HEALTH  NET
YOUR DIET AND HEALTH 

 

Probably the biggest problem with the average diet is that we eat too much for the amount of energy we us. Generally we are too sedentary. The result is that many of us are overweight, and many others try to maintain their weight only by repeated periods of dieting. Maintaining an adequate level of physical activity is essential to maintaining your weight. A healthy diet does more than match your energy intake to energy output. it provides all the elements required for good health. 

THE COMPONENTS OF A HEALTHY DIET 
A healthy diet contains adequate quantities of six groups of essential substances: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, all of which contain calories( that is, they are nutrients that produce energy); and fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which although they are essential to a healthy diet, do not contain any calories. In addition you need plenty of water, without which life is impossible. A human being deprived of both food and drink usually can survive for only 4 or 5 days, but can live for as long as 2 months on liquids alone. 

 

PROTEINS 
Proteins are the chemical compounds that form the basis of living matter. You need a regular daily intake of protein for the repair, replacement, growth, and function of the body. Animal proteins (meat, fish, eggs, and cheese) can provide essential protein in the form your body needs but it is vital to limit your intake of fats-meats and cheeses can be high in fat. A wide variety of vegetable proteins is also available. These are found most abundantly in peas, beans, and other legumes but also are present in grains. If you eat more protein than your body needs, the extra protein is converted to glucose and provides energy or is converted to fat and stored by your body. 

WATER: 
Your body is made up of about 65 to 70 percent water. You lose 4 pints (about 2 liters) every day in breathed-out moisture, urine, stools, and sweat. The lost fluid must be replaced. To replace fluids, drink 6 to 8 glasses of water every day. 

CARBOHYDRATES:
These are chemicals that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. All the foods that we think of as being either "starchy" or "sugary" contain a high proportion of carbohydrates. Some examples are sugar, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and cereals. These foods are our main source of energy, and some for them contribute other essential elements of a balanced diet, such as vitamins and minerals. For example, potatoes and whole-grain bread contain fiber, cereals contain protein, and whole-grain bread is a good source of iron. 

 

FIBER:
The human digestive tract is unable to digest fiber, which is plant material such as cellulose and pectin that is found in unrefined cereals, fruit, vegetables, and legumes. Fiber is very important because it provides bulk to help the large intestine efficiently carry away body wastes. Also, fiber may help prevent diverticular disease and cancer of the large intestine. 

FATS:
Fats are found in plant foods such as olives and peanuts as well as in animal products. Fats provide energy, and minute quantities are also used for growth and repair. In addition, they make food more palatable and filling. Excess fat is stored in the body as fatty tissue. Fat can cause serious health problems. 
Depending on chemical composition, fats are either saturated or unsaturated, a distinction that matters primarily because cating saturated fats is thought to primarily because cating saturated fats is thought to increase the amount cholesterol in the blood. Animal fats, especially those in the Milk, butter, cheese and meat are more saturated and may be partly responsible for the development of atherosclerosis. The fat in some vegetable and and fish is largely unsaturated. In chicken and turkey most of the fat is in the skin. From the standpoint of the health, the better fats are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. However, all the fats are contain the same number of calories a substantial 135 calories per table spoon. 

VITAMINS: 
Vitamins are chemicals. Your body can make small amounts of some vitamins, such as vitamin D, which is made in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight, but most vitamins can be obtained only from food or supplements. Any one who eats a varied diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy products, fish, and meat generally gets enough vitamins, There is however, some evidence that the average person diet does not contain enough vitamin A and C year-round or enough vitamin D in the winter months. The best solution is not, however to take vitamin supplements. Instead, you should change your diet you eat.
 

 

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