Nutrition

Nutrition is how the body uses nutrients. Good nutrition is important and can happen by eating healthy meals.

Having good nutrition can promote good health and help our body to prevent diseases.

Eating a well-balanced meal with a lot of fruits and vegetables is an important part of good nutrition.

Nutrients

Nutrients are substances in our food that is needed in order to keep the body healthy all day long. Some nutrients are needed to help the body repair cells.

Cell repairing nutrients are proteins. Nutrients that help give the body energy are carbohydrates, which are our bodies main energy source.

Fats are also important because they help to regulate the body and they give the body moisture that it needs.

The six nutrients that are needed in our body to help our bodies to grow and to stay healthy are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are sugars and starches that provide energy for our bodies. These types of foods include breads, grains, fruits, milk and more. These should be eaten in limited amounts.

Proteins

Proteins are important for the body because they help to repair cells. Protein also helps to work the body tissues so that our bodies can grow.

Proteins include meats, beans and peanut butter. These foods should be eaten quite a bit, but not the most important part of your daily food intake.

Fats

Fats are important nutrients that give our bodies energy and help to keep our body healthy, such as our skin. There are two types of fats, saturated and unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats are from animal sources such as butter and meats. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature.

These types of fats need to be eaten in moderation. Too many saturated fats can cause clogged arteries and heart disease.

Unsaturated fats are fats that are liquid when they are at room temperature. Some unsaturated fats include olive oil, nuts and other oils.

Unsaturated fats are better for you than saturated fats, but they still need to be eaten in moderation.

Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have been changed so that they stay solid. It is important to eat very few trans fats and trans fats can be harmful to the body. An example of a trans fat is Crisco, that is used to fry foods.

Vitamins

Vitamins are substances that help the body to be healthy. Vitamins are found in foods such as fruits and vegetable, milk, whole grain breads and other foods.

Vitamins are important and can make sure that the body stays strong and that the body functions work correctly.

Minerals

Minerals help to keep the blood healthy, strengthen teeth and bones and can also make sure the body’s organs are working correctly.

Minerals are found in fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, milk, bananas, green vegetables and more.

Water

Water is one of the most important things in our body. Water helps to remove waste, carries nutrients throughout the body, helps with digestion and helps to regulate our body temperatures.

It is important to drink 8-10 glasses of water each day, and more if you are very active.

Why is it Important to have Good Nutrition?

Having good nutrition is important because it can help the body in many different ways.

One way that good nutrition helps the body is to help give our bodies energy, help to make our mind able to concentrate, allows us to be able to play sports harder and longer and so much more.

Food Groups

There are different food groups such as grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins and dairy. These different food groups help us to maintain a healthy balance to our lives.

Some foods, such as vegetables are high in nutrients and low in sugar, fat and sodium.

These foods should be eaten more than other foods because they are healthy for our bodies. This group includes vegetables.

Other foods have a good amount of nutrients, but they also contain other things like sodium, fat and sugar.

These types of foods, such as fruits and grains, should be eaten but in smaller amounts.

Foods such as ice cream, cake and candy are foods that are low in nutrients and high in things such as sodium, fat and sugar.

These are the types of foods that should be limited. Other foods that need to be limited are potato chips and fried foods.

How to Know if a Food is Healthy

It is important to read nutrition labels if you are trying to eat healthy.

The label has many parts including the name of the food, how much food is in the package, the name and address of the manufacturer, the ingredients, serving sizes, servings per container, calories, calories from fat, percent daily values, total fat, cholesterol, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Protein and more.

Keeping within a 2,000-calorie diet is important for more people. Calories, which are units of heat that measures the energy in foods, help to control how much weight a person will gain with the foods he or she eats.

Exercise

Exercise is an important part of a nutritious lifestyle. It is important to stay physical in your every day life. Walking, running or playing sports can help you to maintain a healthy weight and to have strong bones and muscles.

Keeping active can help you to fight off sickness and diseases.

Facts About Nutrition

• Extra calories that you eat are not burnt and are stored as fat.
• Carbohydrates should make up 6a0% of the total calories that you eat.
• Fats should only make up 25% of your total calories for the day.
• There are five factors that decide how many calories a person should have in a day and these include: physical activity, age, height, weight and gender.
• The study of what people eat is the study of nutrition.
• If a person is dehydrated, their urine will turn a bright yellow.
• The “Food Pyramid” is now called “My Plate,” and this helps to tell us how much of each food group we should eat.
• People should eat low salt foods.
• Drinking alcohol can be unhealthy for your body.
• Eating foods low in sugar is healthy for the body.
• When you eat meat that is raw or undercooked, you can get E. Coli which is a type of food poison.
• Eating raw or undercooked eggs or chicken can give you Salmonella poisoning, this is a type of food poison.

What Did You Learn?

• What are the six nutrients that a person should eat? Carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, water and proteins are the six nutrients that a person should eat.
• What is important about eating healthy foods? Our bodies need healthy foods to keep our bodies healthy. Eating too many fats or sugars can cause us to be overweight and cause people to get diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
• What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fat? Saturated fat is solid at room temperature and unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.
• Why are trans fats dangerous? Trans fats are chemically altered unsaturated fats so that they can be solid at room temperature. These are the most dangerous fats for your body and can cause heart disease and clogged arteries.
• Why is exercise important? Exercise can help to keep our bodies healthy and strong. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, by being active, can help our bodies to stay strong and fight off diseases.

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