Healthy Diet
Food
Food should also be known as macronutrients. Human bodies cannot and will not function properly if one or more nutrients are missing in our diet. A healthy and balanced diet is essential to a person’s wellbeing. Healthy diet full of the essential nutrients:
Keeps the immune system strong
Fuels the body
Balances the levels of energy and warmth
Contributes to healing processes
Nutrition is linked to the body's activity that covers sourcing of food materials, starting with searching for food and/or hunting, chewing and swallowing it, as well as digestion and absorption. For us humans, it includes food preparation, eating and food production.
The human body needs balanced meals, which are usually fairly diverse. Macronutrients are also known as proteins, carbohydrates and fats, which, in order to ensure good health, should be used in certain proportions. These proportions depend on a person’s lifestyle: a more active lifestyle means higher energy consumption and increased demand on some of the macronutrients.
Correct diet
It is important to ensure that you eat a variety of food, to maintain the recommended proportions:
FATS: NO MORE THAN 25-30%
PROTEIN: 25-30%
CARBOHYDRATES: 40%
A healthy diet requires not only these materials, but also vitamins and minerals, which the body obtains through food or food supplements. The daily food intake is expressed in kilocalories (kcal) or kilojoules (kJ), and it depends on the person's age, gender and lifestyle.
Carbohydrate sources:
Carbohydrates are an important source of energy for the body. Bread, potatoes, grains and pasta contain many carbohydrates. However, unrefined, low GI food products are more nutritionally valuable.
Protein sources:
The main sources of protein are meat and fish. However, poultry is considered healthier than red meat, since it contains less fat. Eggs, fruits, nuts, beans, peas and so on are also sources of protein. Furthermore, they are highly important in vegetarian or vegan diets.
Sources of fat Fat:
Like protein, fat is necessary for the functioning of a human. It is also a source of energy as well as “building material” for the cells. There is a prevailing misconception, stating that saturated fat causes many diseases. The key is to avoid hydrated fat (most common in baked products). Red meat, butter, some cheeses, some ice creams and many confectionery products contain a lot of fat. Milk and other milk products can also contain a significant amount of fat, but they are a source of vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and minerals (Micronutrients)
Our body gets these nutrients from fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, beans, meat and fish. A balanced diet provides the body with all necessary vitamins and minerals, but in some cases (for example during pregnancy) a person may need extra vitamins or food supplements.
Nutrition and health
Human health is closely related to his/her diet. Inadequate nutrition can cause or influence short-term problems and long-term illness and, in some cases, can terminated in premature death.
Due to an unbalanced diet various gastrointestinal disorders can occur, such as haemorrhoids and constipation. A healthy diet is also considered to be a cancer preventive agent.
Lack of certain nutrients in the body can cause various diseases (for example Vitamin C deficiency – scurvy, or iron deficiency – anemia). Overdose of certain vitamins, possible by taking extra vitamins, may cause temporary digestive disorders. For example, the liver of polar beers and seals can be deadly toxic, as it contains too much Vitamin A.
A balance between the body, energy acquired with food, and energy consumed during activities is essential. Nutrient deficiency (fasting or not eating varied foods) can result in serious illnesses. Nutrient overdose is accumulated in the body in the form of fat and causes obesity. In some economically developed countries obesity-induced complications are frequent causes of death (for example, it is the second cause of death after smoking in The United States).
A healthy diet is when the body gets all the energy and materials needed to maintain ideal weight. Food is very important in disease prevention and strengthening of health
Thus, healthy food should be balanced, properly processed, natural, organic and fresh.
Rules of healthy eating:
Eating more varied food
Maintaining normal body weight
Selecting food that is low in fat (especially in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol)
Eating more vegetables, fruits, berries and grains
Eating less sugar and sweets
Eating less salt
Drinking less alcohol
If you have any further questions regards your macronutrient or micronutrient intake, do not hesitate to contact. Hope this was helpful and you gained some additional knowledge.
