It’s a New Year, you can choose to be a better you- beginning with eating healthy. When we are talking about having a healthy diet, we are not talking about the latest fad, striving for the unrealistically thin body, setting strict limitations on yourself or depriving yourself of the things that you love. Instead, we are talking about making choices that affect not only your waistline, but how you feel, how much energy you have, what your overall health is like and what your mood is like.
Below are the simplified / big picture topics with tips that are fundamental to understand concerning a healthy diet and overall healthy eating.
1. A truly healthy diet gives your body all of the nutrients needed to properly function. When balanced, these nutrients help promote optimum health and performance. There are 3 basic principles to follow when choosing foods to achieve a healthy diet:
Variety
Where we are choosing foods from all of the food groups and subgroups. There is not one food or food group that provides all of the nutrients needed. www.MyPyramid.gov is a great reference for these groups and subgroups.
Balance
Eating more of some foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk products and less of other foods that are high in saturated or trans-fats, have added sugars, salt and cholesterol.
Moderation
Limiting the overall portion size and limiting the foods that are high in saturated or trans-fats, have added sugars, salt and cholesterol.
2. A description of the essential six classes of nutrients that I am referring to are:
Carbohydrate
One of your body’s main sources of energy. Most should come from complex, unrefined carbs- ideally from nutrient dense food choices like whole grains, beans or legumes, vegetables and fruit. These choices will also supply other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals.
Fat
The most concentrated source of food energy. Fats are also the only source of essential fatty acids that are necessary for growth, healthy skin and healthy hair. But not all fat is the same, bad fats can wreck your diet and increase your risk of certain diseases, but good fats protect your brain and heart and are vital to your physical and emotional health.
As a general rule: Saturated fats (mostly from animals) are solid at room temperature and Unsaturated fats (found mainly in plants) are liquid at room temperature. The good fats- Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated lower blood cholesterol and should be emphasized in your diet. The bad fats- Saturated fats and trans-fats raise blood cholesterol levels and should be avoided.
Protein
Is a major structural component of all body tissues and is required for tissue growth and repair. They are also necessary components of hormones, enzymes and blood-plasma transport systems. Protein will be used for energy when calorie or carbohydrate intake is inadequate.
Both plant and animal sources of protein are composed of amino acids. 9 of the 20+ amino acids have to come from our diet and are known as essential amino acids. Meat, fish and poultry contain all 9 of these essential amino acids and are considered complete proteins. Vegetable proteins (from beans, grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds) do not supply all 9 essential amino acids so they are considered incomplete proteins. However, the body is able to make complete proteins if a variety of plant foods and sufficient calories are consumed over the course of the day. Vegetarians do not need to worry about combining specific foods at the same time to achieve complete proteins.
Vitamins
Organic compounds that the body requires in minute amounts but cannot manufacture. They are metabolic regulators that govern the processes of energy production, growth, maintenance and repair. Each vitamin has a specific function and works with other nutrients in the body. There are 2 types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins are stored in body fat and can produce toxic effects if consumed too much. These include A, D, E and K. Water-soluble vitamins are removed from the body if too much is consumed, however excess consumption of Niacin, B6, and C can produce serious side effects.
Minerals
Inorganic compounds and serve a variety of functions in the body. They are classified into two groups based on the amount needed in the body. The first are major minerals (need > 100mg / day) and include: Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Chloride. Minor minerals or trace elements (< 100mg / day are needed) include Iron, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Chromium, and Iodine.
Water
An essential nutrient for function. An adequate supply is necessary to control body temperature, energy production and the elimination of waste products from our metabolism.
My hope is that this gave clarity for what a healthy diet consists of. Being sure to include all of the classes of nutrients in our diet is essential to having better quality of life and overall health!
References: Coleman, E. (2011) Diet, Exercise and Fitness. Nutrition Dimension Inc.
Kline, D. and Coleman, E. (2008) Practical Nutrition for Fitness Professionals. Nutrition Dimension Inc.
Next time:
Stay tuned for my next blog in 2 weeks for Healthy Eating Part 2 where we will look at our habits- both good and bad- and see what changes we may be able to make for healthier eating!
Related Post Links: Healthy Eating Part 2:
Healthy Eating Part 3:
Author: Jen Hassaj | 1-11-23
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