Nutrition

Nutrition
Nutrition is the word used to describe the types of materials that a human body needs. Nutrients are very important in everyone lives. Eating the types of food that is right for the body will help later in the future. The body needs energy to function, so it’s important to have the right balance. There are many types of nutrients but the main ones I’ll be talking about are Fruit and Veggies, Breads and wholegrains, meat, and milk and dairy.

{Food Guide Pyramid}
Fruit and veg

Fruit and veg should make up about a third of the food you eat each day. And it’s also important to eat a variety. Five-a-day is a good, achievable target. Try to avoid adding fat or rich sauces, or adding sugar or syrupy dressings to fruit. q 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables (raw, cooked, frozen or tinned) q 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar sized fruit
Breads and wholegrain foods
We should be eating lots of starchy foods every day, foods such as rice, pasta, bread, cereals and potatoes. Try to choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can. Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. Starchy foods are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins. Most people don't eat enough fibre. Foods rich in fibre are a very healthy choice, so try to include a variety of fibre-rich foods in your diet. These are all rich in fibre: wholegrain bread, brown rice, pasta, oats, beans, peas, lentils, grains, seeds, fruit and vegetables

Meat

Meat is a good source of iron, zinc, B vitamins (particularly B12) and protein. But meat is also a major source of saturated fat, which we should be cutting down on.
Making meat more healthy:
Meat is generally high in saturated fat so it's best to:
· Choose lean cuts of meat
· Trim off any visible fat
· Don’t eat the skin of chicken because most of the fat is stored just under the skin
· Grill meat rather than frying
Milk and dairy
Milk and dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are great sources of protein and vitamins A, B12, and D.

They're also an important source of calcium, which helps to keep our bones strong. The calcium in dairy foods are easy for the body to absorb. The fat content of different dairy products varies a lot and much of this is saturated fat, which can raise cholesterol and is linked to heart disease.

You could try to choose lower-fat versions whenever you can. This means having semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, low fat (0.1% fat) yoghurts or fromage frais. Lower-fat cheeses include Edam, cottage cheese and reduced-fat hard cheeses.

Cream and butter are high in fat and should be eaten in small amounts.
You can use natural yoghurt and fromage frais instead of cream, soured cream or crème fraîche. Low-fat spreads can be used instead of butter.
All these lower-fat products contain at least the same amount of protein, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc as full-fat versions. They just contain less fat.