What is Good Nutrition?
Basic Definition: consuming enough of a variety of foods that your body has all of the nutrients it requires to function properly. Optimal nutrition allows you to stay healthy, develop energy to participate in daily/recreational activities, and feel good.
Basic Components:
The basic components of optimal nutrition include protein, carbohydrates, fat, plus water, vitamins, and minerals.
A healthy diet has ALL of these components, so that your body can continue to work behind the scenes to maintain your health with minimal effort on your part.
Good nutrition will also help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of developing chronic (and avoidable) diseases, and optimize your health.
⇒ Protein:
Benefits: protein is the basic building block of the body (skin, hair, muscles, bones, hormones, enzymes), it is necessary for your immune system support, oxygenation of your blood and is integral in the repair process of your cells.
Options: Poultry, lean meats, fish/seafood, eggs, dairy products, nuts/seeds, beans/legumes, soy
*Caution: proteins can be high in saturated fat and cholesterol – choose wisely; respect portion size, eat a variety and avoid those high in saturated fat
This nutrient provides calories (4 cal/gram).
⇒ Carbohydrates:
Carbs are a very important source of energy in your body – they are not inherently bad!
There are three components of carbohydrates: fiber, sugar and starches.
1. Fiber: comes from plants only & is indigestible; this is important, as fiber contributes to digestive health and fills you up quickly. The more quickly you feel full, the less you eat! (also reduces cholesterol levels)
Examples: beans/legumes, fruits/veggies, whole grains, nuts
2. Sugar: Sugar is not inherently bad – naturally occurring sugars are more easily handled by the body; added sugars are the culprits behind diabetes mellitus, weight gain, inflammation, and elevated blood pressure.
Natural sugars: fructose (naturally in fruits), lactose (naturally in milk), stevia, honey
Added sugars: high fructose corn syrup, corn sweetener, sucrose, dextrose, fruit juice concentrates
3. Starches: think grains – whole grains provide the best nutritional value; most fiber, most B vitamins, vitamin E, fatty acids, starch.
It’s important to understand the difference between fast acting (helpful) versus slow acting (harmful) carbohydrates.
Fast acting: digested quickly and provide a burst of energy into the blood stream; however, this leads to a sudden crash – no good. Think added sugars. These provide calories without any of the nutritional value.
- White bread, refined flour, white rice, cereal, white potatoes without skins
Slow acting: digested slowly, steadily releases the energy into the system.
- Grains, beans & legumes, vegetables & fruits, dairy, nuts & seeds
- Unrefined whole grains are full of nutrients, vitamins, fiber, etc. You will feel fuller longer eating slow instead of fast. Many slow acting carbs are also low glycemic index foods – they maintain a steady stream of glucose in your system, preventing the spikes and crashes that come with the higher GI foods listed above.
This nutrient provides calories (4 cal/gram).
∗Rule of thumb: the more processed a food is, the more simple sugars it contains. High calories & low nutrients mean you’ll be hungry again soon.
⇒ Fat
Fat is not a bad word! In fact, your body desperately needs fat in order to support cellular growth, provide energy, absorb vitamins/nutrients, insulate your body, etc. The type of fat you consume is the issue.
- Solid fats (those solid at room temp): are bad for you. Often come from animals or are highly processed.
- Saturated fats and trans fats can lead to weight gain, increase risk for stroke and/or heart disease, increases cholesterol
- Liquid fats (those liquid at room temp) are better for you in the right doses; still highly caloric, so don’t over indulge
- Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can lower bad cholesterol, contributes Vitamin E absorption – serves as an antioxidant
- Monounsaturated: olive oil, nuts, avocados, oils, peanut oil
- Polyunsaturated: provides essential fat (omega 3 & 6 fatty acids) that your body needs, but can not produce itself – example include some oils such as sunflower, walnut and flaxseed oils, fatty fish, seed and nuts
- Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can lower bad cholesterol, contributes Vitamin E absorption – serves as an antioxidant
Very calorie dense – 9 calories per gram.
⇒ Water
You must meet your fluid needs regularly to achieve optimal health. Often, this is through water, but can also be through broths and certain water dense foods.
→ Did you know: 60% of your body weight & up to 90% of your blood is water?
- Benefits: Regulate temperature, lubricate your joints, protect your spinal cord/nerves, excrete waste products
We also know that drinking water fills you up; therefore, you eat less. Water also prevents dehydration, carries nutrients/oxygen to your cells, normalizes BP, aids digestion, etc.
- Lack of sufficient water causes dehydration. Symptoms include dizziness, weakness, lethargy, confusion, & dark urine.
NOTE: Too much water is not a good thing either: It becomes too hard on your kidneys and dilutes the sodium in your blood. This is difficult to do though, especially if you are healthy. The proper amount varies – consider thirst levels. If you are hardly thirsty, your levels are likely ok. Also consider the color of urine: pale yellow, your levels are likely ok, colorless – you’ve consumed too much.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine determined that adequate daily fluid intake is 15.5 cups for men, and 11.5 cups for women (20% usually comes from food). That can be quite a bit, especially if you are not a water drinker. Consider consuming high water content foods to supplement. If you are thirsty, drink water.
Water does not provide calories.
⇒ Vitamins & Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients and promote mandatory functions of your body while helping to prevent disease. Vitamins keep your bones strong, heal wounds, convert food to energy and boost your immune system.
- Your body needs 13 vitamins in order to function properly: A,C,D, E, K, B group (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyrodoxal/pyroxidine and cobalamin), biotin & folate/folic acid.
Some are water soluble, meaning that these vitamins are carried to the body’s tissues but are not stored in the body.
Some are fat soluble: A,D,E, K – they are present in foods containing fats & your body stores these vitamins.
- Minerals assist with energy production, growth, cellular healing and promote the proper utilization of vitamins.
Important minerals: Ca, Mg, Iron, Sodium, Phosphorus, potassium, chloride, zinc, iodine, sulfur, cobalt, copper, fluoride, manganese, & selenium
∗Which is a better source: supplement or food?
Fresh foods are loaded with valuable vitamins and minerals that are necessary for good health; however, supplements can help ‘plug the gap’ when your diet cannot provide nutrients consistently. Avoid mega-doses of supplements though, as too much is not better. Understand that supplements are not standardized or regulated & evidence is limited. Proceed cautiously, do your homework!
Food is better; remember nutrient dense foods also contain fiber. In additional to the food options mentioned above, consider adding dietary herbs and spices to your dishes to add vital vitamins and minerals. Herbs and spices are nutrient dense foods that pack a huge punch of flavor to your dishes while contributing to good nutrition & a healthy lifestyle. Fresh herbs contain many different vitamins including A, C, E & K, along with other compounds called polyphenols that have antioxidant properties to fight disease! Spices and herbs also contain vital minerals like copper, iron, calcium, & magnesium, plus many more. Check out how to best use herbs and spices to enhance your cooking here.
Vitamins and minerals do not provide calories.
**A Word on Special Diets
Special diets – are they a fad or a necessity for good nutrition?
There is no perfect diet for all humans – our options depend on numerous factors, most notably considering allergens in recent decades.
However, consuming a variety of whole, natural food items often provides one with the opportunity to achieve the basic components listed above in a manner that is not only tolerable, but enjoyable.
Food is fuel – what are we putting into our bodies?
Your body is a Ferrari – what kind of gasoline do you put in it? Can you use unleaded? Yes, but will the car run properly? No. You need to invest in premium gasoline to properly fuel a high performance vehicle. YOU are a high performance vehicle – fuel it well!
Summary
Good nutrition & healthy eating require specific components in order to create the best environment for your body to function properly.
Good news! Eating a variety of foods helps you achieve your goal.
Supplements are available, but not preferred.
Water is crucial; so are fats, carbs and proteins.
Focus on mono- & polyunsaturated fats, complex carbs and a variety of lean proteins
Make it fun, try new foods, and experiment by cooking at home.
You are what you eat: don’t be fast, cheap or fake. Fuel the Ferrari that you are!
Helpful resources for additional information:
