Secret of quality nutrients

IF YOU are health conscious and desire to acquire a healthy and beautiful figure, then quality nutrition is the secret. I know many of you are engaged in a diet program but have failed and are now confused what is the right kind of nutrition you want to follow.

A quality diet is composed of three macro-nutrients: protein, carbohydrate and fat. All three are essential to good health. Here is how you can achieve the body you want. This plan aims to get about 40 percent of your calories from protein. Protein is going to be a very important nutrient for you to consume on this program. Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids. Our bodies manufacture some amino acids on their own, but others we need from the foods we eat. Amino acids that we get from our foods are called essential amino acids to build and repair tissue. If you don’t consume enough protein your body actually cannibalizes lean muscle and uses it to fix and create other tissue. As you know, that’s bad because it will slow down your metabolism.

When choosing sources of protein, look for high-quality, low-fat options like skinless meat poultry, lean beef and pork, fatty cold-water fish like salmon and tuna; eggs and a low fat dairy like two percent milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. Choosing lean protein sources, instead of fatty ones like rib-eye steak, will ensure that you get all the protein you need without consuming excess calories. Portion size is important too. If you weigh more than 150 pounds, you should eat five ounces of protein every meal. If you weigh less than 150 pounds, eat three ounces at each meal. A three-ounce portion is roughly the size of a deck of cards, five ounces, amount a deck and a half.

And here is one other thing you need to know about protein. It is an ideal snack as well. As I mentioned in my last column, you’re going to have three daily snacks. I highly recommend that you drink whey protein shakes for these snacks. Whey protein is available in all health food centers in the malls. Why is whey so important? Whey is the most bio-available source of protein you can consume. Your body can absorb its nutrients more easily than it can absorb protein from other sources. As a result, your muscles can use whey protein right away to repair and create new tissue and you’ll have the greatest nutritional advantage for creating a lean and sculpted figure.

In addition to helping you build lean muscle, whey protein has other health benefits. It can help reduce the risk of developing preventable illnesses such as cardiovascular disease. It has been found to help prevent or reduce high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, which are among the leading causes of heart disease and stroke. High levels of cysteine, found in whey protein, have been correlated with lower risk of developing breast and prostate cancers. Whey protein is also high in immunoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactalbumin, all of which boost your immune system.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are an important source of energy when you are active and exercise, so you don’t want to omit them from your diet. The secret is knowing which carbs to eat and when. Your body responds differently to various types of carbs. Some like potato chips, white bread, white rice, pasta and sugar, cause your blood sugar to spike quickly and dramatically. When your blood sugar is roller-coastering, it’s difficult to control your appetite and avoid bingeing. So it’s best to limit your consumption of simple carbs as much as possible.

Other carbs cause a slow and steady release of sugar into your blood stream and therefore help you control your appetite. These are called complex carbohydrates and they are found in most vegetables, fruits and whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice, oatmeal, air-popped popcorn. In addition to helping regulate your appetite, complex carbs provide vitamins, minerals and most important fiber. Fiber not only helps you stay full longer but also aids digestive health and reduces your risk of developing colon cancer.

Although fruits and vegetables and grains are all carbohydrates. I’ve divided them into two: Starchy and non-starchy carbs. Starchy carbs include grains, bread, rice, potatoes and corn. Non-starchy carbs include fruit and most vegetables (except potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, rice), such as lettuce, cucumber, celery, spinach and other dark greens, broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, onions and garlic.

I always recommend to my clients to eat more starchy carbs with breakfast and lunch, but advise them to stop eating them after lunch. For breakfast and lunch, you will have one serving of starchy (a half cup or one slice of bread). For dinner, you omit starchy carbs and double your serving of vegetables. Why do we omit carbs at night? They provide a lot of energy that you won’t use as you wind down from your day, and your body will store that unused energy as fat. A typical serving of vegetables is one cup cooked or two cups raw. So for dinner you should have two to four cups of veggies. Since fruit is a little denser in calories than veggies, I like to eat them with breakfast instead of later in the day. Keep your servings of fruit to about one cup diced or one item, such as an apple. These serving size will ensure that you receive the ideal number of calories in nutrition and keep your from feeling hungry.

Fat

A lot of people think fat is a scary word, but fat is crucial component of any healthy eating plan. Fat serves as a storage system for your body to tap into for energy when food is scarce. Fat keeps you insulated against cold, helps you digest and absorb vitamins and minerals and helps cells and organs function properly.

The healthiest kind of fat is unsaturated fat. They are true gems when it comes to your health and weight management. Omega-3s help suppress your appetite, help you feel more full on less food and even maintain lean muscle tissue. They also have amazing ability to unlock stored body fat so you can burn it for fuel. Omega-3s improve the health of cell membranes, which allows more oxygen to circulate throughout your body. This additional oxygen helps your muscles convert stored body fat for energy. Omega-3s are the only fats that have this special ability. Lastly, they are able to regulate the body’s ratio of insulin to glucagons. Insulin tells your body to burn it.

You’ll find omega-3 fats in flax-seed products, olives and olive oil, fatty cold-water fish like salmon and tuna, avocados, seeds, almonds and other nuts and soybeans.

Now that you know these basic of nutrition, I’m pretty sure that you can acquire that lean, healthy body, free from those dreadful disease.