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

By: Graham Foster

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.

Protein has approximately 4 calories per GRAM, and can be found in food like eggs, other dairy products made from milk such as cheeses,and yoghurt. In addition protein can be found in red meats such as beef steak and fish.

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.

Those natural carbohydrates i.e found in nature as plants include potato's,rice, bread products and oatmeal.But we can also find more complex carbs in foods that are manufactured examples of which are cookies,white bread,candy and most forms of cake.

I am guessing you have probably worked out by now that I was saving the best (or worst in this case until last) .That's right a single gram of fat creates a massive 225% more energy at 9 calories (that's more than twice the amount of protein and carbohydrate). Is it that simple?

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.

But your body needs a balanced diet, so you have to ensure your are getting adequate amounts of all 3 food groups. To live a healthy life and if you maintain this balance correctly you will not become fat or have problems with obesity.

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 to having problems with your weight.If you continue this way may end up extremely obese or as doctors use the term morbidly obese.

As we have seen there are significantly more calories found in a gram of fat than a gram of protein or carbohydrate so to keep a godo diet requires a good balance of protein and carbs with some .

Lets look at each type of fat in turn...

Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids (Monounsaturated Fats).. Examples of which are seeds,nuts and vegetable oils. They are found in liquid form at room temperature.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (Polyunsaturated Fats):- These are are most commonly found in vegetable oils, fish and seafood. They are liquid or soft at room temperature.Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of Polyunsaturated fats and are considered essential fatty acids because our bodies need them but don't make them, thus they must be obtained through the diet. Some times referred to as PUFA's.

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 Fats (TFA's):- These are manufactured vegetable oils which have been specially processed to become solid at room temperature by the addition of hydrogen. You may have heard them called hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils or fats. They have been used in some margarines,junk foods and processed snacks which the manufacturers claim enhances their flavor and shelf life.

Just as a quick rule of thumb but 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, SunFlower Oil or Nuts it is most likely unsaturated fat. Remember unsaturated fat is good fat.

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

Article Source: http://www.simplepetcare.com/pet-articles

When seeking help and diet advice i'm convinced enjoy the new free report by Graham Foster "82 weight loss tips to lose 22.5 pounds of horrible fat in just 5 short weeks"
Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

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