Nutrition Made Easy by Juan Martinez, Senior Notre Dame College Prep
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n our society, which is constantly in a rush, nutrition is often ignored because of inconvenience or lack of time. To our misfortune, teens who strive to become healthy tend to get discouraged when they realize that in order to understand nutrition, they must first learn the terminology. But don’t get discouraged by the complicated terminology. All you need to do is be disciplined and focus on the essentials of the body: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Protein is the most important out of the three essentials. Protein is a complex organic compound found in every cell of the human body. According to www. rawfoodexplained.com, protein is necessary for the repair, growth and development of the body. It is the necessary component needed to build muscle. Despite the benefits, not all protein sources are good. For example, fish such as: salmon, tuna, haring, and trout are categorized richer in protein than meats such as: pork, ham, salami, and bacon. A few other good protein sources are: poultry, lean red meat, eggs, cottage cheese, and beans, according to www. WeightLossForAll.com. Carbohydrates are the most common compound found in living organisms and also play an important part when it comes to nutrition. According to Harvard School of Public Health, they are responsible for supplying the body with the energy used in physical activity to keep the body running properly. But like proteins, not all carbohydrates are good food sources. Some examples of good carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables and grains such as: avocado, mango, apples, 42 TRUE STAR MAGAZINE
broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, and whole wheat bread. Some bad carbohydrates to stay away from are: chips, cookies, cake, white rice, white bread and other process foods. Fats also play a vital role in maintaining a healthy diet. According to www. WhereInCitymedical.com, fats are necessary for brain development because it provides energy and produces the proper hormones needed for the body. Although not all fats are good for the body, there are many that indeed help the body. Good fats can be found in olive oil, flaxseed oil, sesame seed oil and fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel. Also, it is important to stay away from saturated and trans fat oils such as: corn and vegetable oil. “A healthy diet is indeed of importance. You get more than one benefit from it. At the long term, exercising and eating vegetables, fruits and less processed food will grant you healthy life” says Dr. Ebrahim Ghodsi of Resurrection Medical Center. Truth is the only way to be healthy is to respect your body by eating right. It is critical to acknowledge the reality that, as the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” Statistics show that teens nowadays face more health problems than ever due to the total misuse of fats. For that reason, if you care about your appearance, health and ability to perform, then nutrition is of the utmost importance. Now that you know what is essential, all you need to do is make the right decisions on where to get your protein, carbohydrates and fat.