A Quick Lesson in Nutrition
It can be hard
to choose the right foods for a healthy lifestyle. Carbohydrates, Fat grams, Protein: what do they all even mean? Well, here is all the basic information you need to help make healthy choices about
nutrition and food.
Calories
What is a calorie?
A calorie is a unit of energy. It describes how much energy your body takes from what you eat or drink. Unlike what most people make you think, calories aren’t bad for you; your body needs calories to give you energy. Eating too many calories without exercise, though, can lead to weight gain.Fats
Even
though fat sounds negative, it is an important part of a healthy diet. When reading a nutrition label, young
adults should look to have about 30% ( or 1/3) of their calories from fat. There are many different types of fats: unsaturated facts, saturated fats, and trans fats.
Unsaturated fats are found in plant foods and fish and
can improve heart health.
Saturated fats are found in meat and other animal
products such as milk, cheese, and butter.
Trans fats are found in snack foods, baked goods,
and margarine. Saturated fats and
trans fats can raise your cholesterol, which puts you at risk for heart
disease.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates,
or carbs, are broken down into sugar by the body. There are two types of carbs, simple carbs and complex
carbs.
Simple carbs are refined sugar, like the white sugar
you put in coffee. You can also
find simple carbs in fruits and milk.
Complex carbs are also called starches. Starches can be found in bread, crackers, pasta, and rice. Some complex carbs are better than others. Refined (White) grains have been processed, which removes nutrients. Unrefined grains ( starches made with what) contain vitamins and minerals, and also have lots of fiber.
How to Read a Nutrition Label
Ok, we've discussed the importance of reading the labels of the food we eat, and what each part of the food does for our bodies, but have you ever tried reading one of those things? There organized strangely, and it all looks like a different language. Well not anymore. Below, we've broken it down, step-by-step instructions on how to read those huge Nutrition labels. Here's all you need to know:
If you want more help on reading food labels, you can practice with an interactive, online Nutrition label by clicking here. Scroll down the page to the nutrition label. When you find it, give it a try! can Roll over each section, and an explanation with more information will pop up for you.
Rules to Eat By
Whew! That's a lot of information to always remember. Sometimes, it can be really difficult to think of all those details when all you really want is a snack. So, here's the bottom line: Below are 8 basic rules we should all try to use when we eat. If you remember these, and try to work them into your diet and cooking, you'll be good to go.
- Eat less: calories from solid fats, added sugars, and refined grains
- Eat more: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat free or low-fat milk and milk products, seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, and nuts and seeds.
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.
- Eat a variety of protein- rich foods such as seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.
- Choose foods that have potassium, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D(check those nutrition labels!)
- Eat less than 300 mg of dietary cholesterol per day.
- Use oils ( like olive oil or canola oil) to replace solid fats (like butter or margarine).
- Reduce daily sodium (salt) intake to less than 2,300 mg.
You can also use helpful iPhone and computer apps like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt to help you keep track of what (and how much) you eat. You just put in the food, and they will automatically put in the calorie counts, nutrients, and vitamins in that food! You can also put in the exercises you did that day- and it will automatically calculate how many calories you burned! They are both also free to use, and really great ways to help you lose or gain weight. Give them a try- and start getting fit in the City!
References:
Gavin, M. L. (2011). Figuring out fat and calories. Nemours. Retrieved from http://m.kidshealth.org/
Nutrition Facts Label (2013). H-E-B. Retrieved from http://www.heb.com/
Young adults nutrition (2013). WellStar. Retrieved from http://www.wellstar.org/
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