If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R. Tolkien
A lot of people today are becoming aware of the importance of nutrition. With new illnesses cropping up every day, it is high time that we stop taking nutrition for granted. Our body cannot synthesize every nutrient that it needs. Hence, it is imperative that we introduce proper food in order to fulfil the nutritional needs of the body.
Having the right kind of diet can be a game-changer. It improves your quality of life, prevents you from diseases and also slows down ageing. A dietician helps you extract the best from your daily eating routine. You can look for a nutritionist simply by typing ‘nutritionists near me’ but beware of the generic results that might pop up. One must be careful when choosing a nutritionist dietician. Make sure that you have verified the credentials they make claims of.
People often look for the perfect diet plan on the internet. The chances of you finding your perfect plan are scarce. This is because every individual has his own needs, goals conditions, and body type. Thus, expert advice works great if you want to have a healthy lifestyle.
What is Nutrition?
We have mentioned ‘nutrition’ enough times in our article, but we must also try to elaborate a little more on what is nutrition. It is a bit more complex than just eating healthy foods. It is supplying your body with the necessary nutrients that will ensure its growth and well-being.
It is a very crucial part of our health and development. WHO has classified nutrients into 6 groups:
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Water
Protein
Protein is responsible for supplying power to your cells. It helps in repairing your muscles and body tissues. It also helps to coordinate your bodily function besides prompting metabolism reactions. Proteins play a part in maintaining proper pH and fluid balance.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are basically divided into two groups: simple and complex carbs. The latter is healthier than the former and thus nutritionists dieticians always recommend complex carbs.
Carbohydrates provide energy to your body. They are broken down into glucose before they enter the bloodstream supplying energy to the entire body. Excess glucose is further stored in your body for later use.
Fats
Fats, like carbohydrates, provide energy to the body. It works as a fuel source for the body. It acts as the major storage form of energy in the body. Only a moderate amount is required for your diet. Fats come in many forms-
- Saturated
- Monounsaturated
- Polyunsaturated
Vitamins
Vitamins are of two kinds- fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. Both kinds of vitamins are important for the body to function properly. Vitamins help the body in several ways:
- Helps in metabolism and nerve function.
- Important for the digestive system, nervous system and skin health.
- Helps make blood cells
- Makes new cells
- Strengthens the immune system
- Aids in iron absorption
- Required for vision, mucous membranes, healthy skin, bone and tooth growth
- Absorption of calcium
- Protects cell walls
- Helps in blood clotting
Minerals
Minerals are required by our bodies to function properly. The essential minerals include calcium, iron, iodine, zinc, copper, manganese etc. Each mineral performs certain functions that are crucial for the body to stay healthy. A healthy diet contains each mineral in an adequate amount in accordance with an individual's condition. The characteristic functions of minerals are:
- It promotes bone and tooth health. Calcium is a major mineral that gives your bones density and strength. It is also responsible for maintaining strong and healthy teeth. Phosphorus and magnesium also contribute to the cause.
- Iron is responsible for generating red blood cells that carry oxygen to the cells of your body.
- Potassium keeps the muscle and nervous system functioning and maintains the water balance in the cells.
- Zinc, although needed in trace amounts, is an essential mineral. It keeps your immune system strong and helps the body fight infections, repair cells and heal wounds.
Water
Water is deemed an essential nutrient because the body requires it more than it can produce. Therefore, a large chunk must be introduced into the body to maintain balance. It is required for absorption, digestion, transportation, dissolving nutrients and elimination of waste products.
What Makes a Balanced Diet?
Whether you are aiming for weight loss, nutritional therapy, or looking at sports nutrition, a balanced diet is mandatory. Healthy eating is the key to any weight management or strength build-up program. Even if you just want to live a long and healthy life, a balanced diet can help you go a long way. A nutritional therapist spends his prime studying nutrition so that they can come up with the perfect balanced diet for every individual.
According to the British Dietetic Association, a registered nutritional therapist is responsible for targeting your illnesses and trying to address them in a scientific food-based manner. This alone shows how much our diet decides our well-being.
A balanced diet is a diet that includes foods from different groups in certain proportions so that the requirement for each nutrient is fulfilled and a little portion is reserved for extra nutrients. Besides the basic nutrients, it should offer you dietary fibre, nutraceuticals and antioxidants.
Find dietician near me here on Superprof.
Some Essential Guidelines on Healthy Nutrition
A balanced diet comes primarily from proper eating habits that slowly give way to the health nutrition required by the body. Let us look at some of the guidelines that promote healthy eating-
- You must never skip a meal as it lowers your metabolism rate. You should have 3 major meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2 snacks between meals.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Try to make it the healthiest.
- Eat five portions of vegetables and fruits.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Ditch unhealthy snacks and keep a stock of healthy ones like nuts, protein bars, granola etc.
- Try to avoid fatty foods.
- Try to avoid junk food and sugared drinks.
- Limit stimulants like caffeine, refined sugar and alcohol.
Healthy Cooking Tips
Besides inculcating healthy eating habits, one must also get into the habit of cooking healthy. Today's generation does not have the time for elaborate meals and thus prefers fast foods or meal packets. This can drastically affect your health fitness weight and lifestyle. You can explore healthy ways to infuse your diet with interesting food. Besides, by making some small changes, you can change your diet from fat to fit.
- Add more veggies to the plate
- Decrease the consumption of red meat
- Avoid fried foods. Even if you do, blot to get rid of the excess oil before eating
- Choose skimed dairy products and lean meats
- Steam the veggies to retain nutrients that might get lost in the process of boiling
- Drink skim milk
- Use nonstick cookware as they require less oil
- Ditch mayo and pick low-fat Greek yoghurt
With these small changes in your daily food habits, you can make a large difference in your way of living.
How Do I look for Nutritionists in Madurai?
Madurai has several colleges for nutrition and every year hundreds of aspiring nutritionists pass out to join some prestigious institution or start their own practice. Thus it is pretty easy for you to get a nutritionist near you if you live in Madurai. You can very conveniently look online for the best nutritionists in Madurai. However, one must be very careful when choosing a dietician. The best way is to find a forum that you can rely upon.
Superprof is one such forum that brings to you the experts you need. There are several reasons why Superprof has become so popular among people these days and is considered one of the best online marketplaces for private lessons and sessions. Without any flattery, let us straight get to the reasons why this particular platform stands out among the rest:
- It does not charge you a high premium for contacting people.
- It gives you the flexibility of online classes which also obliterates your need to be confined in the geographical boundaries of your city or town.
- You get access to the educational qualifications of each profile. There is no word of mouth but only evidence to establish their credibility.
- You can also examine the ratings and reviews of the previous clients. This helps you build a better perspective about the prospective nutritionist.
With all these advantages, one cannot ask for more. Gone are the days of paid advertisements, leaflets, and billboards. Today we must decide upon truth and evidence.
Having a nutritionist to settle your diet plan can help you in ways enumerable. It is not possible for a layman to come up with the perfect plan as there are many nutrients and every person has his set of goals and conditions. Thus, it is best to leave the work to professionals who have been trained for this purpose.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
