Considering the factors of what constitutes the key basics of sound nutrition, we need to consider what the word nutrition means and then attempt to adjust the way about which we think of food accordingly.
Nutrition means “the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth,” yet all too often food is manufactured, advertised, and viewed by the general public as anything but the things necessary for “health and growth.”
Although there are basic principles of nutrition that are uniformly necessary for all human beings, our nutritional needs can vary by the determinate factors of our individual metabolisms and metabolic rates, our personalized genetics, and even our geographical locations on the planet.
Good nutrition has many benefits for mind, body and even spirit. When we eat well, we are well, we enjoy good physical health, superior focus, energy and vitality and we can maintain a healthy weight.
The following are examples of things that we all can, and should, pay mind to, regardless of our personal physiologies, when it comes to acquiring not only adequate, but optimal nutrition in our daily lives.
1 – Re-think the Frequency of Your Meals
Although it’s been drilled into our heads (since before we can remember) that we should only be eating three (4 if we include a mid-afternoon snack) meals a day, our bodies are actually a lot happier when we eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day.
Splitting our daily intake of calories into 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day will boost our metabolic rates and result in making the food we eat work for us in terms of energy and productivity, as opposed to consuming 3 heavy meals a day that likely slow us down and leave us hungry at inconvenient times.
2 – Eat a Variety of Foods
Eat from all food groups and in varied colors, specifically in your choices of vegetables. Variety ensures you are getting all the nutrients your body needs that offered by different foods.
3 – Balance is a Key Concept when It Comes to Nutrition
Figuring out the appropriate ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and sugars (of which there are multiple categories for each) is essential to ensuring that you are consuming the right amount of nutrition in the right quantities, and although our specific lifestyles will undoubtedly require different amounts of these nutrients, we have the power to experiment with proportions to determine what works best for each of us.
Those of us with more physically demanding or laborious jobs will need higher amounts of carbohydrates and proteins than those of us who are required to sit in a cubicle on the phone all day.
4 – Use Common Sense
We all need to always use our common sense, but especially when it comes to selecting what you choose to eat. By now we all style of advertising that the junk food manufacturer’s use against you. There is no shortage of food in this world that is both nutritious and delicious, and it is within your control to make wise decisions about the food you choose to consume.
Eat clean and fill your menus with whole food. Mangos, apples and strawberries are just as tasty as any of the high fat and high calorie processed alternatives, and just as readily available.
5 – Last, but Definitely Not Least – Hydration is a Key Element in Proper Nutrition
Although water has no caloric or nutritional value in and of itself, it is as essential to our health and metabolic processes as are vitamins and minerals.
Staying hydrated means consuming a certain amount of water, electrolytes and other fluids despite whether or not you feel thirsty and consuming the adequate amount of water will assist the food you eat in nourishing your body.
It is generally agreed upon amongst medical professionals that all people require between 11 and 15 cups of water daily in order to maintain adequate hydration, however, obviously there are numerous factors that alter that daily requirement, such as physical activity (amount we sweat), the amount of salt we consume, and if we have any conditions or disorders that affect our bodies ability to stay hydrated such as diabetes and renal (kidney) insufficiency.
