Nutrition [1]
Disclaimer: the information given here is for general advice only, and should be treated as such. If specific, detailed nutritional advice is needed, you are advised to see a qualified nutritionist.

What do you need for a healthy balanced diet ?
A healthy balanced diet should consist of :
Carbohydrates - 60%
Fats - 30%
Proteins - 10% as well as
Vitamins, Minerals, Fibre and last but not least Water!

In general, you should have 6-15 servings / day of bread, cereal, rice, pasta or potatoes; 3-6 servings / day of vegetables; 2-5 servings / day of fruits; 2 - 4 servings / day of milk, yoghurt or cheese; 2 - 5 servings / day of meat, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs or nuts; and be sparing with fats, oils, sweets and alcohol.
A serving, by the way, is approximately a couple of ounces of a food in its dried form eg for rice or pasta; a slice of bread or a medium size apple is also a serving.

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates should make up 60% of your diet. They provide energy for your body - they should be the main source. Carbohydrates can be simple sugars (simple carbohydrates) like sugars, jams, sweets - or complex sugars (complex carbohydrates) which are dense and starchy like cereals, bread, pasta, potatoes, vegetables and rice. In general, complex carbs are 'slow-burning' and will keep you topped up with energy over a long period.
Grains, wheat, fruits and vegetables also provide insoluble fibre which helps prevent colon cancer, haemorrhoids, diverculitis - in other words, helps to keep your intestines healthy!

What if you have too many carbohydrates?
The excess will be stored as body fat; however, if you have complex carbs, you will feel very full - maybe uncomfortably so. The danger with over-eating simple carbs is that they contain a lot of energy but do not make you feel full! Also the levels of insulin in your blood will skyrocket - and in the long term, diabetes could be a problem. It actually takes some energy to convert carbohydrates to fat, so having too many carbs is still better than having too much fat! But, to be safe, take your time and eat sensibly and in reasonable quantities!

Proteins
We need protein to build and maintain our muscles and tissues. We actually need less protein than we think, because the body makes some of its own. Also we can get proteins from many vegetable sources - for example rice and peas is an excellent source of protein, as are beans and nuts! Remember, many animal products contain saturated fats as well as protein.

What if you have too much protein ?
Kidney damage can occur; also there can be lots of ammonia in the blood, which is toxic, especially for the brain cells. Too much protein is also stored as body fat, leading to obesity

Fats
Fats do lots of useful jobs. They protect your internal organs, help to control your body temperature, make up a sheath over nerve cells which helps your nervous system to work, absorb and store fat-soluble vitamins, help in the growth and development of body tissues. In women, oestrogen is stored in fat under the skin, so it helps in reproductive functions and also stimulates bone growth.
Fats contain lots of energy - more than twice as much as carbohydrates. We actually have lots of stored body fat under our skin, even if we look quite average. The average person has enough body fat to walk all the way to Australia! When you do aerobic exercise, especially if longer than 30 minutes, the use of fats kicks in quite significantly. One of the jobs of adrenaline is to get lots of fats ready to use for energy.

So why are fats considered so bad for you?
Fat problem #1- We eat far too much fat!
Present levels of fat intake are 40-45% when they should be about 30%
We all know that the risks of a high fat diet include obesity and coronary heart disease.
The average acceptable body fat content for men is 15-22% of total body weight.
The average acceptable body fat content for women is 25-35% of total body weight.

Find out if you are a healthy weight using the Body Mass Index
This is a quick, rough - and ready way to find out if you are in the right sort of weight range for your size. It is not 100% foolproof, especially if you are a body-builder ( ! ), but for most people it gives a fairly good idea of where they are:-

1]Find your weight in kg
2]Find your height in m and then square it
3]Divide [1] by [2]

If the answer is between 22 and 25, you are in the healthy range.
You are overweight if the answer is 26 to 30
You are obese if the answer is 31 to 35
You are unhealthily underweight if the answer is below 22

If you're not too hot with the maths, click here

Fat problem #2 - We eat too much of the wrong type of fat!
Saturated (animal-based) fats are worse for you than unsaturated ones (vegetable-based). Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, like butter, lard & cream. Clogging up your arteries long-term is just one of the problems they cause. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, like sunflower oil & olive oil. We actually consume lots of fats which are contained in foods anyway, so there is no need to go out of our way to consume pure fat!

Fat fact # 1 - Which fats are good for you?
Unsaturated are better. If you are having saturated fats, make sure they are only a small proportion of your overall fat intake. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats are also good for you - they are found in plants like evening primrose oil, rapeseed oil; meat, fish especially fatty fish like salmon and mackerel.

Fat fact # 2 - Is margarine better than butter?
To make it spreadable, a process called hydrogenation is used; however, it turns margarine's unsaturated fat into trans- unsaturated fats which are almost the same as saturated fat!

Fat fact # 3 - What if you have TOO LITTLE fat in your diet?
If someone has not enough body fat, they are putting their health at risk; also for women approaching or beyond menopause, the risks of osteoporosis are greater. Risks of less than 30% fat also include skin deterioration, hair deterioration and less fat soluble vitamins taken in.

Fat fact # 4- What if you are trying to lose fat - should you cut out carbohydrates?
If you are trying to lose weight, cutting out carbs is not a good idea! YOU CANNOT BURN FAT WITHOUT BURNING CARBS. Fat is not usually burnt for energy on its own.If you DO cut out carbs, you will start to use up your own muscles for energy - not a good idea !

 

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