|
Getting The Balance Right - A Guide To Healthy Eating |
By:
Graham Foster |
|
|
Getting The Balance Right - A Guide To Healthy Eating
by Graham Foster
So your looking to eat healthy? Well one fo the best ways to get started is to get the balance of carbs,(carbohydrates), proteins and fats right first. The reason is, these are the essential foundations of any diet plan and everything from there is just a question of balance and adjusting to suit your likes and dislikes.
With around 4 calories being produced by one gram of protein it is not suprising that we are encouraged to eat plenty of protein rich foods such as eggs and dairy products (which of course also contain fats), red meats fish and steaks.
When looking at carbs like protein we find that calorifically around 1g of carbohydrate will produce about 4 calories of energy. However when comparing carbs it is much harder as they are more complex and in addition to being food in nature than can also be found in food that is manufactured.
Carbohydrates which are found in nature include rice,some pulses (such as beans),potato's in various different guises, and oatmeal but this is just the tip of the iceberg a wider range of man made carbs are found in cookies, candies, and cakes plus a whole slew of other processed foods.
I am guessing you have probably worked out by now that I was saving the best (or worst in this case until last) .That's right a single gram of fat creates a massive 225% more energy at 9 calories (that's more than twice the amount of protein and carbohydrate). Is it that simple?
There are 4 main types of fat which makes things a little more complicated these are Mono Unsaturated Fat, Poly Unsaturated Fat, Saturated Fats (mainly derived from animals) and the man made Trans Fat's or Trans Fatty Acids.
To maintain a healthy body you need to get a balance of all 3 of these in equal proportion but avoiding large amounts or unsaturated fats and avoid when at all possible all tran fats.
If you choose to have a diet which has a high level of fat or indeed a high level of carbohydrate (especially man made carbs) you increase your chances dramatically to having problems with your weight.If you continue this way may end up extremely obese or as doctors use the term morbidly obese.
Fat is much more calorific than either proteins or carbohydrates so when planning a meal try to keep a good balance of both carbs and protein and a smaller amount of fat.
Lets look at each type of fat in turn...
Monounsaturated Fats (Monounsaturated Fatty Acids):- These are found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and some plant foods. They are liquid at room temperature. Some times referred to as MUFA's.
Polyunsaturated Fats (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids):- These are are found mainly in vegetable oils, fish and seafood. They are liquid or soft at room temperature. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of Polyunsaturated fats and are considered essential fatty acids because our bodies cannot make them, thus they must be obtained through the diet. Some times referred to as PUFA's.
Saturated Fats (Saturated Fatty Acids) are usually solid at room temperature and are found mainly in foods from animal sources like meat, dairy products and butter. Some vegetable oils such as coconut, palm kernel and palm oil are also full of saturated fatty acids.
Trans Fats (Trans Fatty Acids) are liquid vegetable oils that have been chemically processed to become solid at room temperature through the addition of hydrogen atoms. These hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are used in some margarines and fried foods as well as to improve the flavor, texture and shelf-life of processed snack foods like cookies and crackers.
Just as a quick rule of thumb but by no means an exhaustive or totally fool proof system. If the fat comes from an animal such as the fats found in butter, pastry or shortening, it is saturated fat and if it comes from a plant such as Olive Oil, SunFlower Oil or Nuts it is most likely unsaturated fat. Remember unsaturated fat is good fat.
All fat will make you put on weight, so always keep it in check and maintain a balance.
Are you looking for help and diet advice i'm convinced enjoy the new free report by Graham Foster "82 weight loss tips get rid of 22.5 pounds of horrible fat in just 5 short weeks" You can get a unique content version of this article.
|
|
Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article53989.html |
|
|
|
|
|
