Food Facts

Many people who want to switch to proper nutrition can be confused in terms that are somehow related to a healthy lifestyle. For example, not everyone has an idea of ​​what nutrients are. A certain amount of knowledge will help to understand the situation.

So, having a clear understanding of the nutrients, it is much easier to determine the right menu for yourself. A person’s diet should be formed not only based on the calorie content of certain dishes, but also taking into account the composition of the products. Only in this case can you count on the fact that the diet will really be healthy.

What are nutrients and why are they so necessary

The term nutrients means biologically active elements of food that determine the life support of the body. Literally translated from English, it means – nutrients. There are macro- and micronutrients. The first group includes critical nutrients, that is, proteins, carbohydrates and fats – the main food organic compounds, and the second group includes additional elements – minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.

The need for nutrients is huge, because it is they who are involved in metabolic processes. It is they who are converted through metabolism, and the body is saturated with energy from the calories received. And micronutrients provide local functionality of organs and systems. For example, iodine creates all the necessary conditions for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.

As a result, the body receives less nutrients and a condition called micronutrient deficiency occurs. Iron deficiency is most commonly felt, leading to iron deficiency anemia. To check the general condition, it is recommended to donate blood and assess the level of hemoglobin. In any case, if unpleasant symptoms appear in the form of malaise and weakness, you should consult a doctor. And already he will conduct a thorough research and find out if there is a lack of nutrients and how much is needed.

Common Nutrient Classification

As already mentioned, all nutrients are divided into two large groups: micronutrients are groups of substances necessary for local functioning (minerals and vitamins) and macronutrients that make up the main classes of organic nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water). In addition to the main classes, there are more than ten other types of substances required by the body. But we will consider in detail only the most important ones.

1. MacronutrientsThis is a class of essential nutrients that the body needs in significant quantities to support life. They are a resource for obtaining energy, providing vitality to all systems and organs. These substances are recognized as proteins, carbohydrates and fats – the foundation for a healthy and balanced diet.
   • Protein

   Protein is the number one nutrient. The whole organism, all muscles, organs and even cells – everything is protein. Proteins are classified as fast and slow.

   The fast ones include those that contain the most fragmented amino acids in the composition. In order to process and assimilate them, the body makes almost no effort. Egg or milk proteins are fast food nutrients. Their need for the body is especially high after physical exertion.

   Slow proteins are those nutrients that contain amino acids that are tightly bound together. Due to this feature, the protein is processed for a long time, and for a long time provides the body with energy. It is best to include protein in the diet not late in the evening or in the morning, given the lack of snacks. Cottage cheese and low-fat cheeses are ideal.

   • Fats

   Many people believe that fatty foods are harmful and should be eliminated from the diet. This is not entirely true. Fats can be divided into two groups: saturated and unsaturated. It is necessary to figure out which fats the body can do without, and which not. Saturated fats include fast food, sauces, cold meats, and butter. They should be consumed to a minimum. The daily dosage of saturated fat is equivalent to a piece of butter in 10 g. Unsaturated fats are nutrients that have great benefits for the body, their consumption should not be sharply limited.

2. • Carbohydrates

   The most complex and large-scale group of nutrients is carbohydrates. A large number of people are overweight and have other health problems. The reason for this is the excessive consumption of carbohydrate foods. All kinds of baked goods, fast food, potatoes, bread, sweets and cakes – all this incredibly overloads the body, forcing the metabolic system to work hard.

   The group of carbohydrates is divided into complex and simple. The subgroup of simple carbohydrates includes glucose and fructose. Some starches and fiber are complex. The function of these nutrients, the degree of benefit or harm, depends on the glycemic index of the nutrient – that is, the rate that is required to increase the blood sugar.

   • Cellulose

   Fiber belongs to the complex carbohydrate class. The main feature is that this type of nutrient is absolutely not digested in the stomach and is not absorbed in the body. However, the benefits of fiber are great, as it enhances intestinal motility and aids digestion and stabilizes sugar levels.

3. MicronutrientsThis class includes vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants and phytonutrients. They are necessary for the body in the same way as macronutrients, but their daily intake is much lower and is measured in hundredths, and sometimes even thousandths of a gram.
   • Vitamins

   There is no calorie content in this subclass of substances. Vitamins are nutrients that are not a resource for energy. Their role is determined by the local function of organs and their systems.

4. • Minerals

   This type of nutrient is composed of macro and micronutrients. Macronutrients include phosphorus, sulfur, sodium, potassium, chlorine, magnesium, and calcium. There are several times more trace elements. All of them serve for the benefit of metabolic work.

5. Chondroprotectors are a type of nutrient that determines metabolic processes in bone and cartilage tissue. For example, the micronutrient glucosamine has an effect on joint fluid density. It can be found in animal foods such as skin, tendons, cartilage, and bones. In addition, it can be used in the form of dietary supplements.

Over time, the body gets used to any load. The meaning of the training process is development, movement forward. You most likely know that you need to constantly increase the intensity and magnitude of the loads, and do it gradually and competently. There are a lot of building parameters – these are working weight, the number of approaches, the time for rest pauses, etc.

PLANNING IS HALF THE BATTLE

If you want to become strong, healthy, resilient (emphasize the necessary), it is important to calculate your path from the beginning of the exercise to a measurable result. As in professional sports, in fitness it is important to observe periodization – this is a cyclical change in the intensity, focus, and type of training. Simply put, in order to achieve a goal, on the way to it, you need to correctly build and complete intermediate tasks that will eventually bring you closer to the result.

It is imperative to plan training loads (the more detailed the better):

• exercises;
• number of sets;
• number of repetitions;
• warm-up weights with a special warm-up;
• the working weight of the projectile;
• the pace of the exercise;
• rest-pause time.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU CHANGE THE PROGRAM?

The current program should be scheduled for at least 4–6 weeks since during this time any physical quality develops best – strength, endurance, speed. If you continue to do the same thing, the results from training will gradually begin to fade away.

Beginners can change their training program even more often – every 2-3 weeks. This mode is optimal for the body’s systems to adapt to the load.

If the work experience is long enough, the stability of the nervous system and the level of general physical fitness are at a decent level, the duration of one program may be longer. But more often it does not exceed 2-3 months.

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Having made the decision to lose weight, a person thinks little about the nuances of his own weight loss. Of course, there are certain undeniable principles to help you lose weight. However, it is still worth figuring out which tricks will bring you closer to your intended goal faster. And one of these tricks is to take into account your gender when choosing certain foods since male and female nutrition is different.

Unfortunately for the beautiful half of humanity, the male body is physiologically designed so that it is easier for him to burn fat than the female. This is due to the fact that the structure of the female fat cell is larger than the male – as a result, women lose weight much more slowly than men, and gain very quickly. In addition, a woman’s body contains more fat-forming enzymes that store fat.

The reproductive function of the female body is another “weighting agent” on losing weight. The sex hormone estrogen affects the activity of fat formation in a woman’s body. That is why a woman is gaining weight during maturation, pregnancy, and taking hormonal drugs. This is a prerequisite for women’s health.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Regulate our diet and visit the fitness club more often, because, as a rule, a man burns more calories during the day than a woman. Another aspect is the attitude towards food. The man eats to eat. Most often it is protein (meat), which serves as a building material for muscles, which, by the way, are more in men. The woman, on the other hand, pays more attention to carbohydrates – cereals, vegetable salads, etc. Moreover, we are all familiar with the situation when a woman seizes stress with sweet buns or ice cream.

By fundamentally changing your attitude to food – eating to live, not living to eat – you will be able to defeat endless hunger. Distract yourself with something, choose something to your liking: visit a beauty salon (do you really want your new hairstyle to fade against the background of fat folds?) Or go to a dance (liberation and love for your own body is another condition for successful weight loss).

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