THE VENDING HEALTHY

Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category

It can start from a very early age and we are taken in by the ‘good advice’ of the supposed experts that we take at face value.

Most health visitors will tell you to wean your breast-fed baby on baby rice, which comes out of a cardboard box. This usually is a smooth mush of almost pure white starch and most of the grain’s nutrients were removed by the processing.

This is an easy route for many tired, busy, harassed mums and I can see the temptation, but babies retain a liking for the foods / tastes they are weaned on. In fact they keep their liking for foods that the mother ate while pregnant. Breast milk (unlike formula) exposes them to all the different flavors of the mother’s diet and thus makes them more likely to try different flavors as they get older. Encouraging them to sample different tastes and textures from an early age is key to developing a healthy attitude to food in later life.

But, for the food industry, it is much better to train the baby’s palate on cereal from a packet and progress to jars of baby foods, then onwards and upwards to the processed crap that most of the population now eats!

There is a natural progression from boxed baby rice to packaged breakfast cereals, with 97% of British homes having at least one box of cereal in the cupboard.

Cereals are one of the earliest forms of convenience foods, representing a triumph in packaging, marketing and foreign policy.

Unlike most of Europe, the UK has succumbed to the American cereal invention almost completely. Approx 100 years ago, simple grains, i.e. porridge or bread were the staple breakfast seen around the world. Today, however the British and Irish are the largest consumers of puffed, flaked, sugared, salted and extruded cereals in the world! The Mediterranean’s, who we credit with a healthy diet, have not gone down this route.

The human body uses three macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and a number of micronutrients, (vitamins and minerals) from the time we are conceived to the time that we die. Our needs for each of these nutrients will change as we reach each new stage of life, with certain time periods needing nutrients in greater numbers because we are growing or for other reasons. In addition to the different stages of life, we may find ourselves in need of different nutrients because we are sick, injured, or pregnant. Whey, a beneficial type of protein is useful to the body, from the time of infancy up to the time of very old age. The needs of the body for protein, including whey, changes dramatically from time to time and varies depending on a number of factors.

It is not only important to get the right amount of protein but the right kind as well. Before discussing how much protein a body needs for every stage of life, the kinds of protein should be discussed.

Where Protein Comes From

Protein comes from both animal and plant sources. All animal based protein is complete; it has all nine essential amino acids needed for the human body. There are twenty amino acids, each playing a different role in the body including creating new amino acids, hormones, and enzymes. Each of these is vital to a different function of the body which include sleep regulation, digestion, and ovulation to name a few. While the body is making the others, it needs these nine amino acids to be replenished every day because not only can they not be made by the body, they are not stored either. Animal protein includes meat, of course, but also includes dairy foods like milk and cheese, as well as eggs. Whey is a protein that is derived from milk, a byproduct of the cheese making process.

Plant protein is incomplete because it lacks one or more of the essential amino acids. The exception is soy protein which is actually complete. Eating plant proteins in combination keeps there from being a problem with deficiencies; however, new vegetarians and some vegans may still see some problems from not calculating their needs correctly. Some may actually turn to amino acids derived from supplements to make sure that they are getting all that they need.

Protein is needed for the human body – that much is a concrete fact. The question is how much protein is needed. For the average person, the need is around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For the person who is working out either more frequently (more than 3-4 times per week) or more strenuously (over 30 minutes per session) the need for protein increases slightly.

Know the Amount of Protein that YOU Need

Just like fingerprints and other identifying factors, the need for protein in your diet is very individual and is based on a number of different factors. There are some that can be changed like your weight and your activity level and then there are a number that cannot be changed like your gender and genetics. Only you know how much you actually exercise, which is important in figuring out your protein needs.

Do: Count the calories that you are consuming presently and how many you will need to reach your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, for instance, you might need to decrease your calories by 500. However, it may be easier to decrease calories by 250 and then increase your workout to burn an additional 250 calories as well.

Don’t: Assume that you can just cut your calories and lose weight without taking into account your nutritional needs. Sure you can eat a single 1200-calorie burger in a day and be within your calorie count, but you are also over your count for sodium, saturated fats and probably protein in the process. After eating a beastly meal like that in one sitting, you are less likely to want to work out at all.

Don’t: Assume that all of the protein that you eat is automatically heading to your muscles. Protein like all other nutrients can be stored in the body as fat, especially if too much is eaten at one time. The body typically only digests the first 30 grams of protein in a meal to the muscles and the rest is more likely to be stored.

We all have times when we need to lose a few pounds to fit into a certain outfit for a special occasion, but it can often be quite difficult to take off those pounds. And because we also tend to procrastinate, and not start trying to lose weight until the last minute, it is not uncommon for us to be disappointed. Or, we try crash diets, which are usually unhealthy and do not provide us with the proper nutrition that is essential for healthy bodies and minds. So, is there a way that you can lose a few pounds quickly, without sacrificing good nutrition? Yes, you can, if you follow a very restricted 1,000 calorie diet that is loaded with healthy foods and does not allow for junky treats.

You may be thinking that a 1,000 calorie diet is one that will be nearly impossible to follow, and that if you try it, you are going to be hungry the whole time you are on the diet. This is actually quite far from the truth, if you are putting the proper foods into your diet, which means eating food that is low in calories, but high in protein. This will make you feel fuller even after small meals, and you will not feel as much of an urge to snack on high-calorie junk foods.

Other Reasons for a 1,000 Calorie Diet

There may be other reasons that someone is using a 1,000 calorie diet. Many people do this for a few days to detoxify their systems, and they really restrict their diets for this reason. This is also an excellent way for a lot of people who need to lose a lot of weight to get their diet started. By no means should they stick to this type of diet for any longer than a few days, because it is not healthy to do so for any length of time, but it is a good way to get a diet off the ground.

How to Be Healthy On a 1,000 Calorie Diet

No matter what type of diet a person is on, it is essential that they are getting the proper nutrition and still eating enough. This means eating three meals daily, as well as healthy snacks. It is extremely important to start the day off right with a healthy breakfast, and one that is loaded with protein foods will help keep you fuller throughout the morning. A couple of scrambled eggs with a glass of low or non-fat milk are a very protein-rich breakfast that only takes a few minutes to make.

It is just as important to make sure that you are eating lunch and dinner, and again, eating foods that are high in protein will help to keep you feeling more satisfied. For snacking, you can enjoy a number of delicious treats, including fruits and vegetables, unsalted and unbuttered popcorn, nuts and seeds, and a lot of people even use protein treats because they taste great and are very filling even though they are small.

Your mother probably told you all your life that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, Mom was absolutely right. Breakfast is kind of like gas for your car. Without it, your car won’t start or go anywhere. Without a healthy breakfast, your body and brain are not going to function properly, and you will find yourself sluggish, unable to concentrate, and maybe even a little bit moody or cranky, especially around mid-morning. Many people think that it is all right to skip breakfast because they can grab a snack later on, but when they do, the snack they choose is usually not a healthy one. Often, this snack is coffee and a donut, which provides little to no nutrition.

It is a pretty easy thing to get a healthy breakfast, and it doesn’t really need to take a lot of time, either. For instance, you can pop a couple of slices of whole grain bread in the toaster and get dressed while it is toasting. Then spread some peanut butter or cream cheese on it for some protein, and you have a quick and healthy breakfast. Don’t forget to wash it down with a glass of low-fat milk or delicious juice. Or you can fill a baggie with your favorite dry cereal, fill a go-cup with some juice, and you have a healthy breakfast that you can eat while you are on your way to work.

Why Kids Need to Eat Breakfast

It is important for everyone to eat a healthy breakfast, but it is exceptionally important for kids to have something healthy to eat before leaving for school in the morning or at least something that they can eat while they are on the bus on the way to school. Without the proper nutrition in the morning, people tend to feel sluggish around mid-morning, and their levels of concentration are not where they should be. This can have very negative effects on young people, because they are unable to concentrate on their schoolwork, and therefore are not learning at the rate they should be. And when kids skip breakfast, they tend to have a higher BMI (body mass index) than most, which can lead to childhood obesity. Kids who do eat healthy breakfasts are more likely to participate in physical activities, such as school sports, and have much better nutrition in their diets.