Nutrition Abbey Rowe, Tabatha Hanson, Faith Mallory, and Montana Richardson

 Water: This is the most essential nutrient your body needs because your body is made up of 40 to 60 percent water. On average you need approximately 3 and half pints of water a day. Your body can also receive water through the food you eat, such as fruits which contain a lot of water.  Carbohydrates: These are usually your sugars and starches. Complicated carbohydrates that are found in foods such as potatoes, bananas, and pasta are the more needed carbohydrates. Carbs are transformed into simple or complex carbs by our body. Simple sugars are processed sugars or sugars found in fruit, this type of sugar gives you energy for only a short period of time and then makes you feel exhausted immediately after. Complex sugars are sugars taken from pasta, breads, rice and vegetables. These sugars are released at a slower rate and broken down slower and therefore you would not get the insulin rush you would receive from simple sugars. Of course, complex sugars are better for you than simple sugars!  Proteins: These help build the mass of your muscles. Proteins are found in foods such as, chicken, eggs, beans, and milk. They help with creating new cells, which your body creates numerous amounts of cells in one day. However, if you eat too much protein it will become stored as body fat.  Fats: This is just another word used for lipid. Fats help with the processing vitamins and minerals, as well as, being used during a time of exercise. Too much fat as we know can cause obesity and heart disease, so be cautious with the amount you eat. Fats are found in foods such as, cheese, nuts, and cooking oils. There are different types of fats depending on the amount of amino acids that the fats hold.  Vitamins & Minerals: Vitamins come in two forms, fat soluble or water soluble, but are only needed in small amounts. They help the body by causing chemical reactions within our cells but fat soluble vitamins can cause high level of bad toxins to build up in our body.  Minerals are made by humans and are used to control processes in the body. Once the minerals have entered the body they are then made into other structures such as, enzymes, hormones, skeletal tissues, teeth and fluids. Essential Nutrients Your Body Needs!!!

 The food pyramid tells us how much food we need out of each food group and shows us what food is in what food group.  All the food groups work together to give your body the energy it needs to stay healthy.  In 2011, MyPlate replaced the food pyramid, however people still use both since the two programs teach the same goal.  Both visuals help us in picking out what foods we should eat and how much of it we need to better help us with portion control.  Nutrition guides decide what food belongs to which food group. The Food Pyramid

Meal Planning  Breads and Pastas: 3-4 It is important to include carbohydrates into a meal because that is what is given to the body to produce energy.  Fruit: 1-2 Although fruit has a lot of natural sugar in it, it is still important to have fruit in a persons diet because it produces a good source of water in our body.  Dairy: 1-2 Calcium is found in most dairy products and it is the essential key to making bones and our bodies nice and strong.  Meats: 1-2 Meat consists of special things such as iron, vitamin B, vitamin E, and calcium. These factors help provide good skin and nerves.  Vegetables: 2-3 Vegetables are a great for a any type of body. When choosing vegetables, pick ones that have a good source of color.

Food Portions  Portion size is very important.  Your diet should include 4 to 6 portions of carbohydrates per day. This should be roughly 1/3 of your total intake. A portion would be an egg sized potato, 2 tablespoons of cooked rice/pasta/noodles or 3 tablespoons of breakfast cereals.  Your diet should include two portions of meat per day. This should be roughly 1/6 of your total intake. A portion would be 4 oz of lean red meat or poultry, 6 oz of white fish, 2 oz of oily fish or 3 tablespoons of beans or pulses.  Your diet should include 2 to 3 portions of diary per day. This should be roughly 1/6 of your total intake. A portion would be 1/3 of a pint of milk, and 1oz (25g) of hard cheese such as cheddar.  Your diet should include 5 portions of vegetables per day. When considering portion size it is best to use the “handful” method. You should consume a handful of this food group at each meal. Ex. An apple, banana, a few grapes etc.  Your diet should include 5 portions of fruits per day. Just like fruits, you should use the handful method when considering portion size for this food group.

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