A Healthy Guide To Good Nutrition

whether you are at your ideal weight or striving to reach your weight goal, is it simply a matter of burning more calories than you take in? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Overall body health improvement, as well as weight gain or loss, must be factored into the equation or you could be heading for health problems. Correct nutrition can help to reduce the risk of a myriad of health-related problems, the most concerning of which are surely heart disease and cancer. Proper nutrition, however, means eating many different foods, monitoring your consumption of certain food and beverage items, and rarely counting calories. Good diet offers balanced nutrition that maintains a healthy cholesterol profile, blood pressure, and helps with optimal weight for your body type. That is why having a Healthy Guide to Good Nutrition is so very important.

Foundational Nutrients

To function properly, your body must have the correct combination of nutrients. They come in the form of Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins and the Essential Macro + Micro Nutrients.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the primary source of ammunition in your diet. They help fuel your brain, kidneys, heart, muscles, and central nervous system. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose which can be used immediately or stored in your body for later. Too much glucose, however, is stored as fat. There are two types of carbohydrates – simple and complex. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches and fibers are complex carbohydrates.

Roles of carbohydrates:

Provide fuel for the brain
Provide a quick source of energy for our muscles
Help regulate protein + fat metabolism
Provides a source of fiber, which helps with regular elimination of waste materials
Fight infections
Promote growth of body tissues such as bone + skin
Lubricate the joints

proteins

Protein has many physiological roles in the body. They help your body build and maintain muscles and other tissues. Proteins make up the enzymes that power many chemical reactions and the hemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. They also function in the creation of hormones that regulate functions in the body and they create antibodies which fight infections. Like carbohydrates, excess protein is stored as fat.

COMPLETE PROTEINS NEED PROPER DIGESTION TO BREAK DOWN tO THE AMINO ACIDS NEEDED FOR OPTIMAL FUNCTION!

Roles of protein:

Protein is an essential macronutrient, which means you need an adequate amount of protein in your diet to stay healthy
Needed to maintain muscle mass
Promotes stable blood sugar
Responsible for growth, repair and maintenance of cells – amino acids are the building blocks of protein
Your body will start to utilize your muscle for energy if you are protein-deficient
Builds muscle, cartilage + skin
Regulates our metabolism and almost every function in the body
Needed for mitochondria function which is the power-house of each cell!

Fat

Fat is another nutrient your body requires. It comes in both saturated and unsaturated forms. We want to focus on the healthy fats and stay clear of the unhealthy fats as they breakdown and destroy the body. Fat is also so very important for the brain and early development.

Roles of fat:

Provide a source of energy
Building blocks for cell membranes + hormones
Required for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E + K
Required for the adequate use of proteins
Serve as a protective lining for the organs of the body
Play a role in slowing the absorption of food for proper energy regulation
Makes food taste great!

Vitamins

Vitamins are also required nutrients. Different vitamins perform different tasks within the body. They can work with the metabolism to help with energy levels for any task you can think of that your body needs to perform. A study on how specific vitamins and minerals support issues with fatigue, energy and cognition. Most cannot be made in the body so we must get them from our diet, and they must be present with cofactors (minerals, enzymes and other vitamins) to get best results. When you work with a licensed practitioner to test and determine what specific vitamins you may be deficient in, you will discover how your food can be medicine, and in turn, create your very own healthy guide of good nutrition that is individualized just for you!

For example, vitamins A, C, and E, also called antioxidants, can assist with the prevention of coronary artery disease by preventing build up from occurring on artery walls. Vitamin B-1 is needed for digestion and proper nervous system function. Vitamin B-2 is needed for normal cell growth. Vitamin B-3 helps to detoxify your body. Folate assists with the production of red blood cells. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin K helps your blood clot.

Roles of vitamins:

Function primarily as coenzymes in metabolism
Essential for growth, vitality + a healthy immune system
Helpful in digestion, elimination + resistance to disease
Depletion can lead to a variety of specific nutritional disorders + general health problems

Minerals + trace elements

Minerals and trace elements are used in many different body processes. They are not produced in the body so we must get them from our food: they come from the earth. Minerals like chlorine help make your digestive juices. Phosphorus helps build strong bones. Both can be found in the foods we consume, but with a trace element, your body just needs a tiny amount.

Salt is one very important nutrient your body requires. I recommend using sea salt, not table salt! Sea salt is obtained naturally, all natural minerals are readily used by the body. Table salt is mined inland, heated to extreme temperatures and refined with chemicals; potassium/sodium iodide added for iodized salt, added dextrose, sodium bicarbonate and sodium silico-aluminate for color and to make it easy to pour. We dont need all those additives!

Roles of minerals:

Act as cofactors for enzyme reactions
Maintain pH balance in the body
Maintain osmotic pressure
Facilitate the transfer of nutrients across cell membranes
Maintain proper nerve conduction
Contract + relax muscles
Regulate tissue growth
Provide structural + functional support

Creating well-balanced nutrition

Following a healthy guide to good nutrition will help create a well-balanced, nutritional diet. First, try to consume two and a half cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit each day at a minimum amount. When making your selections for each day, be sure to choose a good variety. A good nutritional guideline is to eat as many different colors of fruits and vegetables as possible, as this will help you to select from all five vegetable subgroups at least four times per day.

The majority of carbs should be low-glycemic vegetables that are raw or lightly cooked. On occasion, include starchy whole grains, potatoes. and brown rice. Grains consumed should be gluten-free, organic and sprouted.

When choosing protein sources look for grass-fed beef, organic lamb, wild meats, organic free-range poultry, whole, raw or cultured dairy, and low-toxicity wild seafood. Avoid soy (unless you are menopausal and have a clean soy source-but this is a discussion on hormones; stay tuned), pasteurized, homogenized dairy and farmed seafood. These sources provide no health benefits and actually break down health. Again, we are looking for healthy guidelines to good nutrition to connect with better food choices.

Healthy fats such as avocados, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, raw butter, raw and soaked nuts are the good fats to incorporate into your diet. Stay away from hydrogenated fats, highly processed vegetable oils and fried foods. These bad fats breakdown your cell lining and destroy health.

water

It would not be complete if we did not bring the importance of water into this discussion. Typically you want to take your weight and divide by 2; this is how many required ounces of water you should consume daily. Also take into factor any caffeinated beverages you may be consuming-you may need to add more water to your daily intake, but do not exceed over 100 ounces of water a day. Too much water may throw off your electrolytes and this can be dangerous for your cell function. Filtered, pure water is best; find a trusted water purification system for healthy consumption.

Roles of water:

Improves oxygen delivery to cells
Transports nutrients
Enables cellular hydration
Moistens oxygen for easier breathing
Lubricates and cushions bones and joints + absorbs shock to joints and organs
Regulates body temperature
Removes wastes + flushes toxins; supports detoxification
Improves cell-to-cell communication
Maintains normal electrical properties of cells
Empowers the body’s natural healing process

Nutrient-dense, organic whole food nutrition is the basis of a healthy diet. Having a diet that is varied and full of fresh food will ensure your body has the chance to get a good amount of nutrition.

I hope this quick Healthy Guide to Good Nutrition has given you some great insight on where to begin with your nutrition. What are you eating each day to allow for good nutrition?

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