Nutrition
Nutrition is an intricate subject that explores how our bodies use food, and how consuming enough specific nutrients can lower our risk for certain illnesses, including cancer and heart disease.
A healthy diet includes foods rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins with minimal added sugars – fruits, vegetables and grains provide essential vitamins while refined sugars may be found hidden within processed food or drinks.
Make the most out of your diet by checking out the new Nutrition Facts label on food products. Its bold font, larger print size and improved serving sizes provide more information that’s necessary. Be on the lookout for:
Dietary Guidelines
Dietary Guidelines for Nutrition is the federal government’s official advice regarding what people should eat to promote good health and prevent disease, with advice provided by both USDA and HHS.
These guidelines aim to offer advice to individuals at every stage of life based on current scientific knowledge and research.
Dietary Guidelines emphasize eating a range of food and beverages that meet nutritional requirements while supporting overall health. Furthermore, they offer strategies to assist individuals in improving their food choices and increasing physical activity levels.
The guidelines also advise limiting calories from added sugars and saturated fats as well as sodium, while encouraging moderate alcohol consumption when possible.
Nutrients
Nutrients are essential components of life. These nutrients come in the form of proteins, fats, carbohydrates (sugars and dietary fiber), vitamins and minerals and fulfill many essential roles to keep us alive and well. Carbs serve as fuel for most daily activities – glucose forms of carbs being the most metabolically active source. Best way to consume more carbs: more fruits and veggies while cutting back on processed food items!
Calories
Calories are the measure of energy in food that our bodies need for daily tasks, including digestion. Calories come from food components like carbohydrates, fats and proteins and counting them can be an integral part of developing a nutritious diet plan; however, their number doesn’t always correlate to its nutritional value.
Age, gender, genetics and physical activity level all play an integral part in how many calories someone receives from food, as do your portion sizes and eating patterns. Some individuals might be more energy dense than others when it comes to their calorie consumption – in other words, you consume more from similar-sized portions than they do.
Tracking what you eat and drink for several days is the easiest way to understand how many calories your foods and beverages provide, along with how many you should be consuming each day. Once this information is in hand, making more informed choices regarding food and beverages consumed becomes much simpler.
