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Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Ask three nutritionists the best way to remain healthy, and you’ll get four different answers. While different contradictory theories on the healthiest way to eat abound, there are fortunately some widely accepted nutrition facts.
One of the first widely accepted nutrition facts is the food pyramid. While the exact number of servings per day vary by authority and by year, authorities agree that grains are the most important part of a healthy diet. The next most important food categories are vegetables, then meats and dairy products. The least important food groups are the fats, oils and sweets.
Another widely accepted nutrition fact is the body needs six main classes of nutrients—water, minerals, vitamins, fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Currently, 24 vitamins and minerals have been determined to be essential.
Antioxidants have also been another accepted nutrition fact. Cellular metabolism produces compounds called free radicals that can damage and mutate the body. Antioxidants neutralize the free radicals. Precursors such as Vitamin C are necessary, but direct antioxidants can also be obtained through such foods as green tea.
Sports nutrition facts abound. Athletes require around 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body mass, which increases the more people exercise. In addition, carbohydrates in an athletic diet is an established nutrition fact, as the body consumes vast amounts of glycogen that must be replaced after the workout.
One of the most accepted nutrition facts is how many calories should be ingested per day. Anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 calories per day is necessary. Most diets begin with consuming under 1,500 calories to convince the body to start burning fat.
Eating whole foods is another accepted nutrition fact. Processing foods, such as sugar, rice and wheat, strips away most of their nutritional value. Eating whole or unprocessed foods has been shown to provide more nutritional value than eating processed foods. Other nutrition facts exist, such as eating dark green vegetables, eating a certain amount of chocolate per day or drinking a certain amount of wine per day, but these are not widely accepted nutrition facts.
Proper exercise, though, is a universally accepted nutrition fact. Research has shown that a person’s health is vastly improved by exercising for a half-hour two to three times per week. Fortunately, a brisk half-hour walk can satisfy this requirement. Aerobic exercise has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, lung capacity and endurance, and anerobic exercise has been shown to increase strength and endurance.
