Water and nutrition
Although water has zero calories and only contains some minerals in the way of nutrition it is an essential part of your body’s basic nutrition. A large percentage of our body weight is water and we could not function without it.
We need 8 glasses of water or fluid per day. Most of us do not drink enough which causes our bodies to dehydrate and not function as well. Our bodies alert us when fluids are running low and we need to drink by creating a thirst sensation.
Water is good for reducing weight as it is a good substitute sweet juices and sodas. It also helps to create a feeling of fullness so that you do not feel so hungry.
Water is used for many functions in our body. Here are some common ones:
Flushing out toxins: One of the most important functions of water in the body is to help us flush out toxins. Toxins will build up in the body and make us sick. They come from pollution, ingestion and metabolism. The liver also generates free radicals, some of which can also be flushed out with proper water consumption.
Cooling the body: The body sweats to keep us cool and water is necessary for this. Plus drinking cool water when you are hot will also help to lower the temperature of the body. This allows the body to regulate its temperature and not get overheated.
Lubricating joints and membranes: Joints need lubrication to move and water allows us to make this lubricating fluid. Membranes are kept moist with fluids made of water.
Organs like the eye also need water to lubricate and keep it clean (tears). The eye also uses water to protect it. Many organs use water to function correctly.
So remember to drink your 8 glasses of fluid per day. Water can be consumed in other fluids but is best in it’s purest form. Because of the pollution present in our water supplies it is best to ensure that your water is pure you can use purified bottles, filtered, or even a portable distiller to make sure that the water you drink is not contaminated.
Protein supplements
Protein supplements are used when you are doing strenuous exercise like body building, or strength training. They help to build muscle and also improve performance levels, when you exercise. In the normal way you will not have to take these, unless you are indulging in these activities.
Protein supplements are not good for your body if you take too much, they can harm your kidneys if taken in excess.
The proper amount to take is 1 gram of protein to every pound of lean body weight. It is good to take natural protein supplements as these have little or no side effects. There are two common natural protein supplements:
Whey protein: This is a natural protein made out of cow milk. The purest form of whey is called whey protein isolate. This is the best form of protein supplement. Because it is natural there are no side effects. It helps to build muscle mass rapidly. There is very little fat, cholesterol, or lactose in whey protein supplement. These means that even those suffering from lactose allergies can take this supplement.
It usually comes in dry powdered form and is flavored. When added to milk it can make a high protein shake. This is a useful thing to drink after a work out to increase muscle mass.
Glutamine: is another protein supplement that has several uses. In the normal way the body manufactures it, and we have enough to help our body function. However when you are doing bodybuilding or athletic training, more of this substance is used. You will also need more glutamine when you are suffering from immune disorder or illness. Glutamine helps the body by strengthening the immune system, rebuilding muscle and speeds up energy recovery after strenuous workouts. The production of Human Growth hormone (HGH) is helped by Glutamine. Because of it’s bitter taste Glutamine is sold in combination with other supplements.
So if you are working out strenuously, doing athletic training or bodybuilding you can consider these protein supplements. However because of their specialized use it is wise to consult your doctor before using them so that you avoid doing more harm than good.
Minerals
Minerals are an important part of our basic nutrition. They are metals and salts that are found in the food we eat and the water we drink. They help our bodies perform properly and without some of these minerals we would die. Supplements of these minerals are also available but should not be taken without consultation with your doctor.
Here are some of the most common ones:
Iron: is one of the most important minerals that we need for our body. It is stored in the blood hemoglobin and helps to release oxygen; this in turn helps the body to release energy to the various parts of the body. Iron can be obtained from fruits like apples and grapes, some vegetables like tomatoes, meat, fish and eggs.
Selenium: This is another mineral that provides us with valuable antioxidants. The liver produces free radicals when metabolism occurs. These substances are harmful to our body and can cause damage to cells, which accelerates aging. Selenium is found in meat, fish, honey and cereal.
Calcium: is a vital mineral for healthy bones and teeth. It is also very important for releasing energy, when you are using your muscles and exercising. Calcium works in partnership with phosphorus. Both these minerals are actually part of the rock salt group. These two minerals are found in dairy products like milk and cheese, dry fruits like nuts, eggs, meat, fish and starchy foods.
Magnesium: is used with muscular contractions and synthesizing proteins. It is found in dry fruits like nuts, some vegetables, wholegrain cereals, cocoa and mineral water.
So remember that these minerals are an important part of your basic nutrition. Some minerals are only necessary in trace amounts, while others you will need more. Sometimes the essential minerals are combined with multi vitamin supplements, to ensure you receive the correct amount of these vital minerals. It is always wise to consult with your doctor before you take mineral supplements as too much can be detrimental to our health. So be careful how you take these and remember not to overdose in your efforts to maintain your health and well being.
Foods That Build Your Body
The body needs certain vitamins and minerals in order to maintain and build itself. The best diet is one made up of a balance between foods. To build your body make sure that you incorporate these foods into your daily diet.
Bones and Teeth
The body needs calcium to build strong bones and teeth. Bones also need vitamin D, Vitamin A and to a lesser extent magnesium and zinc. These vitamins help move the calcium to the bone.
• Milk – Milk is an almost perfect food for building strong bones. It contains a large amount of calcium and protein along with some magnesium and zinc. Vitamins D and A are added, so it provides all the elements needed for good bone growth.
• Dairy Products – Cheese and other dairy products provide calcium along with vitamins A and D.
• Nuts – Nuts are a good source of calcium. Many varieties have been found to be good sources of healthy cholesterol. The best nuts are those that contain oils that are heart healthy such as almonds, walnuts and cashews
• Leafy Vegetables – The darker the better. Dark green leafy vegetables hold lots of bone-healthy nutrients. Kale and chicory provide the best sources of calcium followed by dandelion greens, collard greens and spinach.
Muscle and Skin
The body uses protein to help build muscle and to keep muscle mass intact. Protein helps you grow and aids in skin maintenance.
• Fish – Fish is a good source of lean protein and contains many other vitamins and nutrients to help the body.
• Lean Meat – Eating meat is a great way to get the protein our muscles need. Make sure you choose lean cuts of meat to keep cholesterol down.
• Chicken – Chicken is another good source of protein, as it does not have fat levels that can be bad for us. Avoid eating the skin.
• Eggs – Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Once thought bad for us, the common opinion now is that the benefits of eggs outweighs any ill effects.
• Soybeans and Nuts – A way to get protein without eating meat is to eat healthy beans and nuts. Soybeans are particularly packed with protein as well as vitamins and other nutrients our bodies need to build muscle.
Brain and Blood
The brain and other internal organs require a healthy balance of many vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Vitamins B and C and Iron are among some of the nutrients your body needs to produce a healthy blood and brain.
• Lean Meat - Provides a good source of iron, which the body uses to build blood.
• Vegetables – Green leafy vegetables are the best source of iron. Try kale or spinach. Other vegetables provide vitamin C.
• Fruits – Oranges, strawberries and other fruits are a good source of vitamin C.
• Broccoli and cabbage – these green vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin C.
Exercise and nutrition
Exercise and nutrition are the pillars of good health. They are coupled together in such a way that you really cannot be truly healthy by ignoring one or the other. Nutrition feeds your body and exercise keeps it healthy and strong, so that you can enjoy all the activities you want to do.
Good nutrition begins with examining how you eat. Most of us eat fast foods, refined foods and an excess of junk in our daily diet. In order to improve your health you will need to do some minor adjustments to your diet. The easiest way to do this is to go natural. With the ever-increasing amount of health foods and supplements on the market this is not hard to do.
Another important factor in basic nutrition is coupling it with exercise. You do not have to go all out and do power exercises at the gym. You can just do natural exercises by walking or running everyday. If you want you can even indulge in your own home gym equipment, by investing in a Bowflex. Exercising in this way only takes 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week to be in great shape. When you get yourself in good condition you will automatically be physically and mentally in better health.
Basic nutrition includes not only nourishing your body but also your mind. When you exercise on a regular basis you will improve your circulation and bring more oxygen to your brain. This will enable you to think better and ultimately improve your health. When your circulation improves your entire body functions better, resulting in better absorption of the nutrients in the food you eat.
When you exercise on a regular basis you will also cut down stress and tension, which are two of the biggest factors contributing to ill health. When you are stressed out many things go wrong in the body, including your digestion. This prevents your body from getting the nutrition it needs.
So do not forget to take exercise on a regular basis and see your health and well being improve.
Diet supplements
Diet supplements are all the rage these days with new ones coming onto the market on a regular basis. Especially popular are the juices. Most of these are extracted from various fruits and natural products. These juices are sold as energizing drinks and are in fact good for you as they are made from natural fruit juices. Many of the juices are taken from different sources from around the world. Here are a few that are used.
Gogi berry: this berry has amino acids, minerals, Polysaccharides and Phytonutrients. It helps the immune system and has antitoxins that help to rid the body of toxins.
Acai: This is also an antioxidant, increases energy and improves your health
Noni : this juice is used to help purify and cleanse the body. It is also good for boosting the immune system and helps the digestive system. It also helps in healing and is anti-inflammatory.
Mangosteen: has Xanthones, which are a powerful group of antitoxins.
Camu-Camu: has 30-60 times more vitamin C than oranges and is also has antioxidants, to help the immune system.
Many of these juices are now blended together to make fruit diet supplement juices. They have been used by some cultures for many years but are only just now being discovered by the Western world.
They are available in Health food stores and through distributors. They are pleasant tasting and many of them do help you improve your health and immune system. Like all diet supplements it is best to consult your doctor before you take them. Because they are natural products there are few if any side effects, when taken in the correct amount.
Brief introduction to the different food groups
Basic nutrition is made up of different food groups. There are 5 categories, grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy. They provide us with 5 essential nutrients. It is very important to your health to eat a good balance of these foods. Sometimes this balance is called the food pyramid. This pyramid gives us a rough idea of how many servings of each food we should be eating per day.
Essential nutrients:
Protein: This is used to build healthy muscle and also to repair muscle. We get this from; fish, milk eggs, cheese, yogurt, meats, pulses and nuts. These are the basic meats (pulses and nuts can be substituted for meats} and dairy foods. You can also get protein from Soy (soy bean).
Carbohydrates: are found in all cereals, like bread and rice. They are also found in some starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn.
Fats and oils: can be found in dairy products like butter milk and cream. They are also present in meats and of course fried foods and those foods that have oil and fat (like butter) added to them. This group is a little tricky as there are good fats and bad fats present in foods that we should be aware of. It is important to cut out trans fats if possible and be careful not to eat too much cholesterol and saturated fat. Omega 3 and 6 are found in fish oils and are good for you in moderate amounts.
Vitamins and minerals: These are found in many foods but mostly in fruits and vegetables. They can also be found in the water you drink. They are very important as they help every part of the body to function correctly.
Fiber: is found in whole grains and pulses, fruits and vegetables. Although much of fiber is not digestible it forms bulk in our foods and makes our digestive system work better. It also gives us a full feeling and means that we eat less and do not get hungry as often.
Try to eat a good balance of these foods, so that you can get all the nutrition your body needs and maintain your health.
Vitamins how they affect our fitness & health
Vitamins are very important to our fitness & health. They either work alone or in partnership to keep our bodies functioning correctly. There are many vitamins all helping with many functions in our body.. Without these substances out r bodies will break down and in some cases should the vitamin deficiency be prolonged or severe you can even die
Here are some of the common vitamins:
Vitamin D: Is good for bones and teeth and can be obtained from milk and sunshine. In the old days when children were deprived of sunlight they had deformities of the bones. This ailment is known as rickets.
Vitamin B: There are 8 different vitamins that make up the B complex family; Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) and Biotin (Vitamin H). These are the largest and most influential group of vitamins and can be found at work in almost every function of our body. These vitamins are found naturally in whole grain cereals like brown rice and brown bread.
Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E: help the body in individual ways, but they are very potent when joined together and work as powerful antioxidants. Antitoxins neutralize free radicals, a harmful set of substances that are released by the liver when metabolism occurs. These free radicals are harmful to cells and will speed up the aging process. They can be found in fruits and vegetables.
Many times we do not eat enough of these foods to get our full supply of vitamins. To overcome this many people take multi vitamin supplements. You can take these in the form of pills or some of the many diet supplement juices that are available on the market. Never overdose on these supplements, as you will do more harm than good if you do. It is often wise to consult your doctor before you take them.
As you can see vitamins plat a vital role in our lives and without them we will become sick and quite possibly die. So remember to eat as much fresh fruits and vegetables and eat whole grains rather than refined ones. In this way you will be getting your vitamins and an important part of your body’s basic nutrition.
Natural Diet
A natural diet is one that contains plenty of wholesome, healthy foods with as little processing and added ingredients as possible. Nutritionists and doctors now recognize the possible harm that can come from eating additives such as unnecessary chemicals. Many people are now becoming more aware that eating naturally is better for the body.
The use of pesticides on food crops has been found to be responsible for many diseases including breast cancer. Pesticides are unnatural substances that are used to keep insects away from fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, trace amounts can get into the food, even after careful washing. These pesticides are toxic to the body and can be ingested in various levels by eating foods that have been treated. If you must eat non-organic fruits and vegetables peel away the outer skin to avoid ingesting toxins.
Organic foods are grown using standards that do now allow for artificial pesticides or chemicals during growing or harvesting. The growing methods are more natural and so they support a cleaner, safer environment. Organic foods are now more readily available, even at regular grocery stores. While organic products may cost slightly more than others they are more nutritious.
Natural foods help to support a cleaner and greener environment. Less processing means more nutrition as well as fewer waste products during production.
Here are some tips for eating a healthier, natural diet.
• Choose fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits that are free from preservatives, additives, hormones, antibiotics and any unnecessary chemicals.
• Try to buy and eat foods that have been minimally processed.
• Take advantage of foods that are in season. These are not only nutritious but are also less expensive.
• Take a balanced approach to eating. Eat some foods from each food group every day and be sure to include organic fruits and vegetables.
• Eat raw vegetables and fruits for maximum nutrient levels.
• Try eating organic fruits and vegetables as healthy between meal snacks.
• Read labels when shopping. Avoid foods with artificial colorings, flavorings, sweeteners and preservatives.
• Support your local farmer’s market by buying produce weekly
• Drink plenty of purified water. Consider getting a home purifier system to avoid using plastic bottles.
• Limit the amount of artificial sweeteners in your diet and limit sugar intake
• Use plenty of fresh herbs for cooking. They add great flavor and supply nutrients as well.
Foods That Give You Energy
Many of us find we need more energy throughout the day. We can actually supply our bodies with more energy by eating foods that will boost our energy levels. While a candy bar may give you an instant energy boost the sugar is going to be used up quickly, causing us to feel even more tired in a little while. It’s best to keep our bodies at an even sugar level and we can do that by eating foods that give us the best and longest lasting energy levels like the ones below.
Whole Grains
Whole grain cereals such as cornflakes, oatmeal, shredded wheat and puffed rice not only provide quick energy but also are digested slowly, allowing blood sugar levels to remain stable. Add some skim milk and fruit and you help produce a slow, steady release of glucose into the bloodstream, which will fuel your brain and muscles throughout the day. Be sure to stick to cereals that are low in sugar, less than 10g per serving. Sugars are simple carbohydrates, which tend to burn quickly and cause our energy levels to crash later.
Lean Proteins
Proteins such as eggs, yogurt and peanut butter give you long lasting energy and make you feel full. They take longer for the body to digest and offer good sources of vitamins and minerals.
Fruits
A piece of fruit is a great source of quick energy. It gives you a fast burst of energy but because the sugars in fruits are more complex they don’t give you the later crash that junk food sugar laden foods do. Plus, fruits provide a great source of vitamins and are high in fiber. The best fruits to try are watermelon, bananas, dates, mangoes, papaya and pineapple, but all fruits are good.
Vegetables
Many vegetables provide us with the complex carbohydrates that will give us long-lasting energy. Potatoes and carrots offer this type of energy as do most vegetables. Carrot sticks are an easy, portable snack that can help our bodies maintain its sugar level between larger meals. Vegetables also give us a good supply of vitamins and minerals that help keep the body functioning well.
Eating at regular times
Little and often is the key to success, if you want to stay fit and healthy. You would think that with eating more frequently your body might get confused and want to eat more. However this is not the case. On the contrary when you eat small frequent meals it is much better for your body.
Here are the reasons why. Firstly small meals are better for your system, because your digestive system can handle small amounts of food better than large ones. Large meals will put a strain on your system, giving rise to flatulence and digestive upsets.
Frequent meals will stimulate your digestive juices and make digestion easier. When you eat at regular times your body’s biological clock get used to this and this will also aid digestion. Frequent meals will also stimulate your entire metabolism to work harder and better. It will in fact speed up your metabolism and can be a factor in losing weight..
Skipping meals, contrary to popular belief will not help in weight reduction. In fact it can work against you. When you eat infrequent or irregular meals it will throw your body off balance and lead to digestive problems. When your digestion does not work well your metabolism slows up and more fat cells can accumulate.
Coupled with these points is the fact that irregular eating habits can tip your body’s chemical balance and can give rise to eating disorders. It will also stress out your body and cause many underlying health problems.
Eating regular meals ensures your body’s blood sugar stays at a proper level. When your blood sugar drops, you will experience a feeling of tiredness and lethargy. You can also experience some symptoms of depression and will not be able to make focused decisions. Eating little and often will keep your blood sugar at a normal, more equal level.
As you can see it is important to eat at regular times and not to go without food for a longer period of time. It is also not good to eat large meals as your body cannot cope, so bear these few points in mind when you plan your meals and improve your mental and physical health.
Body Building
Body builders have special dietary needs. Because body builders partake in more strenuous activities they need more energy than is provided in a regular diet. This energy is required to sustain physical activities as well as to build muscle. A healthy and well-balanced diet is necessary to build muscles.
Body builders should have an average daily caloric intake of between 3,000 and 5,000 calories. In order to achieve this they will need to include at least three meals per day as well as three snacks. Serious body builders and weight trainers should consult with a dietician who can help devise a special diet plan for the specific needs of the individual.
The key to muscle growth is to eat a healthy diet that includes all the food groups in a balanced way. Since muscles need carbohydrates, protein and fat to perform properly the body builder should take care to ensure that they include foods high in these nutrients in their diets.
• Eat Regular Meals – Regular meals are important in making sure that the body has a constant level of energy. Try to eat three balanced meals per day and don’t skip meals.
• Choose Healthy Snacks – Avoid junk food including snacks that are salty and sugary. These contain empty calories and won’t help you gain muscle. Try eating vegetables and fruits that provide added nutrients.
• Eat High Energy Foods – Most athletes and body builders can increase their energy by eating foods from the vegetable and grains groups. The grain group includes cereal, rice, bread and pasta. Foods in these groups contain starch, which is a good source of energy.
• Keep Track of Your Diet – Try writing down your daily caloric intake to determine if you are getting enough calories.
• Eat Extra Meals – If you find your caloric intake is low add another balanced meal sometime throughout the day. This is a better option than eating more at each sitting and will help your body better use the calories.
• Choose Complex Carbs – Complex carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for athletes. Complex carbs take longer to metabolize and therefore provide a steady fuel source for the body. Complex carbohydrates include whole grains such as cereals as well as pasta and potatoes.
• Drink Plenty Of Water – The body needs water to function properly. Make sure that you drink enough water during exercise and that you start your program well hydrated.