What are the building blocks of a healthy and nutritious diet?

Today I am going to look at the 3 building blocks of a healthy diet one that is filled with nutrition and is good for you, whether you are trying to lose weight or not. They are protein,carbohydrate (carbs if you prefer) and fat.

With around 4 calories being produced by one gram of protein it is not suprising that we are encouraged to eat plenty of protein rich foods such as eggs and dairy products (which of course also contain fats), red meats fish and steaks.

Moving on to Carbohydrates the story is pretty much the same in terms of calories at around 4 calories per gram. But unlike protein which occurs only naturally (unless added as a supplement) carbs can be found both naturally and also in food that a processed or if you prefer man made.

Examples of natural carbohydrates include obvious ones such as potato's (in their various forms),bread,rice and oatmeal.Then we have processed foods or man made carbohydrates such as cakes, cookies,bagels and candies etc.

However Fat derives 9 calories from each GRAM, a full 225% more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates.Maybe that suprises you but it shouldn't really but few people uderstand the significance and even then it's not that simple. Nothing ever is ...

There are 4 main types of fat which makes things a little more complicated these are Mono Unsaturated Fat, Poly Unsaturated Fat, Saturated Fats (mainly derived from animals) and the man made Trans Fat's or Trans Fatty Acids.

A balance of carbs,protein and fat (ideally mono and poly unsaturated fats with a small proportion of animal fats) will prevent you having problems with being over weight and obese. It is when these food groups get out of balance that problems occur.

It is only when people get their diet out of balance and favor more of the fat containing foods they start to experience problems with their weight. Also getting a little more scientific carbohydrates break down by the body in to sugars so these should be only eaten as part of an overall balanced diet.

Fat is much more calorific than either proteins or carbohydrates so when planning a meal try to keep a good balance of both carbs and protein and a smaller amount of fat.

Lets look at each type of fat in turn...

Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids (Monounsaturated Fats).. Examples of which are seeds,nuts and vegetable oils. They are found in liquid form at room temperature.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (Polyunsaturated Fats):- These are are most commonly found in vegetable oils, fish and seafood. They are liquid or soft at room temperature.Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of Polyunsaturated fats and are considered essential fatty acids because our bodies need them but don't make them, thus they must be obtained through the diet. Some times referred to as PUFA's.

Saturated Fats (SUFA's):- These are fats which are found predominantly in animal food sources such as meats, dairy products (those made from milk) such as butter and cheese and in some plants the most well know one being coconut and it's derivatives.

Trans Fats (Trans Fatty Acids) are liquid vegetable oils that have been chemically processed to become solid at room temperature through the addition of hydrogen atoms. These hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are used in some margarines and fried foods as well as to improve the flavor, texture and shelf-life of processed snack foods like cookies and crackers.

Think of it this way fats from animals such as butter, shortening, pastry and the like are saturated fats. Whereas fats from sunflower oils, some nuts and olive oil and unsaturated fats. Some margarines and spreads are also unsaturated fat but read the label first.Don't forget any fat will make you fat if eaten to excess but unsaturated fats are better for you.

Just remember when it comes to eating healthy keep the balance right

Article Source: http://www.bodyformind.com/db

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