Essential Nutrients
As you start to become more concerned over the nutrients that you're putting in your body, one of the things that you should be doing is educating yourself about the essential nutrients that you must be eating.
This will ensure that you're getting in the right mix of foods that will help prevent disease, provide energy, and repair broken down muscle tissues.
Let's break down the essential nutrients into their categories so you have a clear understanding of this.
Carbohydrates
The very first of the essential nutrients are carbohydrates. This is the body's preferred source of fuel and the primary fuel that the brain will run on. Carbohydrates are classified as simple and complex depending on how quickly they break down in the body. For best hunger and blood sugar control, you want to choose complex varieties such as oats, brown rice, whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, and vegetables over simple varieties such as sugar and processed snack foods.
Fiber
Fiber is a nutrient that is found in carbohydrate rich foods, especially the whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and will help to decrease the transition time of the food through the digestion system so you stay feeling full longer and also help to promote regular bowel movements.
Fiber is also important for reducing your cholesterol levels and keeping your heart healthy.
Omega Fatty Acids
Omega fatty acids include omega-3 and omega-6 fats and are vital for maintaining good health. These fats support brain and nervous system function, help ward off a wide variety of diseases, and help to prevent insulin resistance.
They're most commonly found in foods such as fatty varieties of fish, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, and walnuts. The body cannot make these fats on its own, so they must be supplied by the diet.
Saturated Fat And Cholesterol
Moving along, the next type of fats we come to is saturated fat and cholesterol. These are typically seen as the 'bad guys' in the diet, but you do require them in small amounts. These fats are necessary for generating the sex hormones in the body, estrogen and testosterone, so you don't want to cut them out completely.
Do limit the amount you consume however as taking in too much could lead to heart disease and stroke. They're most commonly found in high fat meat and dairy products.
Protein
Finally, the last of the essential nutrients is protein. Protein will be broken down into individual amino acids in the body, which are then used to generate new body tissues, particularly lean muscle mass.
Protein also has a number of other functions in the body such as creating neurotransmitters that control each and every body function.
Protein also helps to support a strong immune system, so by taking in enough you ensure that you recover from all the physical activity that you do.
So there you have the main nutrients that make up your diet. Each food will supply a different mix of these nutrients which is why it's important to get a good variety in your diet plan. If you eat a varied diet, then you should have no problem getting in these nutrients that you need.
Carbohydrates - Carbohydrates also known as carbs store and deliver energy to where it is needed in the body. They convert into glucose (a form of sugar that is transported and used by the body) during digestion, which is then used by the cells to produce energy and fuel various activities.
The Benefits of Fiber - Fibre, also spelled as fiber, is a type of carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the body. All edible plants contain fiber in one form or another. It is most often categorized by how easily it dissolves in water - soluble and insoluble fiber - as this is what determines its ability of lovering the risk of developing certain diseases.
Omega 6 and Omega 3 Fatty Acids - There are three types of omega fatty acids - omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 (also known as n-3, n-6 and n-9). Omega 3 and 6 are essential unsaturated fatty acids that have to be consumed from food as they cannot be synthesized by the human body but are necessary to maintain normal metabolism.
Saturated Fat and Cholesterol - Saturated fats are fatty acids that have no double bonds between the carbon atoms - the carbon atom chain is completely saturated by hydrogen atoms. These fats are highly stable and can be packed together quite easily. They usually form a solid fat at room temperature.
Saturated fatty acids are produced in the body from carbohydrates as well as can be found in animal fats like butter, cream, cheese and fatty meats and in some vegetable products e.
Proteins and Amino Acids - Proteins are the main building blocks of human body - they are used to repair and make new cells. Right after water proteins form the greatest portion of our body weight. Every organ, tissue and cell in our body contains protein, particularly muscles, skin, organs and glands.
