Why Is Nutrition Important? « The ABC of Weight Loss

Why Is Nutrition Important?

While you might have a vague idea of why you should be eating ‘right,’ there are specific reasons that you can turn back to whenever your motivation is waning.
• Good nutrition helps you have more energy – When you feed the cells
in your body the proper things, they will be able to function better,
helping you have more energy to do the things you want to do.
• You will be preventing illnesses later in life – Think of nutrition as a
sort of financial account. The more good nutrition you put into your
body, the more interest (or good health) you will reap later in life.
• You will be setting a good example for your children and friends – If
you’re eating right, they will try to do the same.
• You will have fewer colds – Good nutrition helps your body remain
healthy and strong and it will help your immune system to function at
the highest levels possible.
• Women will have stronger bones – As women age, their hormones
levels drop, causing bones to be prone to brittleness. Men, won’t miss
out here either!
• The heart will be protected from damage – When you limit the
cholesterol and fat you take into your body, there is a lower risk of
heart disease.
• Your moods will be stable – Some scientific studies are linking good
nutrition with good mental health.

So What Should You Be Eating?

The main thing is that you eat a wide variety of foods. Any meal plan that requires you to abstain from any food group for long periods is usually not too healthy. You should be getting your protein from a range of meats and plant foods, with meat sources coming from beef, lamb, chicken, and fish. You should begetting your carbohydrates from a combination of grains (rice, quinoa, etc), pasta, vegetables, and fruits. Eat grains and pastas sparingly, and when choosing vegetables and fruits choose a range of colours to ensure you are getting a variety of vitamins.

Portion size is also important and we need to make sure that we eat just enough to suit our body. For most people, 2000-2500 calories per day is sufficient but if you are trying to lose weight you may want to redue that slightly.

Posted in Nutrition | 1 Comment »

One Response to “ Why Is Nutrition Important? ”

Simon Bradford

February 8, 2010 @ 5:18 pm

I had a trainer who asked me to cut all carbohydrates out of my diet. Needless to say I lost quite a lot of weight but I only lasted three weeks before my body started to shut down.

After spending a few days in bed and getting myself healthy again I started a different diet that included all food groups in moderation. I have stuck to this method of eating for over a year now and continued to lose weight.

And for those who are wondering – I never trained with that trainer again!