In this post, I hope to give you a clear, simple to understand and accurate understanding of nutrition in a balanced and effective diet. Below, is an outline of all the nurients your body needs. Each of them will also have their own are, where I will discuss their role and why we need them in much more detail, but for now let’s just have a simple understanding of what they are.

I will do my best to keep this section easy to read and jargon free. The more in depth review of each nutrient will be more in depth, but still well worth a read so that you have a full knowledge of exactly what we need in our bodies, how much we need and how we can use these nutrients to assist weight loss and build muscle.

So, to start I will go through each nutrient I mentioned in my earlier post on Weight Loss and Diet Plans.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates form part of our bodies molecules (You don’t need to worry too much about what a molecule is!). Put simply, carbohydrates are responsible for many of the improtant processes in our bodies that assist weight loss, fitness and our general health. Carbohdrates are responsible for both the storage and transport of energy within our body.  They also provide stability to many things we rely on such as our immune system, blood and our fertelisation. This is only a small part of the role Carbohydrate splay in the human body, but for the purposes of fitness and weight loss, this is most of what we need to concern ourselves with.

Despite this important role, carbohydrates are not considered by many people to be an essential nutrient. You will find carbohydrates in products such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, bran and cereal.  All of these are high in a product called starch. Starch is considered to be one of the major changes in our food and diet that played a part in evolution! Carbohydrates come in the form of simple and complex. I will explain these more later, but the important aspect to remember at this stage, is to know that we all get energy and vital nutrition from foods that contain carbohydrates.

We will learn as we go along together that there are good and bad carbohydrates. There is a time to consume carbohydrates (or carbs) and a time to avoid them. You will read articles and various papers that recommend a % intake of carbohydrates for energy in diets, but at this stage I will not discuss those, as I believe we can take this even further and use carbs to work for us – exactly how we want them to!

Fat

Fat is a very important aspect of any diet – BUT WE MUST GET IT RIGHT!

There are two types of fat – Solid and Liquid. Solid Fats are found in many of our products such as butter and lard. Liquid fats are contained in oils. Basically, the two types differ when they are stored at room temperature. This is fairly important to us, especially when we must have a clear understanding of saturated (mostly solid) and unsaturated (mostly liqud) fats.

Saturated Fat – This is found in most dairy products such as milk, cheese and cream, as well as lard, butter, meat and chocolate. Processed foods also tend to contain saturated fat. This is because it stays solid at room temperature and breaks down less, which is ideal for ready meals etc. You have already probably noticed that these are the types of food that people advise us to avoid when trying to lose weight. Saturated fat is the reason for this. Many illnesses and conditions such as heart disease and strokes are associated with saturated fat intake. Some people have even suggested too much saturated fat in a diet can contribute to cancer, although this has not been officially proven. The easy thing to remember about saturated fat is that we must be very careful how much we consume and if we eat a diet high in saturated fats, we should change it!

Unsaturated Fat – There are different types of unsaturated fat. Monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat are often used to replace saturated fat. The one to avoid is trans unsaturated fat. By replacing saturated with unsaturated fat, you reduce the risks associated with heart disease and cholesterol. Foods that contain unsaturatedfats include nuts, avacado, vegetable oil, olive oil, fish and meat (Please note – Meat contains both saturated and unsaturated fats!).

As you can see from above, to make sure we are staying healthy, promoting weight loss and getting fit, we must make sure that unsaturated fat is more prevelant in our diet than sturated fat.

Fibre

Some people also refer to fibre as ‘roughage’. Basically, fibre naturally comes from plant foods. It plays a very important role in our digestive system and assists in our visits to the toilet (otherwise known as defecation).

Although there are two types of fibre, they are both good for us so we don’t need to worry about the type we are eating, but fibre comes in soluble or insoluble form. Soluble fibre foods include oats, rye, barley, fruits, brocolli and carrots. Insoluble fibre can be found in whole grain food, wheat, nuts and seeds. Fibre is recommended for a variety of reasons including weight loss, lowering cholosterol, reducing the risk of colon cancer and it also plays a vital role in alleviate problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and chron’s disease.

Across the world, most nutritional experts recommend adults should consume around 20-35 grams of fibre a day.

Protein

Proteins exisit and play a vital part in and our cells and their processes. As a nutrient in our diet, Protein can be found in meats, grains, dairy products and eggs. Protein feeds our muscles and helps them to recover when they are damaged, so this makes protein an important aspect of any diet and fitness programme.

The role of protein can be very complicated and misunderstood. The only thing to remember at this stage is that protein plays an important role in the building of lean muscle and promoting weight loss.

Vitamins

Vitamins are extremely important for the normal growth and development of the human body. From the moment we are conceived, we require a variety of vitamins to assist our development in the womb. This continues throughout our life. Vitamins are contained in every food we eat. Some foods contain more vitamins than others. Vitamins also help to process protein, carbohydrates and fats that enter our body. There are too many vitamins that we need to go into great detail, but the main dangers to us during any weight loss and fitness plan, is vitamin deficiencies that can cause illnesses such as obesity, cancer and various degenerative illneses.

When you enter any diet or fitness plan, you may be needed to supplement your normal diet with vitamin supplements. This can be true if it is a long time since you have been on a diet or exercised, as the more effort you put in to an activity, the qicker you can use up the vitamins and energy that your body is used to storing.

Water

Depending on the size of our body, water is responsible for 55-78% of it. Our bodies require up to 7 litres of water a day to stay hydrated (depending on how active we are and humidity). Dehydration occurs when we don’t take in enough water and can cause serious illness or even death. Too much water intake (also known as hyperhydration) can also cause death, so we must bear in mind that while it is important to drink lots of water, especially during hot conditions or exercise, too much water can be equally – if not more dangerous.

I hope this introduction to the main aspects of our nutrition gives you a broad understanding of the most important things we need to stay fit and healthy.

We can limit or cut out some of these nutrients, which will cause weight loss – but may also cause serious illness! The most effective, long term weight loss and fitnees plan will include a variety of nutrients that are carefully and proportionatly taken at the right time to maximise the movement of energy, burning of fat and regular digestive system.

If any diet plan is causing dehydration, constipation, illness, fatigue, headaches or dizzyness then it is not right – There is obviously a vital nutrient missing!