The act of food being used to aid the health of the human body is called nutrition. For each part of the body to perform its function at the optimal capacity, the body needs to be acquiring a sufficient supply of food and supplements. Although nutrients have many different roles and have different levels of importance, a good state of health cannot be maintained without all of the six types of nutrients the body needs: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. These nutrients must each have a proper balance. A consistent exercise routine is also necessary for a healthy body. In order for the body to have the proper energy level, the body consumes food. Food is mandatory for the body to keep up a healthy level of performance. The five major food groups are: fruits and vegetables, fats and oils, grains and meats, and dairy products. In order for us to maintain the best level of health for our body, we need to understand the inseparable connection between diet and nutrition.

When first starting this assignment I didn’t think that I was going to learn anything new that I didn’t already know about my eating habits. After writing down a days worth of food and drink and then analysing all the information and actually calculating out everything, I realized that there is so much more that I could learn in the future and will lean in the future about myself and the food that I eat. After assessing my diet throw the week and recording and analysing its nutrition value, relative to my gender, weight and age I had chance to learn, the food that I intake what are they consist of.

I found my energy intake to be a lower than the recommended 1940 kcal per day. I consumed 1472.5 kcal. Food calories are nutrients and supply energy to the body. To increase this I should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fats are essential nutrients. Fats produce more than twice the energy of carbohydrates. Our body use fats when is short of carbohydrate. Another function of fats is to protect body temperature. Fats are found in the plants and animal foods. I found my fat intake to be at 33.94g. It is bad for our bodies to have too much fat. High fat intake can cause heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The body needs fats for growth and repair. There three types of fats: saturated fats, which are often “favourite fats” such as: ice cream, butter, cheese. Unsaturated fats contain essential fatty acids.

These are needed by our bodies to help tend off a variety of ailments, including heart disease and help lower cholesterol. They also contain vitamin E. These can be polyunsaturated or monosaturated fats. Monosaturated types have a greater beneficial effect on cholesterol levels. Saturated and monosaturated fats are not essential nutrients, although they can be used by the body to make energy. My intake of essential fatty acids is very low as only 6.2. This is only about 33% of daily recommendation. To increase it and get the right amount and kind of fat in my diet I could eat more seeds, nuts and minimize my intake of fried food and saturated fats from meat and dairy products.

Carbohydrates are the most important nutrients in our bodies. Carbohydrates give all the cells in our body the energy that they need. This energy is used to keep body active. Body breaks carbohydrates into two different types of fuel. There are 3 types of carbohydrates; starches, fibre, and sugar. We find starches in gains, legumes, and sugar in plant and fruits. Starches and fibre are essentially chains of sugar molecules. Some chains are straight; some branch wildly. Carbohydrates are divided into two forms: complex and simple. Complex carbohydrates (grains vegetables and fruits) have all the basic nutrients. They are more useful of our body. There are two groups of complex carbohydrates: high fibre and low fibre. High fibre, complex carbohydrates are not digestible by human beings, because we don’t have the enzyme to do the job. Simple carbohydrates such as food made from sugar (candy and soft drinks) are less useful because they are high in calories and low in nutrients.

For carbohydrate intake the norm is 300g. My intake was a little low being 207.9. This shows that I need to eat more carbohydrates. I should also balance each of my meals on complex carbohydrate as brown rice, wholemeal pasta or bread. Include vegetables and fruit to finish the meal and this should ensure I get a balance of complex carbohydrate. My fibre intake is 40 per cent lower than recommended 18g. Fibre is an extremely important component of a balanced and healthy diet. It has numerous roles and function within the body including helping to control blood glucose levels, improving the efficiency of the absorption of nutrients, decreasing cholesterol and controlling the appetite. To promote health and well being, fibre should be included in my diet. A good way to increase my daily intake is to start a day with muesli or a high-fibre cereal. I should also gradually increase my intake of fibre over a three to five day period and ensure I also increase my intake of water to six to eight glasses a day. I will cut down on my use of white bread and replace it with a wholegrain or wholemeal variety.

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