Protein
Did you know that without protein you would never have grown into the adult you are today? They are not called the building blocks of life for nothing and are made up of 20 different compounds called amino acids, of which there are two types.
Non-essential amino acids
Made by your own body and we might have no control over them at all.
Essential amino acids
These we need to eat so we can grow to stay fit and strong. Adults needs eight of these to keep going strong, while children often need an extra seven more. We can get these nutrients from plants, if you are a vegetarian or from animals, if you love the idea of eating meat.
The meat from animals contain all the good essential amino acids we need, so you may eat red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and most dairy products. The main issue here is how we prepare the meat that we eat to get the benefit of the protein.
The plant proteins we eat do not have many amino acids but you need many different types of food to get all the well needed proteins here. So variety and colour is definitely the spice of life here.
Make sure you stock up and eat peas, green beans, cereals, grains, nuts, seeds, lentils, and all types of beans like kidney, baked beans, pinto, haricot and butter beans. Playing mix and match with the plant and animal protein should keep you excited about getting the balance right as boredom is often the stumbling block when it comes to eating a healthy and well prepared meal.
Carbohydrates
While proteins build the body, you need an energy source to keep you going and this is where carbohydrates come along. There are two types of this energy boosting food.
Complex carbohydrates
These are the starchy ones that occur naturally in food and are sometimes refined in processed foods.
The natural ones are found in bananas, beans, barley, chickpeas, brown rice, nuts, oats, potatoes, parsnips, all root vegetables, yams, sweet corn, wholemeal breads, cereals, flour and pasta.
While on the other hand, refined starches are in all the ones we love to hate. Biscuits, pies, cakes, pizzas, white bread, flour, pasta, rice and all sugar coated breakfast cereals. You have been warned.
Simple carbohydrates
They are simply called sugars and may be your enemy or friend in times of stress, anxiety or perhaps excitement. The feel good foods we all crave when things are going good or bad.
But natural sugars are found in all fruit and vegetables so you are welcome to eat as much as you want when the mood hits you but please beware of the refined sugars when it comes to your mood swings.
All the biscuits, cakes, pies, jams, honey, chocolate, jellies, cane sugar, pizza, processed foods and sauces, soft drinks, sweets and snack bars are only going to be a short term friend and a very long term enemy. Their promises of ‘feel good’ always end up with a no good result. This is your second warning.
Fats
There is no need to run for cover at the mere mention of this word as it is needed in order to live from day to day. The good thing about fats is that they give us concentrated energy and transports vitamins A,D, E, and K around the body.
Fats in your diet make sure you have healthy skin and hair, it repairs damaged tissues and cells and protects the organs and prevents the body from losing too much heat. Without fats, your hormones would not be working properly either.
There are the two main types of fat we need to be aware of when we plan all food we want to eat.
Saturated fat
This one comes from all animal fats and trans-fatty acids, which basically means various oils are manufactured to allow for easier use and to keep man-made foods preserved for longer periods. So the longer on the shelf means more years in the body and on the hips.
Saturated fats are in red meat, poultry, butter, cream, cheese, eggs, lard, full fat milk and yoghurt, suet and hard margarines.
Unsaturated fat
These goodies come from vegetables and many different types of fish and they have some essential fatty acids that cannot be made by your body.
The foods you need to eat to get this healthy fat are avocados, unsalted walnuts, cashews, Brazil and pecan. Pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are great to nibble on as a snack and all the tuna, trout, salmon, sardines, mackerel, pilchards and herring in the sea could make sure you stay well and healthy.
Fibre
We get fibre from plants and it is not absorbed by the body, and unknown to most people it is not a nutrient and has no calories or vitamins. It makes the digestive system process food while absorbing the good nutrients, making you feel fuller to control your appetite and lowering cholesterol.
There are two types of fibre, insoluble and soluble.
Insoluble fibre helps food pass along the bowel and preventing constipation and is found in the foods such as beans, brown rice, seeded fruits, lentils, maize, oats, pulses, wheat bran and all whole grain and wholemeal cereals, breads, pasta and flour.
Soluble fibre helps control blood sugar and lowers cholesterol. This is found in most fruit and vegetables but mostly in apples, citrus, pears, barley, legumes, oats and strawberries
From this I hope you can try to find the perfect balance between eating healthy portions of carbohydrates, some protein and a little fat but also the all important fibre.
by Georgie
