What are the building blocks of a healthy and nutritious diet?

Today I am going to look at the 3 building blocks of a healthy diet one that is filled with nutrition and is good for you, whether you are trying to lose weight or not. They are protein,carbohydrate (carbs if you prefer) and fat.

Foods such as eggs those foods made from milk such as yoghurt, cheeses and of course just milk it's self are high in on of those essential building block protein which is why nutritionist recommend we eat plenty of protein in a balanced diet.

Carbohydrates also have around 4 calories per GRAM although this is of course rather a less scientific measurement as by chemical nature carbohydrates are wide and variable and are available as both naturally occuring carbohydrates and also man made carbohydrates.

Examples of natural carbohydrates include obvious ones such as potato's (in their various forms),bread,rice and oatmeal.Then we have processed foods or man made carbohydrates such as cakes, cookies,bagels and candies etc.

However Fat derives 9 calories from each GRAM, a full 225% more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates.Maybe that suprises you but it shouldn't really but few people uderstand the significance and even then it's not that simple. Nothing ever is ...

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.

The balance of carbs, to fat to protein is essential to healthy living and if you choose a diet which is unbalanced you risk health problems. Consume excess of either fat or carbs or a combination of both and you are likely to end up over weight.

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.

We will examine the different types of fat individually.

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 Fatty Acids (PUFA's):- Poly Unsaturated Fats are are most commonly seen in vegetable oils, fish and seafoods. They are liquid or soft at room temperature.Essential fatty acids Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of Polyunsaturated fats and are considered essential to our diet but our bodies can not make them so they must be obtained through the diet.

Saturated Fats (SUFA's):- These are fats which are found predominantly in animal food sources such as meats, dairy products (those made from milk) such as butter and cheese and in some plants the most well know one being coconut and it's derivatives.

Trans Fatty Acids:- They are sometimes known as trans fats or hydrogenated fats or partially hydrogented fats. This means that they have been chemically altered by th addition of hydrogen to make them solid at room temperature. Trans fats are found in foods such as some margarines, extensively in the fast food industry and in processed snacks.

Think of it this way fats from animals such as butter, shortening, pastry and the like are saturated fats. Whereas fats from sunflower oils, some nuts and olive oil and unsaturated fats. Some margarines and spreads are also unsaturated fat but read the label first.Don't forget any fat will make you fat if eaten to excess but unsaturated fats are better for you.

If you want to be eating healthy you need to keep a good balance of all 3 main food groups.

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