Getting the balance right -A guide to healthy eating

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.

With around 4 calories being produced by one gram of protein it is not suprising that we are encouraged to eat plenty of protein rich foods such as eggs and dairy products (which of course also contain fats), red meats fish and steaks.

When looking at carbs like protein we find that calorifically around 1g of carbohydrate will produce about 4 calories of energy. However when comparing carbs it is much harder as they are rather more complex and in addition to being food found in nature than can also be found in food that is manufactured by man.

Carbohydrates which are found in nature include rice,some pulses (such as beans),potato's in various different guises, and oatmeal but this is just the tip of the iceberg a wider range of man made carbs are found in cookies, candies, and cakes plus a whole range of other processed foods.

But you probably won't be suprised to learn that from each gram of fat there are a massive 9 calories. That's right a shocking 225% more calories than either carbs or protein.But few people fully understand the implications of this fact.

Nothing is ever quite as it seems as there are a number of different types of fat there are bad fats trans fatty acids and saturated fats which are generally derived from animals or manufactured by man. Where as good fats are generally from plants.

To maintain a healthy body you need to get a balance of all 3 of these in equal proportion but avoid large amounts or unsaturated fats and avoid when at all possible all tran fats.

If you choose to have a diet which has a high level of fat or indeed a high level of carbohydrate (especially man made carbs) you increase your chances dramatically of having problems with your weight. If you continue this way overtime you may end up extremely obese or as doctors use the term morbidly obese.

Since fat has substancially more calories per gram than both protein & carbohydrates, just ensure the bulk of your diet is a balance of the first two food groups with some healthy fats thrown in for good measure.

Let's examine the different types of fat individually.

Mono unsaturated fatty acids (Mono unsaturated fats). Examples of which are seeds,nuts and vegetable oils. They are found in liquid form at room temperature.

Poly unsaturated 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 fatty acids (SUFA's) are usually solid at room temperature and are found mainly in foods from animal sources like meats, dairy products such as milk and butter. SUFA's are also found in coconut, palm kernel and palm oil.

Trans fats (Trans fatty acids) are liquid vegetable oils that have been chemically processed to become solid at room temperature through the addition of hydrogen atoms. These hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are used in some margarines and fried foods as well as to improve the flavor, texture and shelf-life of processed snack foods like cookies and crackers.

Just as a quick rule of thumb but it's by no means an exhaustive or totally fool proof system. If the fat comes from an animal such as the fats found in butter, pastry or shortening, it is saturated fat and if it comes from a plant such as olive oil, sunfower oil or nuts it is most likely unsaturated fat. Remember unsaturated fat is good fat.

All fat will make you put on weight, so always keep it in check and maintain a healthy balance.

Article Source: http://www.lowcarbdietarticles.com

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