The importance of a balanced diet
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Posted On :
Aug-11-2010
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Article Word Count :
492
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There’s so much said about the importance of a balanced diet, but how many among us know what are the essential components of a healthy diet and what are their benefits.
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There’s so much said about the importance of a balanced diet, but how many among us know what are the essential components of a healthy diet and what are their benefits. In this article we will not only focus on the importance of balanced diet, but also other important nutrients that are essential to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.
A balanced diet is one that contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, mineral salts, and fiber. Carbohydrates are essential as they are a major source of energy. They contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Most of the carbohydrates are sourced from food rich in starch like potato, rice, bread. The starch intake is then converted into glucose; which is carried around the body, through blood circulation and used by the tissues as a source of energy.
Proteins- Proteins are important for growth and to repair the tissues that get worn out due to wear and tear. They are essential to stimulate growth in children as well as useful for people from all age groups to fight infections as they act as antibodies. Proteins in order to get into the blood are broken down into amino acids. Nine of these amino acids are essential and sourced through food, whereas the rest are sourced by the body, when the body recycles its own cell tissues. Proteins sourced through meat products are tuna fish, egg, chicken etc. Protein sourced through plants are nuts, grains, beans and vegetables also called as incomplete source of proteins as they do not contain all the essential amino acids and thus a vegetarian has to source these through multiple sources.
Fats: Fats are also an important source of energy and are stored under the skin, helping the body against cold.
Vitamins: Vitamins such as Vitamin A (good for eyes), Vitamin B (broken down into 12 chemicals), Vitamin C (needed for body repair), Vitamin D (needed to absorb calcium), and vitamin E, in small numbers are essential to keep the body functioning.
Mineral salts: Includes iron, calcium, sodium and iodine.
Fiber: These are essential for digestion.
A balanced diet includes the right combination of all the above essential elements. An increase or decrease in any of these will lead to a number of problems. Too little of energy giving food, would end you making tired and sleepy all the time, Too much of energy giving foods, would end in fat and you would end up taking fat loss supplements to offset the weight gain.
In addition to these there are a few other essentials that are important to supplement health in today’s lifestyle. One of the most important factors is Creatine. Creatine is an essential, organic acid, and is a natural component of our skeletal muscle, it is important to boost stamina. There are a number of health supplements such as protein supplements, fat loss supplement, and Creatine supplements that are available in the market.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The importance of a balanced diet_28808.aspx
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Author Resource :
The author of this article knows all about Creatine. With the knowledge about Protein Powder, the author has written many informative articles on Fat Loss.
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Keywords :
Creatine, Protein Powder, Fat Loss,
Category :
Health and Fitness
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Health and Fitness
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