We all need to eat food in order to provide raw materials for growth and repair and to provide energy maintain the body's various activities. To eat a balanced diet, you must eat the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins
Introduction
In this report I am going to describe the effects that lifestyle, good nutrition and a balanced diet have on health and fitness. I will include the benefits of having a balanced diet and good nutrition including types of energy, fats, carbohydrates and effects of nutrition, lifestyle and health and fitness. I will also include the purpose of fats, carbohydrates and properties of foods.
development
We all need to eat food in order to provide raw materials for growth and repair and to provide energy maintain the body's various activities. To eat a balanced diet, you must eat the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, fat, vitamins, minerals and plenty of water. This is important so you can get the right 'balance of essential nutrients'. If there is not enough protein, you will not be able to grow properly and you will not be able to repair yourself i.e. wounds will not heal properly. If you do not have enough energy containing foods you will feel very tired, you will not have enough energy. If you have too much energy containing foods you will become overweight.
Carbohydrates are made up of three elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and are the body's first source of energy. The two types of carbohydrates are simple sugars and complex starches. Simple sugars provide a quick energy source and contain glucose and fructose These are found in fruits and are easily digested by the body. They are also often found in processed foods and anything with refined sugar added. Complex starches have many sugar units and are much slower in releasing energy.These are found in nearly all plant-based foods, and usually take longer for the body to digest. They are most commonly found in bread, pasta, rice, and vegetables. All carbohydrates are found in foods such as potatoes, bread, sweets, cereals and pasta. They are used as energy in respiration. They provide all the cells in the body with the energy they need. When carbohydrates are eaten, the body turns them into glucose, which provides energy for everyday tasks and physical activities.
Proteins contain Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and sometimes Sulphur. Protein is composed of chains of amino acids which are the building blocks of the bodies cells. The human body contains about twenty amino acids. There are two types of amino acids which are essential and non-essential. Essential amino acids are taken from the food we eat. that's why we need to eat a varied diet. The nine essential amino acids are Histidine Isoleucine Leucine Lysine Methionine (and/or cysteine) Phenylalanine (and/or tyrosine) Threonine Tryptophan Valine.. Proteins are found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs and beans. They are ...
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Proteins contain Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and sometimes Sulphur. Protein is composed of chains of amino acids which are the building blocks of the bodies cells. The human body contains about twenty amino acids. There are two types of amino acids which are essential and non-essential. Essential amino acids are taken from the food we eat. that's why we need to eat a varied diet. The nine essential amino acids are Histidine Isoleucine Leucine Lysine Methionine (and/or cysteine) Phenylalanine (and/or tyrosine) Threonine Tryptophan Valine.. Proteins are found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs and beans. They are used for growth and repair of the body. Proteins can also be used as a source of energy.
Fats are classified as the bodies second source of energy. Like carbohydrates, fats contain the elements Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. If consumed in large amounts and not used up for energy, they will lay on our bodies as excess body fat. These are also called lipids. There are three types of fat, saturated, unsaturated and mono saturated fats. Fats can be found in milk, butter, cheese and meat. Fats are used as a source of energy: they are also stored beneath the skin helping to insulate us against the cold. You must balance the amount of energy containing foods with the amount of energy that you use when you take exercise. You must have some fat in your diet because it contains fat soluble vitamins. Fats are used as stored energy and heat insulation.
Fibre is important within the body as it maintains the bodies health by assisting in eliminating waste products from the bowel. Eating a diet rich in fibre is known to be crucial in helping to reduce diseases such as bowel cancer. Fibre is found in foods such as vegetables, fruit and bread. We can't digest fibre it is also called roughage. If you do not eat foods which contain fibre you might end up with problems of the colon and rectum. The muscles of your digestive system mix food with the digestive juices and push food along the intestines by peristalsis; if there is no fibre in your diet these movements cannot work properly. It is useful to the body as it prevents constipation and bowel cancer.
Vitamins are organic compounds which can help provide energy for the body and help assist with chemical reactions in the cells of the body, they can also help regulate metabolic processes. The human body needs thirteen types of vitamins:
Vitamin A
Needed for: Eye health, retinal function in dim light only; immune system; maintains healthy skin and mucous membranes; aids in tissue growth and repair
Comes from: Foods contain very little vitamin A. The foods listed below are rich in carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the intestine. Orange, red and yellow fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cantaloupe; green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
Needed for: Normal function of the heart, nerves, muscle tissue and digestive system; aids in carbohydrate metabolism and energy production.
Comes from: Lean meat, enriched and fortified cereals and baked goods, legumes and nuts.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Needed for: Energy production, immune system function, healthy skin.
Comes from: Low-fat dairy products, lean meat, eggs, enriched and fortified cereals and baked goods and green leafy vegetables.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Needed for: Energy production, healthy skin, and digestive system function. The body can manufacture niacin from the amino acid tryptophan.
Comes from: Lean meat, pork, veal, tuna, halibut, poultry, legumes, nuts and enriched and fortified cereals, yeast, baked goods, as well as coffee and tea.
Vitamin B6 (Pyrodoxine)
Need for: Energy production, red blood cell formation, immunity, nervous system and hormone function.
Comes from: Lean beef, tuna, halibut, legumes, enriched and fortified cereals and baked goods, leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin B12
Needed for: Energy production, red blood cell production, utilization of folic acid, nervous system function.
Comes from: Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy products.
Folic acid
Needed for: Energy production, red blood cell formation and growth. Essential for prevention of certain birth defects.
Comes from: Lean meat, fish, legumes, nuts, leafy green vegetables, whole grains.
Pantothenic acid
Needed for: Carbohydrate, fat, energy and protein metabolism.
Comes from: Lean meat, fish, poultry, legumes, whole-grain cereals; widespread in the food supply.
Biotin
Needed for: Energy production, fatty acid synthesis and the breakdown of certain amino acids.
Comes from: Widespread in the food supply; especially concentrated in egg yolks, liver, mushrooms, peanuts, yeast, milk, meat and most vegetables.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
Needed for: Normal growth, wound healing, disease and infection resistance, bone and teeth formation, more efficient iron absorption.
Comes from: Citrus fruits, berries, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin D
Needed for: Normal growth; healthy bones, teeth and nails; proper absorption of calcium and phosphorus.
Comes from: Fortified milk and milk products.
Vitamin E (tocopherol)
Needed for: Cell protection.
Comes from: Vegetable oils, margarine, eggs, fish, whole-grain cereals, dried beans.
Vitamin K
Needed for: Production of proteins required for normal blood clotting.
Comes from: Leafy green vegetables and cereals; also synthesized in the digestive tract.
Vitamins are divided up into fat soluble and water soluble. Vitamins are only required in very small quantities. Vitamins are found in foods such as fresh, unprocessed vegetables and citrus fruits. They are useful for cell chemistry and keeps everything working properly.
Minerals are inorganic substances the body must have in order to regulate processes of manufacture of specific molecules. They are involved in all body systems and are essential for healthy cells, the nervous system and muscle contraction, they are dissolved in the body fluids as ions. These are also needed in small quantities, but we need more of these than we need of vitamins. These can be found in foods such as liver (iron), milk and cheese (calcium).
The human body is about 60% water and it constantly needs to be replaced as we lose a lot of water through three main ways, respiration, urine and sweat. Without water, no system in the body would survive. All cells are made of water. It is important to include water in a balanced diet as it replaces the water that is lost through sweating, urine and respiration.
Your lifestyle choices can have serious effects on your health and fitness. The factors that can effect your health and fitness are sexual behaviour, having a balanced diet can keep you healthy, drug abuse which is addictive and can cause a lot of mental and physical health problems, alcohol which is also addictive and causes weight gain and kidney damage, smoking which can lead to breathlessness respiratory disease, exposure to the sun which can cause skin diseases and skin cancers and causes skin to age, stress can raise blood pressure and can increase cholesterol. Physical activity is good for the body and helps to keep fit and healthy.
Physical activity can have a big effect on your health and fitness. An active lifestyle can help reduce blood pressure, keep weight in check, slow down bone deterioration in older people, keeps muscles strong , keeps joints flexible, helps deal with stress and depression in more productive ways, reduce cholesterol and can help promote psychological well being and positive self image.
conclusion
A lot of factors can effect a persons health and fitness. Things that are bad for our health are not eating a balanced diet and lifestyle choices such as smoking drinking and not doing enough exercise. A balanced diet is eating carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals and fibre in the right proportions and drinking lots of water as these are all of the things that the body needs to work properly. The purpose of doing these things is to keep us fit and healthy.
