Understanding nutrients

It is good to understand the basic nutrient elements to help you choose your daily food and meals.

Fat: There are both good and bad fats. Your body needs good (healthy) fats for energy, to absorb vitamins, and to protect your heart and brain health. For example, Omega 3 (a healthy fat) is vital to your physical and emotional health. You can get the healthy fats (referred to as unsaturated fats) from olive and canola oils, avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, fatty fish (tuna, salmon, sardines…). The primary source of saturated fat is red meat, poultry skin, whole fat dairy products, and butter. The bad fat (trans fats) can be found in packaged foods, pastries, margarine and fried food.

Protein: A vital nutrient required for building, maintaining, and repairing tissues, cells and organs throughout the body, protein provides energy and supports your mood and cognitive function. You can get protein from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, grains, beans, vegetables and nuts.

Fibre: (both in soluble and non-soluble forms) is the part of plant-based foods (grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans) that the body can’t break down. It keeps your digestive system clean and healthy and flushes cholesterol and harmful carcinogens out of the body.

Carbohydrates: These are one of the main sources of energy that your body needs. It is recommended to consume carbs that come from complex, unrefined sources like vegetables, whole grains, fruit rather than from sugars and refined carbs. Moving away from white bread, pasta, starches as well as cutting back on sugar can prevent rapid spikes in blood sugar, fluctuations in mood and energy in addition to fat build-up and eventually weight gain.

Did you know?

You need a balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals in your diet to sustain a healthy body.

What should your plate look like?

Copyright © 2011, Harvard University. For more information about The Healthy Eating Plate, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, www.thenutritionsource.org, and Harvard Health Publications, www.health.harvard.edu

You can easily measure your portions using your hands like this:

Did you know?

For a healthy diet pattern, you should replace processed food with real and natural food whenever possible.