Do you have any idea what food pyramid means? It tells you what to eat and how much to eat everyday. Nutritionists recommend 3 parts of carbohydrates, 2 parts of protein and 1 part of sugar and/or fat. But be honest: do you really do that? If not, you could start today.
Our main energy source for the body are carbohydrates. This means, you shouldn’t skip breakfast and please, do not believe that noodles or bread make fat. This kind of food contains fibers, sugars and starches, which will be broken down to glucose, that gives energy to the body. But watch out: too much is stocked as fat.
The main component of muscles and organs are proteins. They’re in every tiny cell of you. Our body is not able to produce all the necessary amino acids for the synthesis of the proteins, so you have to take them.
Fat and sugar should be used sparingly. Remember the hidden sugars in soda, salad sauce and industrialized food. One thing is really true: you are what you eat. If you want to be slim, you have to eat slim. If you eat fat ...
An important factor for body functions is water. The recommendation is 1,5 liter at least.
How about your vitamin level?
In milk, eggs and veggies you find vitamin A (for eyes and immune system). Vitamin C for cells, bones, blood is found in fruits and vegetables. Vitamin D is as well produced by sunlight. Antioxidant vitamin E is in grains and veggies. B-vitamins are for brain, nerves, energy, heart and blood are provided by fish, nuts, beans, cereal and soy for example.
Mineral intake varies for men and women. The most important are calcium, sodium, potassium, iro, magnesium and copper. If your diet does not provide sufficient quantities, you should think about supplements.
However, the magic word is exercise. Your basic energy requirement is 1,3 calories for each kilogram or body weight per hour. If 1 pound of fat is burnt by 7.000 calories of activity, than you have to run about 20 hours to get it off. A body mass index (divide your mass in kilogram by the square of your height in cm) over 30 is unhealthy; the ideal is 20 to 22.