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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.

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.

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. If you maintain this balance correctly you will not become fat or have any problems with obesity.

It is only when people get their diet out of balance and favor more of the fat containing foods they start to experience problems with their weight. Also getting a little more scientific carbohydrates is broken down by the body in to sugars so these should be only eaten as stated as part of an overall balanced diet.

Fat is much more calorific than either proteins or carbohydrates so when planning a meal try to keep a good balance of both carbs and protein and a smaller amount of fat.

Lets look at each type of fat in turn.

Mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA's). Mono unsaturated fats are found at room temperature normally in the form of vegetable oils,nuts and seeds.

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (Poly Unsaturated 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 poly unsaturated 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 (Saturated fatty acids) are usually solid at room temperature and are found mainly in foods from animal sources like meat, dairy products and butter. Some vegetable oils such as coconut, palm kernel and palm oil are also full of saturated fatty acids.

Trans fatty acids:- They are sometimes known as trans fats or hydrogenated fats or partially hydrogenated fats. This means that they have been chemically altered by the addition of hydrogen to make them solid at room temperature. Trans fats are found in foods such as some margarines, used extensively in the fast food industry and in processed snacks.

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://articlebob.com

Are you looking for help and diet advice you will enjoy the new free report by Graham Foster "82 weight loss tips get rid of 22.5 pounds of ugly fat in just 5 short weeks"

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