possible as it also contains fiber which is essential to your overall well-being.
Eliminate alcohol as much as possible, especially hard liquor. You can have a glass of red or white wine with dinner a few times a week.
For Snacks During the Day Consider:
Fresh fruits, lightly cooked or raw vegetables, or one slice of whole grain bread, or 2 low fat whole grain dry biscuits, or 1 small glass of skim or low fat milk, plain or
flavored yogurt.
A timely and nutritious snack can prevent extreme hunger and this can decrease the chance of binge eating later on.
Summary of the Rules of Good Nutrition:
Eat a variety of foods each day.
Increase your intake of complex carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables and whole grain breads and cereals.
Reduce your daily and total fat intake to no more than 20%. Of your daily diet by calories. You can do this by:
Decreasing the total amounts of fat you eat in each food and at each meal.
Use low fat cooking techniques.
Use only low fat dairy products.
Use polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats when necessary, instead of the more dangerous saturated fats found in animal products and in junk foods.
Eat only fish and lean meats, turkey and chicken only. Eat no fried foods.
Reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates (simple sugars) and junk foods.
Reduce the total salt in your diet and limit foods high in salt.
Increase your total water intake.
Reduce your alcohol intake.
Change your diet gradually and realistically and hopefully permanently.
Exercise Is Also Essential
A regular exercise program is an essential part of healthy living. It helps to keep body weight down, strengthens bones (reduces the chance of osteoporosis), and keeps
joints functioning optimally.
Walking is one of the very best forms of exercise but tennis, gold, swimming, basketball, baseball, skiing and climbing can be excellent forms of exercise.
Start exercise gradually and build up to at least 30 minutes, 5 times a week. If you are not now exercising regularly, introduce exercise gradually into your life and daily
routine. Do not over do it immediately as it will likely hurt you and or turn you off to exercising.
Only participate in the forms of exercise you enjoy and you can do relatively well. In that way you will be more likely to continue with it on a long term basis. And
you are less likely to hurt yourself, if you know what you are doing.
To learn Your Oxidation Type, click here.
To take a test to determine your Metabolic Typing, click here.
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