When it comes to nutrition these days, it can be hard to follow what the latest food recommendations and trends are. With a variety of labels such as “all natural” or “non-toxic” slapped across all kinds of food packages, knowing what is truly good for you has become more of a hassle than a pleasant learning experience. First and foremost, it’s important to understand what nutrition actually is. Nutrition is not just a diet; rather, it is the study of how food is broken down in the body. Nutrition looks at how the body uses the food provided to promote a healthy and functioning health system using different kinds of nutrients. There are a few nutrients that affect the body, giving it energy, disease prevention, growth, and plenty more necessities. To ensure proper nutrition, there are a few key points to keep in mind.

Ensuring Proper Nutrition

To make sure the body is receiving optimal nutrition, it’s important to be aware of the intake of the main nutrients. There are two categories of nutrients: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are those that should be eaten in larger amounts, including protein, carbohydrates and fats. These key nutrients have pivotal roles when it comes to bodily health: they help to build and repair human tissues, cells and muscle as well as provide energy to the central nervous system and brain. By contrast, micronutrients should be consumed in smaller servings, but remain just as important. In this category are vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are well-known and well-studied for a reason: they promote healthy skin, eyes, healing and bone formation. Minerals work to help maintain cardiovascular health and keep the body’s overall structure in check. It is not always easy to implement a varied and structured diet in everyday life, so seeing a nutritionist may be beneficial to those who may require more assistance.

Seeing a Nutritionist

Nutritionists are valuable for many different reasons. As they are highly knowledgeable about the variety of diets available, they are able to suggest the best one to meet every individual’s personal needs. Additionally, they can also test an individual for any food allergies that may be causing disruption in a person’s health. Knowing which food may be disruptive to one’s health can be beneficial in the long run in preventing any diseases or medical conditions. In line with that, nutritionists can help women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant to make sure that their systems are healthy and running optimally for carrying a child. Lastly, nutritionists can help those who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. By discussing the disorder and what issues may surround it, nutritionists can help individuals on their journey back to eating regularly and healthily.

Foods to Eat and Avoid

All this information is paramount for one’s food journey, but what about the specifics? Below are the fundamental foods to eat, and those to avoid.

Eat:

• Fruits: Yes, it’s cliche, but fruits are truly some of the best food one can put in one’s body. Fruits are a good source of the aforementioned micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. Not only that, fruits are great at fighting against illness by boosting the immune system.
• Veggies: One should definitely eat one’s greens. Veggies are loaded with nutrients while remaining low-calorie and perfect for side dishes to more micronutrient-rich foods filled with protein or carbohydrates.

Avoid:

• Sweets: While loved by many, sweets are considered a “guilty pleasure” for a reason -- they provide little to no nutritional value and up the unhealthy use of trans fats or refined sugar.
• Fried or broiled food: Considering different cooking methods than these two will certainly lead to healthier diets. Fried and broiled food pack on the calories and increased the risk of high weight gain and even cancer.

All in all, the most important takeaway when maintaining nutrition is to eat a balanced diet of nutrient-rich food. Doing so will make one feel and look healthy and happy.