The Food Guide Pyramid

All types of foods contain nutritional substances that our body
needs to grow , be fit, move, think, read, correct any cell
damage and in other words, live! These nutritional materials,
which actually compose our body, are proteins, fats,
carbohydrates, vitamins, salts, and of course water. In order
to receive all the things our organism needs, we have to
maintain a balanced diet so as to ensure that we are receiving
all the nutritional substances we need to survive.

Food provides us with the necessary amount of "fuel" our body
requires in order to perform all the necessary activities, like
the beating of our heart, breathing, walking, exercising, etc.
As the "fuels" are reduced, our body signals this lower levels
of necessary substances and we feel hungry. By eating we again
manage to balance the nutrients (fuels) we need in order to
keep going and perform all the tasks we want with those we
lost. This "fuel" quantity we need is measure with what it is
known as calorie.

One should keep in mind though that the amount of food each
person needs to consume every day is different from individual
to individual. It depends on a number of factors, like a
person's age, sex, his/her volume, the type and level of
exercise performed, even the climate of the area the person
lives in. Apart from these factors, aging, pregnancy, sickness
or development can affect the amount of calories one needs to
take so as to keep the level of energy on the necessary levels.

The success of a sound diet plan is directly related to the
quantities a person receives from each group of the nutritional
substances. Specifically, a balanced diet is the one that is
composed by 50-55 percent of carbohydrates, 25-30 percent of
fats and 15-20 percent of proteins. One should not consider
some foods healthier than others. What is the issue here is
maintaining a balanced and healthy diet plan by consuming the
right quantities, for the specific body structure and exercise
level, out of all the different food varieties existing today.

The general rules one has to follow, in order to keep his body
and mind healthy, are simple. The amount of food consumed,
which is measured by the calories one receives, should not
exceed the amount required to maintain a balanced weight. The
diet plan followed has to offer all the necessary food
ingredients according to the quantities suggested by the Food
Guide Pyramid. The total amount of fat consumed should not
exceed the 30 percent limit. Reducing the amount of salt and
alcohol beverages one consumes would be considered wise. The
balance diet does not include more than three cups of coffee on
a daily basis. Of course, 55 percent of the total amount of
calories consumed has to come from carbohydrates, such as
bread, rise, fruits, vegetables, pulse, pasta and potatoes.

Eat well and stay healthy. Follow the Food Guide Pyramid and
watch your body change!

About The Author: Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for
http://foodandourlives.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes
articles for http://theoutdoorslifestyle.com/ and
http://everythingaboutgames.net/

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