the need for proper food

The food that we eat provides the body with what it needs. One of its most important jobs is to contribute to the body’s growth and repair. The body is made up of millions of cells. A large proportion of each cell consists of substances called proteins. Proteins are sometimes called the ‘building blocks’ of the body and without them the body cannot grow or repair itself. Some foods are particularly rich in protein, e.g. milk, fish, meat, eggs, cheese.

 Malnutrition is a major cause of serious illness worldwide.

Food for energy
The concept of ‘energy’, is somewhat difficult for many of us to grasp as we usually associate it with work or movement of some kind. In many cases we tend to relate energy to muscular work and we find difficult to explain ourselves that energy can be stored in materials like coal, oil and, in this case, food, and then released.

The release of energy from food through the process of digestion is what follow.
The food that we eat cannot be used by the body unless it has been changed into simple chemical materials; this happens as the food passes down the process of digestion and is turned into materials that can be absorbed by the body.

a good dietWhy does the body need energy?
At this stage, it would be sensible to remind ourselves that the body itself needs energy to keep ourselves alive and well by controlling the most basic functions such as:

  • keep the respiratory system working
  • keep the heart beating and the blood circulating in a proper manner
  • keep itself at the right temperature

Although all foods provide the body with energy, some are richer in starch, some in fats, same in oils than others and so on, all of these can be converted into energy by the body.

In addition to their body-building and energy giving properties, foods contain substances called minerals and vitamins which are essential to the healthy working of the body.

Discriminating from one or another and allowing the intake of safe doses is a good way to avoid non healthy foods and still getting the right amount of energy our body requires on a daily basis.

Let me know in the comments below.

I will be happy to read and reply all of your comments. also feel free to share on any of the Social Media listed below and start the "Conversation".
As always, thanks for popping in and see you soon.

about the author

Apart for being a busy IT executive, Tito has a passion for cooking for friends and family and is a first class wines connoisseur.

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grocery shopping

How to Choose Healthy Foods at the Supermarket?

The supermarket is laden with healthy and unhealthy foods. Due to clever marketing, it can sometimes be hard to identify which foods are healthy from those that are not. This article is a primer to clever grocery shopping!

1) Read food labels & avoid sugar

To know which products to choose, it is generally a good idea to read the food labels attentively. Ingredients contained in the product need to be listed in a specific order, where the ingredient found in the greatest amount is listed first and other ingredients then in descending order. As such, any food with “sugar” in the top 3 ingredients should be avoided. Manufacturers also use other words for “sugar”:

  • Dextrose
  • Dextrin
  • Maltose
  • Sucrose
  • High-fructose corn syrup
  • Mono or diglycerides
  • Fructose

Generally speaking, any word ending in “-ose” is a sugar. Most foods that are healthy will not contain sugar or its synonyms in the top 3 ingredients.

2) Read food labels & avoid certain additives

When reading food labels, one quickly sees that many commercial packaged products contain many types of additives meant as flavor enhancers, texturizers or as food colouring. Some of the most important additives to avoid are listed below:

  • Partially hydrogenated fats
  • Artificial colouring
  • Artificial flavouring
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Although these additives are found in minute amounts in a single item, researchers have now highlighted the fact that it is the additive effect of these synthetic chemicals that seems to be problematic. A little food colouring in our breakfast cereal, plus a little artificial flavouring agent in our cookies and some partially hydrogenated fats in our afternoon snack add up to a lot of nasty chemicals that hinder the body’s ability to function adequately. It is best to stick to food products with a short food label list and mostly nutrients that come “from nature” as found in unrefined produce or animal products from animals which were ethically raised.

3) General Guide to Healthy and Unhealthy Foods at the Supermarket

 

Generally
Healthy

Best
Avoided
Fruits
&
Vegetables		 -Fresh fruits & vegetables
-Frozen vegetables
Canned vegetables are fine as long as there is no sugar added and are thoroughly rinsed before their consumption.

-Canned fruits
-Canned soups
They contain added sugars, texturizers and preservatives.
Starch -Wholewheat pasta/bread
-Brown rice
-Unprocessed grains
(buckwheat, quinoa….)
Wholegrains are 80% richer in fiber, vitamins and minerals than their refined “white” counterparts.

-White pasta
-White rice
-White bread
-Items baked with white flour
-Cookies from the store
-Potato chips

Sweet
Snacks

 -Dried fruits
-Peanut butter Chocolate spread and Breakfast cereals made with stevia.
-Molasses
-honey as a sweetening agent  
Total sugar content should be less than 25% per serving.

-Most breakfast cereals
-Sodas
-Most cookies from the store
-Most brands of peanut butter
-Chocolate bars
-Anything with sugar added

Those items typically contain refined sugar which accounts for more than one third of the nutritional content per serving.

Fats

Great to cook or bake with:
-Butter
-Grapeseed oil
-Coconut oil

These fats have a naturally high smoking point so do not oxidize to unhealthy damaged fats during cooking.

Great to have raw:
-Olive oil
-Walnut oil
-Flaxseed oil

These oils are very nutritious and high in beneficial fatty acids.

-Canola oil
-Peanut oil
-Soybean oil
-Any regular “cooking oil”
-Margarine
-Vegetable shortening

These oils are highly refined to achieve a high smoking point and are generally harmful for the body.

By choosing healthy foods when grocery shopping, we gradually de-sensitize our taste buds to the excessive amounts of sugar consumed yearly by individuals in developed countries (168 pounds per year per person!) and learn to provide our bodies with the necessary nutrients to stay energized and feel good.

Let me know in the comments below.

I will be happy to read and reply all of your comments. also feel free to share on any of the Social Media listed below and start the "Conversation".
As always, thanks for popping in and see you soon.

Mirko Francioni - Author of |Radiation mapping article for Epi Life Coach
about the author

Mirko is for people who knows him well a true motivator and inspirer. He has been the driving force in projects such as a wellness center in Thailand, a corporate on-line travel agency and membership club with over 120,000 members worldwide. Mirko has created a strong professional reputation as one of the leaders in the hospitality and fitness & recreation industries.

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