Nutrition
When we get onto the subject of nutrition, many people immediately think about some kind of weight loss diet that is both restrictive on what they can eat and in the amounts they can eat it. While this may be true for those who embark on certain diets to lose weight, it is not the whole picture. Nutrition is about giving your body exactly what it wants and being aware of the things it does not want and then trying to avoid giving it those things.
In short, nutrition is about making sure that your body is running smoothly and healthily. The best way to do that is to provide all the various nutritious elements in food and liquids that are in its best interests to consume!
What Does the Body Need?
The first thing that you need to be aware of is what your body even needs in the way of the right kinds of foods. Basically, and this article is only an overview and each area will be explained more fully and in more detail in corresponding articles, the body needs a balance of foods that comprise proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber and liquid (primarily water) along with vitamins and minerals and other macronutrients that we are able to absorb from the food we eat.
Proteins are needed for muscle growth and maintenance, while carbohydrates provide sugars for energy. Helpful fats also provide a source of energy while fiber is essential for maintaining a healthy colon and to make the elimination process as smooth and trouble free as well as regular as possible. Vitamins and minerals provide all the micro nutrients our body needs to absorb to help it to perform a myriad of tasks such as hormone secretion, calcium uptake, immune system efficiency and a whole host of other bodily functions without which we would soon start breaking down and needing hospitalization!
What the Body Does Not Need
While the attractive packaging may tell you or hint at one thing, what the majority of packaged products that you buy in the stores are not is "healthy!" Most processed foods, and that includes candy bars, cakes and cookies if you didn't think so, are full of artificial additives and unhealthy ingredients that will not do your body much good. Too many processed foods contain trans fats which promote high levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and can lead to blood circulation and heart problems. They also contain a lot of refined sugar derivatives which lead to high triglyceride levels in the blood. They contain a lot of "E" numbers which, if you really sat down and investigated for yourself you would never eat anything with them again!
Your body does not want this kind of food, so why do people eat it? The answer is convenience. This is because too many people are too lazy (or will make up the excuse that they don't have time) to prepare and cook healthy home cooked meals based on only fresh ingredients such as lean meats or fish and vegetables!
The body does not need to be hydrated with fizzy carbonated drinks, either. These drinks (soda mainly) are either full of refined sugar and little else apart from artificial flavors, or they contain artificial sweeteners that, like all those harmful "E" numbers in food, can bring you some pretty nasty afflictions including cancer.
But all these different aspects of nutrition will be further explained and in much more detail in the respective associated articles that accompany this section of the website. Please see the list of articles at the base of the home page.