Nutritional Facts For Healthy Life

It is very important for all of us to take better care of our health especially in this fast paced world where so much of unhealthy food and harmful activities are influencing our lives. It is the right time to know the importance of diet courses or nutrition

plans for a healthy body and lifestyle. If you are an athlete or sports person then following right diet courses and having right sports nutrition are of utmost importance.

Not only the regular exercise is the key to stay healthy, but following adequate diet plan and having all the important nutrients are necessary to lead an active lifestyle that stands a reduced risk of developing health complications. People often apply

their brain without knowing about the nutritional facts and their adequate intake quantity in order to meet everyday requirements of body. This is the reason why most of the athletes also end up consuming some supplements which cause more

harm than good. Therefore, it is very essential to have good knowledge of diet courses and sports nutrition in order to stay fit and healthy forever.

Essential nutrients important for athletes and non-athletes and facts about them:

Carbohydrate: It commonly exists in two forms – starch and simple sugars. Milk products, fruit and vegetables are good sources of natural sugars while grains and rice etc offer starch in plenty. Nutritionists always recommend to consume

unrefined grains which also offer some essential minerals, vitamins and fibers in plenty.

Carbohydrates consumed by us are converted into glucose which ultimately gets converted into glycogen. Out body can't hold more than 350 gms of glycogen and hence, any more of glycogen gets converted into fat. Therefore, eating too much of

carbohydrate can also be dangerous for us.

Fat: These are generally associated with obesity but actually fat is an essential component of diet that helps our body to absorb some nutrients. Fats are also the ultimate source of energy as they provide our body with essential fatty acids.

However, they must be consumed in monitored amounts otherwise they can lead to weight gain and heart problem.

Two types of fats are there – saturated fats (unhealthy as they can increase LDL or bad cholesterol level), and unsaturated fat (heart healthy and increase HDL or good cholesterol level). Meat, chips etc are sources of saturated fats while nuts,

olives, oily fish etc are good source of unsaturated fats.

Protein: The most important component of diet or the building block of body that helps repair tissues. It is also useful in making enzymes, hormones and a number of other body chemicals needed for forming muscles, bone, skin, blood,

cartilage and skin. Protein is a macro-nutrient and is required in larger quantity just like fat and carbohydrate.

The notable thing is that body has nowhere to store protein and hence, it has to be supplied on regular intervals. Some excellent sources of protein are fish, eggs, meat, soya products, pulses, nuts and seeds.

However, sports nutrition emphasize on the use of whey protein, largely present in milk as natural protein. This protein has the perfect chain of amino acids and are extremely easy to digest, and also help in rebuilding and repairing lean tissues.