Nutritional Guide

Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet is one of the simplest ways to staying healthy. Good nutrition means eating a variety of healthy foods, moderating your intake of certain foods and drinks, and controlling the amount of food and calories you eat. A balanced diet can help you reduce your risk of diseases, as well as by helping you to lose weight.

Macro-Nutrients

Macro Nutrients are nutrients that supply energy to our body and are required in larger quantities. They include carbohydrates, fibers, proteins, fats and water.

Micro-Nutrients

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that our body needs in relatively smaller amounts. Vitamins play a critical role in many of the chemical processes in the body. Minerals are inorganic elements that play a significant role in a vareity of metabolic processes.

Vitamins

Vitamins are a vital component of a healthy diet, they are essential micro nutrients - they are essential for the body, but only in small amounts. Vitamins are essential for energy conversion and many other metabolic processes. They have antioxidant properties that many help prevent cancer, heart disease and many other disorders.

A balanced diet, eating a variety of foods prevents vitamin deficiencies. Vitamins can be classified into fat soluble and water soluble vitamins. Vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K are fat soluble vitamins. These vitamins dissolve in fat are stored in the liver and in fatty tissues. So, if too much fat soluble vitamins are consumed, they may accumulate and may have harmful effects. Conversely, a low fat diet may cause a deficiency. Cooking does not destroy fat soluble vitamins. The B vitamins(B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and B12) and vitamin C are water soluble. They dissolve in water and are eliminated in urine, they leave the system more quickly than the fat soluble ones. Water soluble vitamins are destroyed when food is highly processed. Refrigerating fresh produce, storing milk and grains out of strong light and using the cooking water from vegetables can help prevent the loss of vitamins.

Minerals

Minerals are a vital part of a healthy diet, they are essential micro nutrients, they are necessary, but in small amounts. The body contain large quantities of Minerals, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium and sodium - these are the macro minerals. They play a vital role in bone, heart, muscle and brain functioning. Chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc are the trace minerals, they are present in minute quantities. Some minerals like potassium, sodium and magnesium also function as electrolytes. The body uses electrolytes to help regulate nerve and muscle function and maintain acid-base balance and fluid balance.

Minerals are essential to maintain good health and for the proper functioning of vitamins, enzymes, hormones and other metabolic activities in the body. They are an important component of tissues and fluids. Minerals fall into two categories. Macrominerals are minerals that are required in greater quantities (milligrams). Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus are macro minerals and are mostly found in the bones. Trace minerals are those required in minute amounts. Examples are copper, zinc, etc. Three essential minerals are classified as electrolytes and they conduct electrical charges and are instrumental in nerve and muscle function; they also help maintain the proper balance of poly fluids. Chloride, sodium and potassium are the electrolytes in our system.