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Balanced Diets: Food Types and Nutrition by Bonnie Lloyd

With the rise of fad diets such as the Atkins Diet and food combining, we have heard much about carbohydrates and protein. Do we know what they do and why our body needs them? In order to make an informed decision about a diet we must understand what our body needs in order to be healthy - there's no point in being thin and ill!

Nutrition is the process by which the body obtains the energy and nutrients necessary for a healthy life. Every function performed by the body requires energy, which is obtained from carbohydrates and fat. This energy is measured by Kilocalories (Kcals). The amount of energy required by the body varies from person to person. It depends on things such as build and amount of exercise taken. If you consume more energy than you need, the excess will be stored as fat and weight will increase.

Anyway, enough stating the obvious! Let's look at what those food types are and where we get them!

Recently demonised, carbohydrates are an important source of energy that is stored in body as Glycogen. Very important if you are very active.

It is recommended that carbohydrates should account for 55% of dietary intake.

The best forms of carbohydrates are:

• Bread and cereals
• Rice and Pasta
• Flour - preferably wholemeal
• Potatoes - preferably with skins on
• Vegetables and fruits

Protein is needed for growth and development and for repairing worn and damaged tissue.

A combination of animal and vegetable protein should be eaten for the best nutritional value.

It is recommended that Protein should account for 15% or less of dietary intake.

The body needs very little:

• Lean meat
• Fish
• Dairy products
• Eggs
• Peas, beans and lentils including soya

Fat is a concentrated source of energy which can be stored in the body as an energy reserve to protect the vital organs.

There are 2 main types of fat:

• Polyunsaturated - mainly sourced from vegetables
• Saturated - mainly sourced from animals

Polyunsaturated fats can be divided into 2 further groups:

• Monounsaturated - Olive oil, which has been praised for its health benefits, demonstrated in the Mediterranean diet.
• Polyunsaturated - Vegetable fats from seeds and nuts. Fish oils are also high in polyunsaturates.

It is recommended that fat should account for 30% or less of dietary intake. No more than 10% should be saturated.

This is essential for the normal functioning of body cells. It is important to stress that cholesterol is only healthy in very small amounts - high amounts are extremely bad for the heart.

A large proportion of the body is made up of water. Water aids digestion, maintains the temperature of the body and health of cells along with diluting waste products and assisting in their elimination. It is found throughout the body and is essential to life.

The body excretes around 2 litres of water per day through urine and perspiration. The body rebalances it's fluid loss by absorbing water from drinks and food. The majority of food contains some water.

This nutrient is not able to be digested by the body but is required to assist in the digestion process, particularly excretion. It provides the diet with bulk, helping to satisfy the appetite, as roughage type foods require a lot of chewing!

So, now we know what they are, how much of each type should we be eating?

The top of the pyramid signifies the foods that we should eat sparingly - yes; chocolate is at the top the pyramid! The bottom signifies foods that can be eaten plentifully.

The healthy eating pyramid was developed in the US and adapted for use in Britain by the Dunn Nutritional Centre.

Earlier we broached the subject of Recommended Dietary Intake.

We shall end by looking at how we can implement the recommendations into our diets. A doctor should be consulted before undertaking any kind of diet or massive lifestyle change.