Old wives tales, and myths about nutrition have been passed down from generation to generation. In today’s world, there is also such a wealth of information available to anyone who is looking for it, but that doesn’t mean that even that is correct all of the time. This article will show you some things that are basics everyone needs to be aware of in order to maintain good health and give their bodies the nutrition it craves and needs.
Everything you eat has calories in it. For every calorie you eat, you need to use that calorie up in order to keep from gaining weight. You burn calories all of the time. You burn them when you are sleeping, sitting, standing, working and exercising. The amount of calories burned during any given activity is different for each person. You should understand that there is no magic formula for calculating how many calories you specifically burn, but you can understand how much you would burn off on average doing that activity. Make sure that you are using up enough calories in each day in order to avoid weight gain.
Our bodies need different elements in order to survive and thrive. Carbohydrates, protein and fat all have different roles in our bodies. No one thing is able to be eliminated completely and still have a healthy diet. Everything in moderation it a good rule to follow. If you ingest too much of any one thing it can set off an imbalance elsewhere in your system.
Not only do you need to eat the proper amounts of foods and calories each day, but you need to keep your body active. Exercising and working out are ways that you use your muscles and keep your heart and lungs working well. These organs all need to be used in order to be healthy. If you are giving your body the proper foods it needs to operate, then use your body to the best of it’s ability as well to get the effects of those foods.
Hydration also plays a key role in nutrition and health. Many of the foods that we eat, naturally contain water. Foods like vegetables and fruits have a high water and fiber content in them naturally. This allows us to gain extra hydration from these foods without needing to drink a minimum number of glasses of water per day. Drinking enough is not always the problem though. Other foods and elements such as salt, alcohol and caffeine are diuretics. They ROB the body of water and hydration. Eliminating or controlling the amount of these that you consume can greatly increase how well your body stores and uses water.
If we understand what nutrients do for us and how they fuel our bodies, then we can feel better, have much more energy and look good to boot. This article is a good stepping stone for understanding more about food and nutrition and the roles they play in our lives.