Nutrition Facts That Should be Common Sense

Here are nutrition facts that should be common sense :

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables help keep teens healthy, prevent disease, and are low in fat and calories. 

People of all ages should eat seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Ideally, adolescents should eat seven servings daily.

Fruits and vegetables can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. The following examples equal one serving size of a fruit or vegetable:

Whole grains

Whole grains contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are important for a teen’s health and growth.

Today, many foods such as white bread and white rice are made with refined grains, which are low in fiber and other nutrients found naturally in grains. Instead, it’s best to eat a variety of whole grain foods. Ideas include:

Check the Nutrition Facts labels to choose whole grain foods that contain at least 10 percent Daily Value of fiber and are low in saturated fat, trans fat, sugars, and sodium (salt). 

In addition, one of the following whole grains should be listed first on the ingredient list:

·         Brown rice

·         Oatmeal

·         Rolled or whole oats

·         Bulgur (cracked wheat)

·         Popcorn

·         Whole rye

·         Graham flour

·         Whole barley

·         Whole wheat

·         Whole grain corn

Wheat flour, enriched flour, and degerminated corn meal are not whole grains.

Fiber

One of the best known benefits of fiber is that it reduces constipation. 

But did you know that fiber may also reduce the risk of coronary heart disease?

The total number of fiber grams to be consumed by children can be computed by adding their age plus five. For example, a 14-year-old girl should take in about 19 grams of fiber every day. Ideas for increasing fiber intake include:

§  Eating whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.

§  Eating brown rice and whole-grain products instead of white rice, bread, and pasta.

§  Choosing whole-grain cereals for breakfast.

§  Snacking on raw vegetables.

§  Replacing legumes for meat two to three times per week in chili and soups.

Using whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal (such as Indian dal or lentils) or in salads (such as tabouli).

Protein

Protein helps build and repair body tissue and is important for growth and daily energy levels. 

Teens need two servings of protein each day, which equals six ounces. Good sources of protein include:

Calcium

Calcium is one of the most important nutrients for adolescents. If teens get enough calcium while they are young, they can strengthen their bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Foods with calcium include:

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Nutrition Tips to remember when exercising

Balance 

This sounds obvious but the first thing to get right is the overall balance of the diet.

There must be sufficient carbohydrate,protein, and essential fats vitamins and minerals in the diet to enable quality training to take place. 

All food groups should be included and the importance of simple strategies like eating a wide variety of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables every day to provide essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants should not be overlooked.

Fuelling:

Another key thing is to think about correct fuelling before exercise. It’s important to have eaten some carbohydrate rich foods (cereal, bread, pasta, rice, potato etc.) a few hours before exercise especially if it’s going to be a fairly high intensity cardio–based session otherwise there will be nothing in the tank. 

Include carbohydrate foods that release energy more slowly (low glycaemic index) such as multi grain bread, muesli, porridge, sweet potato and pasta.

Hydration:

Hydration is also important as it affects exercise capacity, perception of effort and mental functioning. 

Starting exercise already well hydrated is important and checking for pale coloured urine can be used as a crude indicator of an adequate hydration state. 

Taking fluids on board if exercising for more than 30 minutes is important. Water will often suffice for short periods of exercise but during longer periods a sports drink containing carbohydrate can have performance benefits.

Recovery nutrition:

This is really most relevant for athletes training for periods of an hour or more several times per day. For them, consuming carbohydrate in combination with some protein either in the form of a drink or snack as soon as possible after the session makes a big difference to how they feel and perform in the next session. 

It also  positively enhances the physiological adaptation that takes place following exercise. 

The target amounts post–training are in the region of 1 – 1.2g carbohydrate per kg and 0.3g protein/kg body weight but this will vary according to the type of session completed.

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