Nutrition Definitions

Quite simply, nutrients are specific elements that are found in the foods that we eat. They are not the foods themselves. Foods are a delivery system for nutrients and we should be eating those foods which deliver them in a good quantity.

A well nourished body requires a supply of all the important nutrients known to promote good health. The body requires six essential nutrients on a daily basis to survive. These are:

Carbohydrates
Fats
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Water

The following is meant to be an introduction into the language that is frequently used to describe foods, and how they are important to our health.

Photo by Bisayan Lady

With all the news stories about how many Americans are overwieght and obese, and with more diet fads than one can count, it all focuses on the same thing - calories. But what exactly is a calorie?

The basic definition of a colorie is the amount of energy required to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celcius at atmospheric pressure (1 atm).

However, a food calorie is equal to 1,000 'small' calories. In other words, the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1,000 grams (1 Kg) of water by 1 degree Celcius at atmospheric pressure.

Regardless of the particular details, a calorie is a unit of measure which indicates the energy value of a food. Since your body requires energy to function, you need to provide it with fuel - in the form of food. This has led to the time honored tradition of 'counting calories' as the basis for most diets. The concept is very simple, if you consume more calories than your body requires, you gain weight (the extra calories are converted into fat and stored for later use). If your body burns more calories (through daily activities, exericise, etc) than it takes in, you lose weight. This is why all diets are most effective when daily exercise is added, you are increasing the amount of calories your body burns, while limiting the number of calories you consume.

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All nutrients provide calories, but some more than others.

Carbohydrates = 4 calories per gram
Proteins = 4 calories per gram
Fats = 9 calories per gram
Alcohol = 7 caolries per gram

Foods that have been highly processed, or refined, have had all of the vital nutrients that your body needs stripped away. Any potential benefit that your body might have received from the vitamins, minerals or fiber content has been removed meaning that your are consuming nothing but calories.

Alcohol, on the other hand, has no nutritional value whatsoever.

For these reasons, calories from highly refined foods and alcohol, both of which contain minimal to no nutritional benefit, are known as empty calories.

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With all the conflicting nutrition information out there, it's easy to see why so many people get confused and can't answer these basic questions:

What is a Healthy Diet?

What exactly should I eat?

Antonio Valladares, a certified fitness trainer and nutritionist, rated New York City's 'best personal trainer' and featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and a bunch of other magazines has created the Ultimate Healthy Eating Guide and Recipe Book that shows you the secrets for Healthy Cooking Made Ultra Simple for Busy People, including:

What to Eat
When to Eat
How Much to Eat
How to Simplify Shopping
How to Cook - even if you are super busy and you're not a fan of cooking
How to turn healthy recipes into delicious meals that reduce fat and help you lose weight

And it does NOT involve Dieting, Counting Calories, Low Carb or Low Fat Foods. The Healthy Urban Kitchen will show you:

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Calories from certain foods are processed differently by our bodies. The process by which our body converts a foods calories into useful energy is called metabolism. If your metabolism has been slowed down due to repeated diets, it is more difficult to lose weight. The opposite is also true, that you rmetabolism can be boosted by a program of enhanced physical activity (exercise) which will increase your ability to lose weight.

The combination of increased caloric intake with reduced exercise, is the leading cause of Amreica's major health issue - overweight. Being overweight also leads to a variety of secondary health issues such as high blood pressure, heart diesase, diabetes, stroke, sleep apnia, arthritis, back problems, eating disorders, emotional disorders, and more.

All of these issues can be controlled once we understand where the weight comes from - calories.

Fats and oils are essential elements of a healthy diet. Fats not only supply important nutrients, but they also make foods taste rich and satisfying. Fats are also what signal the stomach when enough food has been eaten, to prevent overeating.

Fats are found in meat, poultry, fish, cheese, eggs and nuts, but the type of fat will effect your body differently. Here are the main types of fat.

Monounsaturated Fat
Also known as good or healthy fats, monounsaturated fats are found in nuts and olives (olive oil). A key component in the Mediterrean Diet, olive oil plays a key role in lowering the incidence of cardiovascular disease by lowering levels of serum cholesterol. Techincally, monounsaturated fats contain one less hydrogen atom than saturated fats.

Polyunsaturated Fat
Still healthy, these fats/oils are made from vegetable sources such as corn, safflour, sunflower, and rapeseed (canola). Liquid at room temperature, these oils are also used to prepare shortening and margarine, in a process called hydrogenation (where the missing Hydrogen atoms are replaced on the carbon chain). This change in the chemicla structure makes the fats solid at room temperature (think Crisco).

Saturated Fat
These fats are typically animal and tropical based. Animal sources include the marbling in meats, butter, lard, bacon, eggs, chicken skin, etc. Tropical sources are the coconut and palm oils. Saturated fats have been linked to increased levels of serum cholesterol and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol is a specific type of fatty acid that is only found in animal sources fats.

This incredible program explains why although most diets will help you lose weight now, you will most likely end up putting on weight in the future.

The simple fact is that your body adjusts its metabolism and hormonal balance to compensate for your dieting. This is why once you stop dieting, all the weight goes back on - and then some.

Developed by a 'natural' (steroid free) competitive bodybuilder and fitness expert, Burn the Fat, and Feed the Muscle provides you with the same secrets that give body builders and fitness models their rock hard muscle definition.

You'll be shown the best foods to actually speed your metabolism to help you burn fat, without having to sacrifice calories.

You'll also learn which foods to avoid, since they will slow your metabolism and hinder your weight loss.

Additinally, you'll learn the 'overlooked' nutrient that will help you burn fat for fuel more efficiently.

If you're tired of diets that don't work, and wastin gyour money on expensive supplements, you owe it to yourself to learn the truth about fat loss, and finally Burn the Fat, and Feed the Muscle

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