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5 Things You Must Know About Nutrition

Following are the five very important facts to know about :

1. Eat Every two to three hours:

If one only eats three or less meals per day, the result would be getting oneself overweight. Although this seems counterintuitive at first, yet it's simple to understand if you know about the metabolic process involved. Energy is your body requirement throughout the day, so if you eat only 2 or 3 meals, your body would find other means for making that energy last. As a result, you body slows down its metabolic process. Thus a slow metabolism means slow burning of the calories and the food energy is stored as fat. By eating small amounts every two to three hours, you stir up your metabolic furnace which makes your body used to burning the food energy quickly. So you will have more energy all day long and your body will not make unnecessary fats.

2. Eat more Fruits and Vegetables:

Fruits and Vegetables are rich in potassium and hence are vital for blood pressure patients. It lowers your blood pressure just like decreasing sodium in your diet does. Reducing salt definitely helps but mostly people do not realize that as a first step of defense they should increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits in their diet. You should have about eight to ten servings of vegetables and fruits per day, or about 4-5 cups. Food items rich in other minerals are also significant for blood pressure regulation for example, nuts, whole grains and low fat dairy items.

3. Drink Ample Water:

Increasing your water intake would do you wonders. You would have more energy and feel refreshed throughout the day. Furthermore, the result will be visible in the form of your fresh skin and you also will have fresh breath all day long. Don't make the error of drinking too much water at a time that would only take you to the restroom more. The key here is to take a little at one time. You should take a little amount after every 15 minutes. The best quantity of water per day can be taken by dividing your weight in pounds by half and drinking that much water, e.g. a person weighing 200Ibs should drink hundred ounces per day.

4. Food is Fuel!

Generally people take food according to what they feel like eating at a time. This should not be the case and food should be consumed according to body requirements at a time. For example, a person following a gym routine should make choices on what king of fuel his body needs at that time. Before going to the exercise, one can have complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal in order to have energy for gym. After the gym, one can have simple carbohydrates like apple or bananas to replenish the muscles and spike the insulin levels. Some time later, you can have some protein in order to help in the rebuilding of torn muscle fibers. Before bed, you can take healthy fats such as natural peanut butter so that you do not get very hungry during the night (especially for people with high metabolic rate). Always see food as a mixture of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and choose your diet accordingly, you will feel healthier and more complete.

5. Oils in Cooking:

Oils used in cooking, especially olive oil, is not an unhealthy option. However, if you heat the oils beyond their 'Smoke Point', their properties start changing, making them unhealthy. For example if you use a more virgin olive oil, you can cook it at around 200-250C and have a healthy diet.

Taking care of your diet is simple yet challenging, all you have to do is a little extra effort to live a healthy long life!