Nutrition

The facts about Nutrition Nutrients-are substances in food that the body requires for proper growth, maintenance, and functioning. Your body uses nutrition to replace old or damaged muscle, bone, skin, and blood. Too much food energy can lead to excess body fat. Remember lifestyle diseases are up to you. Nutrient deficiencies-too little of one or more nutrients in diet, one form malnutrition. Malnutrition-is a serious result of undernutrition. Undernutrition-too little food energy or too few nutrients. Overnutrition-means consuming to much food energy. Many people overtake salt, harmful fats, cholesterol, sugars, and even some vitamins.

MyPyramid MyPyramid- is a diet planning pattern which shows what foods in each of the five food groups supply nutrients. Carbohydrates-a class of nutrients that include sugars, starches, and fiber. Sugars and starches provide 4 calories per gram while fiber does not provide calories. Protein a class of nutrients that build body tissue and supply energy. Protein form part of every cell in the body. They also provide 4 calories per gram.

MyPyramid Cont.’d Fats-an energy source of the body. They provide nine calories per gram. Vitamins-compounds that are required for growth and proper function of the body. Each vitamin provides something different to the body and its functions and do not provide calories. Minerals-elements that perform many functions that keep the body growing and functioning. Teens often need calcium and iron. Water-Teen females need about 8 cups of fluid a day while teen males need about 11 cups each day. The categories for the mypyramid are grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and meats and beans. The sections are all not the same size which means that you may need more or less depending on your lifestyle habits.

Whole Grains Whole Grains-are grains used in their intact forms, with all of their edible parts included. Whole grains should be bread, rice, cereals, pasta, and oatmeal. Biscuits, fried rice, cookies, and snack crackers are high in fats and sugars and should only be eaten occasionally. For health half of the day’s grains should be from whole grains.

Vegetables Vegetables are loaded with nutrients that the body needs everyday. Most are low in calories. Research shows that a vegetable rich diet helps prevent cancer and heart disease as opposed to a low vegetable diet. Broccoli, spinach, carrots, corn, cabbages, mushrooms, onions, and peppers are all examples of vegetables.

Fruit Fruit offers fiber in it. Fiber is indigestible substances in foods, made mostly of carbohydrate. Fiber helps lower the risk for heart disease. Whole fruits are considered better than fruit juices or canned fruit with syrup because it has added sugar. Apples, Oranges, Pineapple, strawberries, grapes, watermelon, peaches, pears, bananas are all whole fruits.

Milk Milk is very important to teens because of their still developing body. Milk and milk products such as yogurt, cheese are rich in calcium which is bone building material. When choosing milk and milk products choose fat-free or low far to reduce calories and harmful fats. Skim milk is the best while whole milk is the worst for calories and fats.