Diet & Nutrition

How many times do you think of “ health in foodstuffs” when you are hungry? Or do you just start hogging the moment you see your favorite food. But just imagine what after that! How does your body actually deal with the things that you have stuffed inside? What are the foods that your body really needs and how do you find them?

So are you interested in making better, healthier food choices, and still satisfy your taste buds? Do you have health problems that require special considerations? If yes, then this is the right place. Your hunt for an understanding of Diet & Nutrition ends here. So enjoy and keep yourself updated with the best facts in nutrition.

Journey of food in your body

The entire process of utilisation of the food is called Digestion. It begins the moment you start relishing food in your mouth, and you are hardly aware of it. Then the food passes through a long tube contracted to 12 to 14 ft that is divided into specialised compartments, each with a more or less different function. Here the food is broken down into products that your body can use. The digestive organs contribute by secreting enzymes and propelling the food to the next compartment. The necessary products are absorbed and the remaining waste goes out of your body. It is from these absorbed nutrients that your body derives energy to perform your activities. You become hungry again when your energy levels go down.

Balanced Diet: The True Story

Have you heard the word ‘Diet’, or thought of it when your body begins to lose shape, then you need to be more careful. Yes, this association often leads to a belief that Diet is fasting which is actually not the case. Diet is what you eat and eating right is what we mean by diet. In simple words diet is “Enjoy the Right Food”. You can enjoy all the tastes and still check on the excess, by having a Balanced Diet. A balanced diet is the one which contains all the nutrients in adequate proportions and which includes all types of food groups to provide you with a better choice. By choosing the healthiest forms of each of the nutrients, and eating them in the proper balance, you can enable your body to function at its optimal level.

Balancing the Diet

There are 5 basic food groups and a healthy diet consists of eating a variety of foods from all of the groups but in the correct proportions.

1. Cereals:

These foods mostly contain starch. You can alternately have a variety of foods from bread, rice, pasta, and cereals. You can have about 6-11 servings of these. If possible try to choose high fiber varieties. These groups of foods are an excellent source of fiber and are rich in vitamins from the B complex.

2. Fruit and vegetables:

This includes all frozen, fresh and canned fruit / vegetables as well as salad vegetables. These are all excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber and are naturally low in fat and calories. You should have 2 –4 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

3. Milk and dairy foods:

Milk and dairy products include cheese, yogurt, milk and fromage-frais. They are rich in protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Eat or drink a moderate amount of these foods - about 2 to 3 servings per day. These foods contain a good source of calcium, but try to choose reduced fat versions whenever possible.

4. Meat, fish, poultry and pulses:

All types of meats and fish are included in this category and red meat is an excellent source of iron and vitamin B12, Lentils, nuts, peas and beans are also in this food group. You should eat approximately 2 servings from this category each day.

5. Foods containing fats and sugars:

This last group contains butter, margarine, cream, ice-cream, low fat spreads, cooking oils, mayonnaise, salad dressings, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sugary drinks, sweets, pastry foods and crisps. All of these foods tend to be high in fat and calories. Try not to eat these foods too often and when you do only have them in small amounts. If possible try to go for the healthier varieties viz; sugar free sweets and low fat crisps.

Food Guide Pyramid

It is the best tool you can refer to for this purpose.

Building Blocks

Have you ever thought as to what your food exactly contains, something because of which you can enjoy a lovely life and aspire for a better one? Lets see the basis for the blocks that keep your body growing strong. To name them,

· Carbohydrates

· Proteins

· Fats

· Water

· Vitamins

· Minerals

Carbohydrates:

They supply your body with the energy it needs to function. They are found almost exclusively in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, peas, and beans. Milk and milk products are the only foods derived from animals that contain a significant amount of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are divided into two groups-simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.

SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES include fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar), as well as several other sugars. Fruits are one of the richest natural sources of simple carbohydrates.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES are made up of longer, more complex chains. Complex carbohydrates include fiber and starches. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates include vegetables, whole grains, peas, and beans.

Carbohydrates are the main source of blood glucose, which is a major fuel for all of the body. Dietary fiber is the part of a plant that we rarely like to have & is resistant to the body's digestive enzymes. It is recommended that about 60 percent of your total daily calories come from carbohydrates.

Proteins:

Proteins are the one, which help men boost up with their muscles. They are essential for growth and development of the entire body. It is also needed for the manufacture of hormones, antibodies, enzymes, and tissues and helps maintain the proper acid-alkali balance in the body.

Because of the importance of consuming proteins which provide all the necessary amino acids, dietary proteins are considered to belong to two different groups, depending on the amino acids they provide acids.

These proteins are found in meat, fish, poultry, cheese, eggs, and milk, including grains, legumes, and leafy green vegetables and yogurt.

Fats:

Although much attention has been focused on the need to reduce dietary fat, the body does need fat. For babies and toddlers, fat is necessary for normal brain development. Throughout life, it is essential to provide energy and support growth. To understand how fat intake is related to health problems, it is necessary to understand the different types of fats available and the ways in which these fats act within the body.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

They are found in greatest abundance in corn, soybean, safflower, and sunflower oils. Certain fish oils are also high in polyunsaturated fats. Unlike the saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats may actually lower your total blood cholesterol level.In doing so, however, large amounts of polyunsaturated fats also have a tendency to reduce your high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) - your “good cholesterol”

Monounsaturated fatty acids

They are found mostly in vegetable and nut oils such as olive, peanut, and canola. These fats appear to reduce blood levels of (LDLs)-your “bad cholesterol” without affecting HDLs in any way. However, this positive impact upon LDL cholesterol is relatively modest.

Water:

Did you know that more than half of the weight of your body is water? Yes it’s true. Just like peanuts are the main ingredients in peanut butter, water is the main ingredient in the fluids in your body systems.

Fluids travel through your body, carrying nutrients and waste to and from all your cells and organs. Your heart, your eyes, your intestines, and even your big toe need water-based fluids to survive. Water is the main component of blood and lymph that flows in your body, of the various juices that digest your food. It forms the slimy substance in your eyes, nose, throat and other body parts. It keeps your parts lubricated to keep them moving smoothly. It forms all the fluids that flow out of your body and keep you fit.

It all means that it is impossible to live without water. It is recommended to have 12 – 14 glasses of water per day.

Vitamins

These are required for carrying out vital functions of your body and many of them are involved in the utilization of major nutrients like proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Although they are needed in small amounts, they are essential, for you to lead a happy life.

Nutrients	Sources	RDA*	Deficiencies
Vitamins	Adults
Vitamin A	Fortified milk, cheese, butter, liver, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, deep orange fruits and vegetables	5,000IU	Poor teeth and Bone growth; Night blindness, Diarrhoea
Vitamin D	Fortified milk, eggs, liver, synthesis with sunlight	400 - 800 IU	Misshapen bones in children, softening of bones in adults and bone fractures
Vitamin E	Vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables, whole-grain products, egg yolk	15 IU	Anaemia, weakness, degeneration of reproductive tissues.
Vitamin K	Green leafy vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower, liver, made by bacteria in intestines	100mcg	Haemorrhaging (bleeding problems)
Vitamin B1	Pork, organ meats, legumes, nuts, whole grains, enriched cereal	1.2-2mg	Oedema, heart damage, weakness, confusion, paralysis
Vitamin B2	Dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains and enriched bread and cereal	1.3-2.6mg	Eyes sensitive to sun, skin rash, cracks at corners of mouth
Vitamin B3	Meat, milk, eggs, poultry, fish, whole grains, enriched bread and cereal, nuts	12-26mg	Weakness, dizzy, lose appetite, confusion, diarrhoea, rash
Vitamin B6	Meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, enriched bread and cereal, legumes, green and leafy vegetables	2.0 mg	Skin disorders, anaemia, cracks in corners of mouth, convulsions, muscle twitching
Vitamin B12	Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese	300mcg	Anaemia, fatigue
Folate	Legumes, liver, leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts	800mcg	Anaemia, smooth red tongue, diarrhoea, constipation, infections, confusion, weakness
Biotin	Liver, egg yolk, green vegetables; in many foods	300mcg	Fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle pain, dry and scaly skin
Vitamin C	Citrus fruits, broccoli, tomatoes, melons, dark green leafy vegetables, cabbage, strawberries, potatoes	50-75 mg	Anaemia, infections, sore gums, muscle pain, joint pain

RDA* - Recommended Dietary Allowance

Minerals:

When you think of minerals do you think of something you find in the earth, well yes; small amounts of some minerals are also found in foods. And that’s exactly what you need, for your body to grow, develop and stay healthy.

Nutrients	Sources	RDA*	Deficiencies
Minerals
Calcium	Milk products, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, shrimp, salmon, clams, fortified orange juice, legumes, tofu	0.4 - 0.6 gms	Stunts growth in children, bone loss in adults
Chloride	Salt, in most foods, large amount in processed food		Muscle cramp, loss of appetite, growth failure in children
Chromium	Meat, vegetable oil, whole grain cereal	150mcg	Inability to properly use glucose
Copper	Organ meats, shellfish, legumes, nuts	2mg
Fluorine	Fluoridated water and toothpastes, seafood		Tooth decay
Iodine	Iodised salt, seafood	0.15mg	Enlarged thyroid, weight gain, retardation of infant both mentally and physically
Iron	Red meat, organ meat, egg yolk, legumes, enriched cereals and breads, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits	20- 30 mg	Anaemia, infections, weakness, fatigue, itchy skin, concave nails, pale nail beds and eye membranes, can't regulate body temperature
Magnesium	Whole grains, nuts, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables	750 - 1000mg	Weakness, growth failure in children, confusion
Manganese	In many foods; whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts	10mg
Molybdenum	Organ meat, cereals, legumes	30mcg
Phosphorus	Meat, eggs, poultry, milk products, legumes, nuts	1gm
Potassium	Legumes, meat, vegetables, bananas, milk, fruit	99mg	Muscle weakness, fatigue, confusion
Selenium	Seafood, meat, whole grains	200mcg	Heart disease
Sodium	Salt, in most foods, large amount in processed food		Muscle cramps, weakness, loss of appetite
Sulphur	Protein containing foods
Zinc	Meat, poultry, fish, whole grain cereals and breads, legumes, nuts	50mg	Growth retardation, diarrhoea, vomiting, delay in puberty, weakness, dry skin, delay in wound healing

RDA* - Recommended Dietary Allowance

# Food Facts #

Come and discover the healthier way of life.

“Fool Fats!”

· Use skim or low-fat milk and cheese made from skim or low-fat milk.

· Cut back on the amount of fat you use in cooking.

· Use water-packed tuna instead of oil-packed tuna.

· Choose lean cuts of meat and trim visible fat from it. Roast, bake, broil, or simmer the foodstuffs and drain fat after cooking. Don't fry.

· In a dip or sandwich filling; replace all or part of the mayonnaise with yogurt.

· Use vegetable or peanut oils instead of solid shortening and use margarine instead of butter or lard.

· Try substituting egg whites in recipes calling for whole eggs.

“Chase Calories!”

· Avoid overeating. Eat only when hungry and just until you're full.

· Moderation! Eat a variety of foods that you enjoy, but watch serving sizes.

· Eat slowly and chew your food well. This allows you to realize you are full before you overeat.

· Don’t automatically have second helpings, unless it's a low-calorie vegetable or fruit.

· Decrease your fat and sugar intake and your caloric intake will likely decrease.

· Eat in a relaxed environment. It takes about 20 minutes after you begin eating for your mind to realize that you are full.

“Skip Sugars!”

· Avoid high sugar foods - read labels for words like high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose.
Use unsweetened canned fruit or fruit canned in its own juice.

· Try using less sugar in your favorite recipes.

“Safe on Sodium!”

· Decrease the amount of salt used while cooking.
Taste foods before you add salt.

· Avoid high sodium foods - read sodium content on the labels.

· Drain and rinse canned vegetables.

“Free Fiber!”

· Eat whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas.

· Eat more raw fruits and vegetables.

· Nuts and seeds add fiber, but be aware of the additional calories.

· Add bran (1 to 3 tablespoons) into your daily diet. Mix it with cereals, casseroles, tuna salad, and muffins.

“Cool Calcium!”

· Eat two or more servings of calcium-rich foods every day.

· Examples: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, sardines or salmon (canned with bones), dried beans, tofu, broccoli.