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Understanding the components of a healthy diet and healthy eating plan is an important part of making positive changes to your health. Planning a healthy diet means knowing about the different macronutrients in the foods we eat. Click on the blue links below for an in-depth look at each of the components of a healthy diet and healthy eating plan.
? Protein
Proteins are nutrients that help you build and maintain healthy muscle, skin, and organs. They're made up of amino acids, which are referred to as the ?building blocks? of muscle. Sources of protein include meats such as beef, poultry, and fish, dairy products, nuts, whole grains, and legumes (beans). The ideal amount of protein is largely dependent on your exercise goals but the average person should get at least .36 grams per pound of body weight per day.
Learn more by going to the Healthy Sources of Protein page.
? Fat
Certain fats are essential to maintaining health. Fats are classified as either saturated, trans, polyunsaturated, or monounsaturated. Fats to include in your healthy diet and healthy eating plan include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which are found in foods like fish, nuts, and heart healthy oils such as olive oil.
The type of fats that you should be eating in very limited quantities are trans fat and saturated fat. Trans fats are one of the main causes of high cholesterol and lead to many other health problems and diseases. As a general rule, try not to eat any foods with trans fat, especially fast food, desserts, and packaged foods.
Learn more by going to the What Are Good Fats? page.
? Carbohydrates
Carbs have been the topic of much discussion the past few years, with the Atkins and South Beach diets gaining popularity. Carbs provides the ?fuel? for your body and are the primary source of energy. They are found in fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice, grains, legumes, and sweets. You don't have to stop eating carbs to lose weight.
Avoid refined and processed carbs such as white bread, white flour, white rice, white pasta, sugary sodas and packaged snack foods. These have been stripped of their natural whole grains and much of their nutritional content and may contribute to weight gain, interfere with weight loss, diabetes, and heart disease.
Carbs that are part of a healthy diet and healthy eating plan include fruits and vegetables, beans, and whole grain products such as oatmeal, whole wheat and multi-grain pasta, brown rice, and whole wheat bread. The higher the fiber content the better (see below).
Learn more by going to the Healthy Carbs page.
? Fiber
Fiber comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and insoluble fiber travels through the intestines intact. As a general rule, women should eat over 20 grams of fiber per day and men should eat over 35 grams per day. Fiber is a crucial component of a healthy diet and healthy eating plan and has a ton of health benefits, including helping you lose more weight by maker you feel more full, preventing constipation, controlling blood sugar, lowering your risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, and many digestive disorders.
Go to the Healthy Foods High in Fiber page to learn more about fiber.
? Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins are natural substances found in plants and animals that are necessary to sustain life. There are 13 essential vitamins, including vitamins A, B (multiple B vitamin), C, D, E, and K. Minerals come from the soil and water and include calcium, chromium, selenium, zinc, sodium, potassium, and iron. It is recommended to take a daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement (such as One-a-Day). The fact is, many people have trouble getting the recommended amount of vitamins and nutrition and a multi-vitamin is a great way to combat this. Aim for a multi-vitamin that has close to 100% of each of the 13 essential vitamins. Your body doesn?t need 2000% of your Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin C, so when you see numbers like these, be wary.
Go to the Low Sodium Foods page to learn more about sodium.
? Water
Everyone knows drinking water should be part of a healthy diet plan. So just how much should you drink? Most people have heard of the 8 glasses per day rule, which if fine, but here are two good reasons for drinking more than this:
1. Drinking more water decreases your appetite, and
2. Drinking 72 extra ounces of water per day increases your metabolism and burns about 100 extra calories.
Another little-known fact: by drinking ice water, your body burns roughly 8 extra calories per 8 ounce glass.
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