Healthy life has an utmost importance in our life to get overall satisfaction. Diet plays a vital role in keeping our body healthy. As we know all nutrients required by the body for maintenance, physical activity, growth, physiological extra need like in pregnancy / lactation / sports etc. is fulfilled by a diet what we take routinely.
Body needs carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals and vitamins along with water, to get energy and run different functions of the body. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are needed in large amount. Vitamins and minerals are required in very small amounts. They do not supply energy but are very important to make sure that the thousands of processes going on in the body function smoothly and efficiently.
If our diet is poor like deficient in nutrients required or is full of unwanted ingredients, our body shows ill effect and leads to disease condition. So it is utmost important to take care of our routine intake of diet scientifically. Now a days all metabolic diseases like Diabetes, Thyroid, PCOD etc. are because of our poor diet & lifestyle. A balanced diet having all nutrients required by the body is important. Also there are so many phytochemicals in vegetarian diet which has care and curative effect against diseases. Good diet plays very important role in healthy life
Carbohydrates are a necessary and major part of a healthy diet, supplying the body nutrients. It can convert to glucose, a currency of energy. Carbohydrates mainly gives energy to the body.
Carbohydrates are of two types depending on solubility, Soluble and Non-soluble carbohydrates. Soluble carbohydrates digest fast and gives energy very fast while non-soluble carbohydrates takes a time to digest mainly depends on fiber percentage in it and releases glucose and hence energy slowly. Thats why we prefer nonsoluble carbohydrate in the diet of Diabetic patient.
Carbohydrates can be classified into, Simple carbohydrates, Complex carbohydrates and Dietary fibre. Sufficient and quality Carbohydrate intake plays very important role in healthy life.
Proteins for healthy life
Proteins are essential nutrients for the human body. They are building blocks of body tissue and can also serve as a fuel source. Proteins are made up of different amino acids. Proteins are building blocks of the body and build up muscle mass of the body. They are major structural component of all cells of the body, especially muscle, including body organs, hair and skin. They are needed by the human body for growth and maintenance.
There are two types of amino acids, essential and non essential. Essential amino acids are needed by the body and obtained through the diet consumed, since the body cannot synthesise them on its own. These are Phenylalanine, Valine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Methionine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Lysine and Histidine. There are also conditionally essential amino acids whose synthesis can be limited under special pathophysiological conditions. These are Arginine, Csysteine, Glycine, Glutamine, Proline and Tyrosine. Non-essential amino acids are those which humans are able to synthesize in the body. These are Alanine, Aspartic acid, Asparagine, Glutamic acid and Serine.
Nutritionally speaking proteins are classified into, Complete protein and Incomplete protein. Complete proteins refers to those food sources of protein , which are composed of all the essential amino acids in a definite proportion needed by the body. Sources of complete proteins are meat, milk products, eggs, fish, pulses, legumes soy, and nuts. Incomplete proteins refer to those food sources, which are deficient in one or more essential amino acids. Whole grains and cereals tend to be limiting in the amino acid, lysine and threonine, which are available in other vegetarian sources and meats. This can be compensated by mixing pulses and legumes to cereals. Sufficient and quality protein intake plays very important role in healthy life.
Fats and Oils for healthy life
Fat is solid at room temperature and Oil is a fat with short or unsaturated fatty acid chains that is liquid at room temperature.
Fat is concentrated form of energy and are most energy dense, providing 9 kcal/g. Inclusion of fat will raise the calorific value of the diet without much increase in its bulk. Fats are made up of fatty acids.
Fats play a vital role in maintaining healthy skin and hair, insulating body organs against shock, maintaining body temperature, and promoting healthy cell function.
There are two types of fatty acids, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. There are two essential fatty acids which are not synthesized in the body from simpler constituents. Two essential fatty acids are , Alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and Linoleic acid (an omega -6 fatty acid).
Fats mainly are energy storage and provides energy especially when there is lack of energy provision may be due to starvation, fasting or any metabolic disorder. Sufficient and quality fat intake plays very important role in healthy life.
Minerals for healthy life
Minerals are required in less quantity but are important for numerous metabolic activities and processes going on in the body. Their absence or deficiency causes improper functioning of body systems. Based on their requirement for the body they are classified as macro-minerals and micro-minerals.
Macro-minerals are Sodium, Chloride, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Sulphur. Micro-minerals are trace minerals and are Iron, Zinc, Iodine, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Fluoride, Chromium and Molybdenum.
Sufficient and quality mineral intake plays very important role in healthy life.
Vitamins for healthy life
Vitamins are organic components in food that are needed in very small amounts for growth and for maintaining good health.
Vitamins plays vital role in many functions of the body. They are required in small quantities in correcting what are called deficiency diseases, as distinct from illness caused by infections.
There are two types of vitamins, water soluble and fat soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins are Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid), Vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxin), B7 (biotin), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cobalamin) and cholin. Fat soluble vitamins are Vitamin A, D, E and K. Sufficient and quality vitamin intake plays very important role in healthy life.
It is very informative blog. The information given clears about what to eat and why to eat. We got brief knowledge about macro and micro elements of the diet.