Diet And Nutrition Explained

When the words diet and nutrition are mentioned people often think of all the harsh diets they have heard about which means cutting out favourite foods. When it comes to nutrition they think of going to a dietician. However dieting and nutrition is a lot easier than this and it does not mean having to go on a strict unbearable diet, it just means using common sense.

Anyone can eat a healthy diet and get the nutrition which the body needs. A healthy diet means just adding different foods to the diet and being aware of the foods which carry the essential nutrients. You do not have to make drastic changes just use common sense and cut down on the foods which contain salt, fatty foods and sugar.

There is nothing mysterious about a healthy diet and nutrition. The nutrition essentials include eating plenty of fresh fruit and veg per day, including foods which have starch in them and including foods which are rich in protein in your diet. Just as important is making sure you drink enough water throughout the day with the recommended minimum being 1.2 litres.

When it comes to fruit and veg then experts recommend eating at the very least 5 portions per day. Of course a mixture of fruit and veg is recommended to make sure that you are getting a good mix of vitamins and nutrients. Fruit and veg should preferably be fresh but tinned, frozen and even the extracted juice can count towards your daily allowance. Where possible eat vegetables raw or if you must cook them then lightly steam them as valuable vitamins are lost if you overcook. Also do not store them for long periods of time but eat them as soon as possible. If you are boiling veg then use the minimum amount of water and consider using the water as a stock base to make a soup.

A diet and nutrition plan is easy to follow with a little knowledge about food and including starchy foods in your diet is essential. Starchy food groups such as potatoes, rice, pasta and cereals should be eaten daily and again a mixture is essential. The wholegrain breads, grains and rice are preferable and should account for about a third of your daily diet. Including starchy foods in your daily diet is needed to keep your energy levels up and is one of the main sources of the nutrients we need on a daily basis. This is also a great way to get the iron, B vitamins, fibre and calcium that the body needs to remain fit and healthy.

When diet and nutrition is explained it takes away the confusion many people have regarding a healthy diet. There is no need to follow a crazy restrictive diet or to limit yourself to just eating certain types of foods as many "fad" diets insist. If you want to change your lifestyle and your diet and start eating a healthier diet then just think about the different foods that make up a healthy diet and start including them in your diet.