Nutrition Introduction

It’s said to say that very few people really know the truth about nutrition basic concepts like micro and macro nutrients, correct serving sizes, and good vs. bad foods.

It’s astonishing to hear that so many questions are being mis heard and understood that it is really drawing people away from the truth on basic nutrition for weight loss. Questions like are all calories equal?

The difference between simple and complex carbohydrates? How many calories do I need to consume to lose weight?

Everyone needs to educate themselves on the simplest and basic concepts of healthy nutrition for weight loss to become a success.

Nutrients are usually broken down into 5 categories: carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These also can be broken down into two groups as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are macro-nutrients and vitamins and minerals are micro-nutrients.

What are the food groups?

While these are very important for a balanced diet we must not forget about fiber and water to keep our body’s system working properly.

Carbohydrates Carbohydrates have been given a bad reputation with many conventional diets like Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, etc. that teach people most carbohydrates are bad and are the cause of weight gain. It is one of the biggest myths and I am here to tell you it is absolutely false.

What needs to be focused on when learning the basics of carbohydrates is the difference between simple and complex and which ones to eat at what time while eating enough fiber.

Learn more about fiber…

To learn the basics on simple and complex carbohydrates for weight loss click the link below.

Click here for simple & complex carbohydrates…

 

 

Protein Proteins are the building blocks to everything in our body which are formed from amino acids. There are 20 different types of amino acids in all. We can make many of them in our bodies by converting other amino acids, but eight cannot be made, they have to be provided in the diet and so they are called essential amino acids. It’s amusing to hear what people say proteins are and what they do for our bodies.

 

Even though many people say vegetarians need certain types of proteins to complete their amino acid balance is false as all vegetarians get every single one from there foods that were mixed with other foods that have the essential amino acids needed.

 

 

Click here to learn more about proteins…

 

 

Fats Nothing has been more mis understood than the subject on healthy vs. bad fats. Yes it is true that too much is bad for our bodies but not enough will take away from what they do for our bodily functions. Fats role is to repair and maintain healthy body tissues, manufacture our hormones and acts as a carrier for many vitamins we need to keep our bodies healthy.

 

Fats can be either saturated or unsaturated (mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated). A high intake of saturated fat can lead to a raised blood cholesterol level and this has been linked to heart disease. Focusing on unsaturated fats is the best when weight loss is your objective but making sure to keep it in correct proportions is crucial.

 

Click here to learn the basics on fats…

 

 

Water One of the biggest questions is will drinking more water to help lose weight work in decreasing body fat. The answer is, Absolutely!

Water if the foundation of our bodies and has to do with almost every single function inside our body that makes it so important. Here’s a quick tip for you. The average adult stores around 10-12 gallons of water in their body. Another one is that you have probably heard, we can last for about a month without food but we can not last much longer than 3 day without water.

So what are some things you will benefit from drinking more water? Well, lets see. Water flushes out toxins in your body leaving your skin looking clearer, and younger. It improves muscle tone, energy, and one of the most important, it plays a role towards burning fat instead of storing it.

One thing you might keep in mind is every liter of water you consume burns 50 calories, so drink it up.

Water is also the absolute best appetite suppressent you can use to decrease your hunger, and calorie intake throughout the day. When your body is dehydrated, it tells your body it’s hungry when all you really need is a big glass of water.

Because the average adult loses about 11 cups of water a day, and even more if active, drinking 8-10 cups is needed to stay hydrated.

Practise increasing the amount of water you drink to help force your body to burn fat for energy, suppress you appetite, and keep your body looking and feeling healthier.

Vitamins and Minerals Vitamins and minerals make people’s bodies work properly. Although you get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat every day, some foods have more vitamins and minerals than others.

Vitamins fall into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E, and K — dissolve in fat and can be stored in your body. The water-soluble vitamins — C and the B-complex vitamins (such as vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin, and folate) — need to dissolve in water before your body can absorb them. Because of this, your body can’t store these vitamins. Any vitamin C or B that your body doesn’t use as it passes through your system is lost (mostly when you pee). So you need a fresh supply of these vitamins every day.

Whereas vitamins are organic substances (made by plants or animals), minerals are inorganic elements that come from the soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals, such as calcium, to grow and stay healthy. Other minerals like chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are called trace minerals because you only need very small amounts of them each day.

Learn more about vitamins and minerals…