Nutrition Fundamentals and Tips

You need a an understanding of nutrition fundamentals before you can determine a sound diet approach.  A good diet is essential to optimize your health.  Unfortunately, all of the misinformation and fad diets make it difficult to know what “good” is.

Nutrition science to the rescue! There are plenty of scientific studies to reinforce the following basic information.

A healthy diet requires not just items from the four basic food groups, but in the proper proportion. Most people will need about a caloric intake in the range of 2000 to 2500 calories.Of course larger men will require more, and  women and those looking for rapid weight loss will require less. About 50% of those calories should come in the form of carbohydrates, with 30% from fats (yes, fat is good!) and 20% from proteins.

The primary source of energy will come from carbohydrates. Glucose, Fructose and other simple sugars will be easily broken down in the intestine and absorbed too rapidly. In fact, the minute they hit your tongue they will start to be processed. On the other hand, starches, and other complex carbohydrates take longer to process and are healthy in moderation.

Fats are chemically similar to carbohydrates, and contain fatty acids essential to health. Proteins are split (lysed) to create amino acids, that are then recombined to form proteins used in muscles and other structures.

A healthy and valid source of protein for most people is meat.  The average sized person should have about three ounces of meat per meal. A good source of carbohydrates is one cup of pasta.  Fiber, minerals and vitamins can be supplied by two cups of leafy green vegetables.

A balanced meal can be made up of a serving of meat or other protein source, starchy carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, corn or potatoes, and fruit. A good approach is to go light on butter or margarine, cheeses, sauces and other items that are loaded with sugar or fat.

Though you could get the basics from a variety of sources, when considering weight control in addition to getting the proper balance, it's important to know which sources are high in what.

There are nine calories per gram in fats.  This is twice as much as other energy sourse. You should moderate your intake in fatty foods – this will also help you manage your cholesterol levels. 

There are four calories per gram in carbohydrates. Healthy sources of carbohydrates do, however, contain needed minerals, vitamins and fiber. Healthy examples of carbohydrates include fruits (apples, pears, peaches), nuts (walnuts are lower in fat than peanuts or cashews, for example) and grains (for fiber and minerals).

Even in modest quantities, candy is not a nutritious source. To achieve their taste, candy is made to be high in fat, high in sugar with much lower amounts of helpful nutrients. In moderation, neither fat nor sugar are harmful. Actually they are vital to good health. But when consumed in a form that contains an excessive proportion, they provide enormous calories and fewer other nutrients.

One helpful approach is to make a list or diary of the food that you eat.  This will help you understand the relative amounts of helpful nutrients - and how many calories each contains. Putting a little arithmetic into your diet plan will help you reduce the number you obsess over - your weight.