What Does Proper Nutrition Really Mean?
Proper nutrition is a term rarely thought about in our fast paced lives. The challenge for many is to spend as little time as possible stopping off to pick up something we can eat while racing off to complete the next daily task.
Nutrition is defined as nourishment or energy that is obtained from consuming food or the process of consuming nourishment and energy in the proper amounts.
Unfortunately, for many of us, proper nutrition is far from what we get from our daily diet. We are obsessed with junk food, processed food that comes from a box and many of us eat little or worse yet no whole real food that provides the body with the proper nutrition that it needs.
The term “proper nutrition” is often misinterpreted by people and most people don’t fully understand how to implement into their daily lives.
So, what is proper nutrition?
The following discussion breaks down what proper nutrition really means:
The World Health Organization defines proper nutrition as an adequate, well-balanced diet combined with regular physical activity.
Five key points are used by the World Health Organization to define what a well balanced diet is for an adult.
1. The main part of a healthy diet is the presence of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains.
It is important to get 5 portions or 400g of fruits and vegetables a day.
– It is essential to get a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet, get as many different colors as possible.
– Some examples of legumes are lentils and beans.
– Whole wheat, steel cut oats, millet, oats and brown rice are examples of whole foods.
2. Potatoes and starchy roots are not classified as fruits or vegetables, they are in fact starches, like grains and should be limited.
3. Less than 10% of your total daily calories from simple sugars, ideally this amount should be less than 5%.
This is equivalent to about 12 level teaspoons for a 2000 calorie a day diet.
Simple sugars, include table sugar, sugar found in fruit, added to processed foods and found in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.
4. Less than 30% of total calorie intake should be from fats.
• Most of your fats should be unsaturated fats, such as those found in fish, avocado, nuts, sunflower, olive and canola oils, which are preferable over saturated fats, such as those found in fatty meat, butter, cream, ghee, lard, cheese, and palm and coconut oil.
• The American Heart Association advises 7% or less of total daily calories come from saturated fats, which are found in meat, chicken, butter and tropical oils.
• Trans fats found in processed foods, fried foods, snack foods, fast foods, frozen pizza, pies, cookies, margarine, and spreads are not part of a healthy diet and should be limited to 1% or less of daily caloric intake.
5. You should be consuming less than 1 teaspoon, or 5g, of salt per day.
– Iodized salt is the healthier option.
In order to maintain proper nutrition, there are some principles that you need to apply in addition to the ones above from the World Health Organization.
• Do not completely eliminate any type of food from your diet. Instead, incorporate all foods into your diet according to their ratio that is set by the food pyramid.
• Limit you saturated fats, starch, and sugars, but generously include lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and good fats into your diet.
• Consume as much of your food as you can to their raw or original form
• Minimize your intake of processed foods and junk foods. These typically offer no nutritional value and are much higher in calories than the natural choices.
• Replace your juice with raw fruit and avoid sodas.
• Vitamins, enzymes, and fiber are best consumed in the form of raw fruits and vegetables.
• Consume six smaller portioned meals in a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, two daytime snacks, and one pre-bed snack will help you feel full and avoid binge eating.
• Drink lots of water every day, the general recommendation is to consume at least eight to ten glasses a day.
Simplifying
It is really simple to get proper nutrition, EAT A WIDE VARIETY OF REAL WHOLE FOOD.
Fresh meats, vegetables, fruits and low fat dairy will allow you to get all the various nutrients these foods provide. So, get rid of the boxed food in your pantry and freezer and fill your plate with whole foods if you are ready to start seeing a difference in your energy, health and weight.
Final Thoughts
After reading and rereading the above on proper nutrition you should have a better grasp of healthy eating and how you should be incorporating it into your daily life.
If you are ready to start feeling healthier and have more energy then be sure you are consuming an optimal diet that provides you with the proper nutrition.
