Nutrition FOODS.. The more we learn about nutrition, the more we realize how central it is to our health. The problem is that most people do not associate a nutritious diet with a sense of well being, yet nutrition is at the very heart of this. People think that our bodies are more fixed and static than they really are, yet to a certain extent our bodies are a continuous flow of the nutrients which we consume. We might consist of a basic nature or structure, but what we eat largely determines the quality of what that structure supports. Food Group One of the most important approaches to good nutrition is to think in terms of food groups rather than individual food items. Not only does this simplify the task of understanding nutrition, but it tends to widen the range of potential foods for our diet, and to consequently broaden and balance the range of nutrients which we ultimately consume. The six major food groups to understand for good nutrition are as follows: Fruits; Vegetables; Grains; Meat & Beans; Milk Products; and Oils. From a nutritional perspective, fruit does not need to be fresh. It can be canned, dried, frozen or even juiced, and can be any type of fruit. Similarly, any type of vegetable or vegetable juice counts as part of that food group. Vegetables can be raw or cooked, canned, dried or frozen. Grains consist of foods made from wheat, oats, barley, rice, cornmeal or any cereal. Common examples of grain foods are breakfast cereals, pasta and bread. The food group of Meat and Beans comprises all meats (preferably lean), chicken, fish, eggs, dry beans, peas and seeds. Milk products comprise any such products which have not lost their calcium content, and include yoghurt, cheese and butter. Foods from the milk group should ideally be low-fat or no-fat. Oils come in many different types, but common examples are olive oil, soybean oil and canola oil. Some foods have high levels of naturally-occurring oil, such as fish, nuts and avocado.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:06:11 +0000
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