Whether you are trying to maintain
a healthy weight or lose some body fat, proper nutrition is a key
ingredient. Your body utilizes the foods you eat to make energy; as well
as support your immune, cardiovascular and neurological systems. Eating
the right foods throughout the day gives your body the tools it needs
for basic everyday functions.
Balanced Diet
Eating
a balanced diet simply means that you eat the right amount of
nutrients, without consuming too much or too little of one thing. First
of all, you need to know how many calories to consume. Your body uses
calories for energy, but each person has different calorie needs. Active
women need up to 2,400 calories per day, but closer to 1,600 if you are
sedentary. Men who exercise routinely need around 3,000 calories, or
around 2,000 calories if activity level is low. Achieve a balanced diet
by eating breakfast, having at least three meals per day and including
foods from each food group into every meal, suggests the University of
Maryland Medical Center.
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Food Groups
The
United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, developed
MyPyramid.gov, which outlines all of the food groups and proper
portions. Eat 3 to 4 oz. or equivalents from the grain group each day,
but make at least half of your servings whole grains. You need 1 1/2 to 2
cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables throughout the day. In
addition to this, include 3 cups or equivalents from the dairy group and
5 to 6 oz. of meat or beans. Eating the lower end of the portion sizes
provides around 1,600 calories, while the larger portions provide around
2,000 calories.
Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat
Proper
nutrition includes three key macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein and
fat. Carbs and protein each provide 4 calories per gram, but fat has 9
calories per gram. According to MayoClinic.com, 45 to 65 percent of your
caloric intake should come from carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent from
protein and 20 to 35 percent should come from fat. Based on a 2,000
calorie diet, you need 225 to 325 g of carbs, 50 to 175 g of protein and
44 to 77 g of fat throughout the day. Spread your grams out throughout
the day and include carbohydrates, protein and fat in each meal.
Nutrition Facts Label
All
of the nutrition information you need is printed right on the nutrition
facts label. Nutrients are broken down based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
At the very top, the serving size and the servings per container are
listed. For example, a candy bar might say it has 150 calories, but
there are two servings in the package. Eating the entire bar provides
300 calories. According to the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, the
percent daily values listed on the right side of the label can be low
or high. Values below 5 percent are considered low, which can be good if
you are looking at fat content. Any value over 20 percent is considered
high. This can be especially beneficial for vitamins and minerals.
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