Today, consuming a good diet for maintaining your health is of paramount
importance. In these times of higher pollution rates, soil
degradation,pesticides, sedentary lifestyles and the wide availability of
fatty, sugary and processed foods, we need good food now more than ever before.
Without the benefits of key components of a wide variety of natural, fresh
foods, we’re likely to suffer from a range of chronic degenerative diseases as
well as acute conditions that can make life miserable for us and those around
us.
But what exactly constitutes a good diet? There are some key components nobody
can live without, and they are as follows: vitamins,minerals, carbohydrates,
fats, proteins and fibre.
Vitamins
Vitamins are nutrients needed by
the body in very small amounts for many of its essential metabolic reactions.
Until the 1900s, vitamins were obtained only through food (fortunately we can
now get them in supplement form, too). Different food sources contain various
amounts of vitamins, so if the only source of vitamins is food, changes in diet
will alter the types and amounts of vitamins you consume.
Vitamins are essential for normal growth. Even in adults, vitamins are still
essential for maintaining healthy tissues, cells, and organs.
They enable us to efficiently use chemical energy provided by food, and to
process the fats, carbohydrates and proteins fats needed for breathing.
Extreme vitamin deficiencies happen when you either don’t get enough of a
particular vitamin from your food or when you have an underlying disorder that
stops you absorbing a proper amount of the vitamin.
Your lifestyle choices can affect the situation, for example, with smoking,
drinking too much alcohol, or using drugs. Even athletes
and sports people can become deficient in vitamins can
become deficient in some vitamins due to excess oxidative
stress
Restrictive diets can result in often potentially deadly diseases, such as
beri-beri, pellagra, scurvy, and rickets; as well as more common ailments.
Today largely because of the degradation
of the food supply we are not
getting enough vitamins and nutrients for optimal health. Therefore we are not
so worried about these deficiency diseases but more so about chronic
degenerative diseases such as cancer, arthritis and heart
disease.
Minerals
Dietary minerals are chemicals
needed by the body for many of its processes. These can be naturally occurring
in food or added to the diet separately from food, as mineral supplements.
Examples of foods that contain minerals would be green leafy vegetables (for
calcium); table salt and spinach (for sodium chloride); nuts, soy beans and
cocoa (for magnesium); red meat, leafy vegetables (for iron); eggs, meat and
legumes (for sulfur).
A large body of research shows we can often benefit from high
quality mineral supplementation.
Vitamins and minerals are interdependent, which means they need the presence of
one another to work properly. Taking a multivitamin without minerals is not
nearly as effective as taking one with minerals.
Fats
Fats comprise a wide group of compounds that are important for human metabolic
processes. Examples of edible fats are butter, margarine, cream and lard.
Fats can be good and
bad.
They help keep you warm, for example, and play a vital role in maintaining
healthy skin and hair. They insulate the body organs from shock, maintain body
temperature, and promote cell function.
They also serve as energy stores for the body. In fact, they play a whole host
of important and diverse roles in health and nutrition. Many are absolutely
essential for life.
The vitamins
A, D, E and K can only be
digested, absorbed, and transported in conjunction with fats, and fats are
sources of essential
fatty acids, which enable the
body to carry out many of its vital chemical processes.
Proteins
Proteins form an essential part of all living organisms and participate in every
process within cells. They cause biochemical reactions to happen, and are vital
to metabolism.
Many have structural or mechanical functions, such as building and maintaining
bone and keeping cells healthy for good cellular
nutrition. They play an important
part in the immune system, which keeps us free of disease.
Now you can see why the name protein comes from the Greek πρώτα ("prota"),
meaning "of primary importance"!
Fiber
Fibers are vital for holding body tissues together. Dietary fibers are the
indigestible portion of plant foods that help move food through the digestive
system.
Sources of fiber include corn, wheat, bran, flax seed, and vegetables. Fibre has
clinically demonstrated properties of lowering blood cholesterol when it’s
regularly included in the diet. It also stabilises blood glucose levels, helps
synthesise cholesterol, helps with the absorption of minerals, improves immune
function, and protects the colon.
On average, North Americans consume less than 50% of the dietary fiber levels
required for good health. With a deficit of fiber, you are likely to end up
suffering from one or more of: diabetes, obesity heart
disease, high blood cholesterol, and
numerous gastrointestinal disorders such as constipation, hemorroids,
inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis,
and colon cancer.
Fortunately, there are many types of soluble fiber supplements available to
consumers for nutritional purposes, and despite what many people claim, fiber
doesn’t bind to minerals or vitamins and restrict their absorption.
With all these available in easy-to-use supplement form, there’s no excuse for
not getting enough.
Additionally you might like to obtain extra vitamins, minerals and enzymes by
regularly juicing an array of organic fruits and vegetables.
You may want to take a closer look at the health
benefits of juicing.
Whatever method you choose make sure you get your proper share of the essential
compounds listed above!
For more information on this topic, click here
