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Understanding Your Food Intake
Our body needs a
balance of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, fiber, minerals and
vitamins. You also need to know how to keep your blood sugar levels down
and controlling portion size of food intake. It is important to know when
and what to consume at the correct time in order to achieve weight loss
successfully.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provides the energy for your daily activities. There are
basically two kinds of carbohydrates namely simple and complex carbs.
Fruits, vegetables are simple carbs which provide sugar in a natural form.
Complex carbs are found mainly in starched based food such as bread,
cereals, pasta and rice. Complex carbs are healthier than simple carbs.
Protein
It is the main source of repair for your body muscles tissue. Protein is
found in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts. Our body requires protein
for growth and strength.
Fibre
Fibre is required daily for the disposals of waste from our body. Sources
of fibre can be found in brown rice, cereals, wholegrain bread. Rich
sources of fibre are mostly found in fruits and vegetables.
Fats
Fats are basically divided into two types: Good fats and bad fats.
Good fats
Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats help lower total cholesterol and LDL(
Low-Density-Lipoprotein ) cholesterol, the bad cholesterol while
increasing HDL( High Density Lipoprotein ) cholesterol, the good
cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats can be found in peanuts, walnuts,
almonds and pistachios, avocado, canola and olive oil. These fats have
also been found to help in weight loss.
Polyunsaturated Fats
This fats provide the body with vitamins A, D and E. It improves your
immune system and stimulates the body metabolism rate. It can be found
mostly in salmon and fish oil, as well as corn, soy and sunflower oils.
Bad fats
Saturated fats
These are fats linked directly to obesity, weight gain and raised levels
of bad LDL cholestrol.These fats cause the hardening of arteries and bring
about a series of heart related disease and some cancers. They are found
mainly in foods like eggs, bacon, beef and cheese.
Trans fats
Trans fats are good vegetable fats but have been altered by food
processing to improve their texture and flavor. They are found mainly in
cakes, pastries, pies and margarines so try to stay away from these foods
as they can be harmful to your body in the long run.
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