Nutrition Definitions

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What do all those words mean?

How many times have you looked at the label on a package of food and wondered to yourself, what exactly is a saturated fat? I'm sure everyone has heard that there is both 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol, but which is which and what's the difference. In this lens we'll explore the language of nutrition and help to take the mystery out of all those scary words.

Image by Brian Lane Winfield Moore

Nutrition is...

the study of how the human body uses food to fulfill the body's needs for growth, repair, and maintenance

What are Nutrients? 

Remember - You are what you eat!

Quite simply, nutritients 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

Learn all about Healthy and Nutritious Cooking 

Cooking Light Complete Cookbook: A Fresh New Way to Cook (Book & CD-ROM)

Amazon Price: $23.07 (as of 12/30/2009) Buy Now

More Healthy Homestyle Cooking: Family Favorites You'll Make Again And Again

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Healthy Homestyle Cooking

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Healthy Cooking for Two

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Get More Healthy Cooking Tips 

What is a Calorie? 

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.

Image by tshane

Do you shop Healthy? 

Do you read a foods Nutrition Label before you buy it?

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Yes - and will look for the healthiest variety available.

ajgodinho says:

Yes, almost always - I've done a 180 degree shift in an effort to live a healthy lifestyle and I'm seeing the benefits as I feel better overall and my energy levels are phenomenal!

Not-Pop says:

I compare nutritional information for packaged foods to decide whether it will be healthy for my family. For treats I'm usually not so concerned but brands can vary wildly on their nutritional content for such staples as pasta and cereal.

No - I just buy the same brands all the time.

 

Get the Whole Family Eating Healthy 

Learn the Basics of Healthy Cooking

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:

* Over 100 Delicious and Nutritious Whole Food Recipes...
* Tips to Turn Recipes Into Healthy Meals that Burn Fat and Cause Automatic Weight Loss...
* A Simple, Step by Step System so You Don't Have to Worry About What Your Going to Eat Next!
* Real Foods that keep you Alert & Energized
* Guide to farmers Markets and Local Food Resourcs
* No Pills, Powders, Body Builder Supplements or Low Fat, Low Carb 'Diet' Foods...
* No Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup and Unhealthy 'Health' foods...
* 6 months of recipes from many different chefs...from sports chefs, natural food chefs, chefs who are real nutrition experts!
* Healthy Fats & Oils Guide so you can discover the best oils for different types of cooking!
* New ideas...new recipes...and new cooking tips every month...so you never get bored with your food!
* The simplest way to shop and cook with easy to follow instructions!!!


The Healthy Urban Kitchen provides an exact blueprint on how to cook, shop and eat for optimal health.

A Few More Nutritional Lenses 

Empty Calories 

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.

Image by bonnie

Not so Nutritious Foods 

Raw Pecan Pie by Roberta Maria

Raw Pecan Pie

Caramel18 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

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Caramel17 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

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Caramel16 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

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Caramel15 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

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Caramel14 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

Caramel14

Caramel13 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

Caramel13

Caramel12 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

Caramel12

Caramel11 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

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Caramel10 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

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Caramel9 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

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Caramel8 by UggBoy ( omborato : relax and enjoy yourself )

Caramel8

automatically generated by Flickr

Metabolism - Converting Calories into Energy 

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.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle 

Proven Fat Loss Program

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

Make Sure You Have Everything You Need to Prepare Those Healthy Meals 

Flatware, Cutlery & Kinves
The Small Electric Kitchen Appliance Shop

Healthy Food Gift Options 

Pacific Coast Classic Dried Fruit Sampler Gift

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Pacific Coast Deluxe Dried Fruit & Nut Crate Gift

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Pacific Coast Natural Dried Fruit Basket

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Tastes of California Fruit Gift Box

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Capistrano Classic Fruit Gift

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Get active and burn more calories 

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eBay

Healthy Eating Tips from all around the Web 

Divine Wellness is a complete heath portal for holistic health ...
Living healthy is everyone's dream. People across the world follow different practices and exercises to keep themselves fit and fine. However, there are.
Healthy Eating Plans - Weight Loss As A Result Of Choosing Good ...
Healthy Eating Plans are essential for lifetime weight loss success. Some people are misinformed in regards that some carbohydrates are as a matter of fact.
HEALTHY EATING: Set realistic goals to lose weight | Better Health
By Carolyn O'Neil, for the AJC For many of us, ringing in the new year brings a new commitment to improve our lives with resolutions to make positive.

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