Eating Healthy, Being Healthy

Eating constitutes one of the most important familiar and social activities. When selecting our food and planning our meals we are influenced by history, culture, and environment, as well as by our particular preferences and taste.

Food is a source of gratification and pleasure that, combined with a good nutrition, has vital effects on our health and quality of life. Healthy eating habits are essential for adequate childrens growth and development, as well as for their performance at school, both intellectual and physical. They also help active adults keep in shape. But which eating habits are healthy and which ones are not?

The key is eating in a moderate way and having food that contains an adequate nutrient equilibrium. Each ingredient in our food contains has one or more of these nutrients and for that reason looking for a wide variety of ingredients in our meals contributes to giving our body what it needs.

Eating healthy is not about eating plenty of everything. It is not gong on absurd diets, nor eliminating some kinds of food from our lives. Its about trying to choose ingredients such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, low-fat milk, and cheese, and reducing red meat consumption as well as sugar and salt.

Amongst the fundamental nutrients needed for a good heath, we can find water, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, minerals, vitamins, and some others. Factors like age, sex, height, the amount of exercise you regularly get, and the overall health status determine the amount of nutrients your body needs.

As for calories, a balanced nutrition is achieved easily by daily including ingredients on the following proportions:

50 to 60 percent Carbohydrates

12 to 20 percent Proteins

25 to 30 percent Lipids (fat)

Of course, these values are just an approximationonly your doctor knows your particular needs.

In order to be able to choose our food wisely, it is helpful to know some things about the different types of ingredients.

Refined flours obtained from cereals like corn or rice and are used to make bread, cookies, pasta, etc. These are a great source of complex carbohydrates, which represent a good energy source. They also contain proteins, fiber, B-complex vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and selenium. Besides, they contain low fat and no cholesterol.

Legumes like peas and beans contain a good deal of proteins, complex carbohydrates and fiber, and dont contain cholesterol. Its recommended to include a good amount of these ingredients in our daily diet.

Vegetables are also a good source of fiber, provide vitamins, and they even help your body produce its own vitamin A.

Fresh fruit contain vitamins, fiber and minerals, and are a good source of water and simple carbohydrates. Peaches and melons help your body produce vitamin A, and citric fruits are powerful suppliers of vitamin C.

Milk is a very important component of every diet. It provides essential proteins, lipids, vitamins A, D and some of the B-complex vitamins, and also minerals like calcium and phosphorus.

Fish is a great source of minerals and vitamins. Red meat is also a source of lipids, although it is less recommended than other kinds of meat because of the high cholesterol content.

It may be wise to ask your doctor about your diet. He will be able to recommend any change or nutritional supplements you may need.

Remember, eating well is living well.

Related Links:

What are vitamins?

an organic substance that acts as a coenzyme and/or regulator of metabolic processes. There are 13 known vitamins, most of which are present in foods or supplements; some are produced within the body. Vitamins are crucial for many bodily functions including a healthy immune response.
An essential low molecular weight organic compound required in trace amounts for normal growth and metabolic processes. They usually serve as components of coenzyme systems. For humans, vitamin A, the B series, C, D1 and D2, E and K are required. Deficiencies of one or more vitamins in the nutrient supply result in deficiency diseases.