It is a common misconception that healthy eating is boring and makes for tasteless food. In fact, most people stay away from learning about nutrition and developing correct eating habits for this very reason. We are all somewhat aware of the importance of good nutrition, yet the familiar misgiving is, "I will have to forgo the pleasures of eating good food".
An apple a day keeps the doctor away!
How often we've heard this phrase and how little we think about its real meaning. Beyond drawing attention to the goodness of the humble apple, its real insight lies in the knowledge that nutritious foods make a healthy body.
Simply put, Nutrition is about the relationship between food and good health. We require nutrients - the various components that make up food - for normal growth and deveopments. Nutrients give us energy, help build / heal tissues, fight infections and enable our bodies to execute daily tasks with ease. There are innumerable nutrients contained in food and each contributes to our overall health and well-being. The nutrients essential for normal body functioning include Carbohydrates, Fat, Protein, Vitamins, Minerals, Fibre and Water.
Interestingly our bodies require some nutrients in much larger quantities than others. These nutrients - carbohydrates, protein and fat are collectively known as macronutrients.
Macronutrients give us energy in the form of kilocalories (kcals).
Food Composition Tables
To help you make healthy food choices every day, refer to the tables below. They indicate just how much energy and nutrients are present in what we commonly eat. The nutritive values are for 100g ( the equivalent household measure is provided) of raw food.
|
|
