The Central Macronutrients Of Nourishment

By Vincent A McDonald

Food can be a puzzling topic for the ordinary individual. Of course we have all heard about vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and fiber, complex carbohydrates and sugars but how does it all fit collectively?

The macronutrients of protein, fat and carbohydrates are the necessary building blocks of all nutrition. We all require macronutrients to stay alive. There are people who may favor one of another of the macronutrients but a wholesome, balanced diet has a good mix of all three.

The macronutrients are fat, protein and carbohydrates. They provide the calories our bodies need to stay alive. Carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram while fat provides 9 calories per gram. A calories is the measurement of the energy content of food and it is in effect the total of heat energy mandatory to raise the temperature of 1g of water 1 degree Celsius.

Due to the surplus calories in fat it was long believed that the additional fat that we ate was the foremost cause of the extra fat on our bodies. It turned out that this explanation was exceedingly simplistic. The fat on our bodies is caused by a number of different factors including the ingestion of too many total calories be they from fat, carbohydrates or protein.

Protein is basic as it is the building block of all of the tissues in our bodies and it is vital to all of the processes within our cells. Protein is found in eggs, dairy products, meats and fish but there are also some great plant sources of protein including beans, legumes and especially soybeans.

Carbohydrates offer the main source of energy for our bodies. Carbohydrates are changed into sugar in our bloodstreams which provides the energy we need to function. There are simple carbohydrates, such as pastries and candy, white sugar and white flour products and complex carbohydrates, which are the whole grains and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates are superior to simple carbohydrates in that they break down slowly and provide us with continuous energy while simple carbohydrates break down quickly and cause an energy rush followed by greater than before hunger later on.

Fat has long been the most misaligned of the three macronutrients. However fat is basic for our bodies. There are bad fats and good fats. The bad fats are the saturated fats from animal products and the "fake" fats or the trans fats that are created by hydrogenation. The good fats or the healthy fats are the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil, peanut oil and canola oil and also the fat that is found in nuts and seeds, avocados, olives and the acai berry.

Macronutrients are the main construction blocks of all food and the micronutrients, such as the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber are all found within the macronutrients.

About the Author:

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The Glycemic Foods Index - Your Route To Healthy Weight Loss?

By Dan Beckwith

Want or NEED to take off some weight? You may have heard of the glycemic foods index. (It's a guarantee you've heard of it if you've been struggling with diabetes.) To control the blood sugar levels of diabetics, the glycemic foods index is truly a big deal! But, it's not just restricted to diabetics...it's every bit as useful and effective in weight loss and overall health maintenance.

Let's face it, the foods you eat right now ARE on the glycemic foods index. So it DOES affect you every day. Rather than just picking random foods to eat, wouldn't you rather know how to get the most benefit? You need to know how the list works...

Getting to know the Glycemic Foods Index.

The glycemic foods index was developed as the first effective tool in helping diabetics control their blood sugar levels. Prior to the index, there was no reliable way to know in advance what effect certain foods would have on the blood sugar levels.

The glycemic foods index was developed to help diabetics understand the rapid roller coaster ups and downs of their blood sugar levels throughout the day.

At last, using this amazing tool, both the diabetics and their doctors could know what was being eaten and how it was affecting their blood sugar.

Why does it work?

It's a simple concept. The glycemic foods index is a chart that lists foods on a scale of 0 to 100. They are listed in terms of the speed at which food is digested - digestion turns food into glucose (sugar) - and how fast the glucose hits your bloodstream.

The blood sugar spikes are because of the premise that your body can digest certain foods faster than others. The ones with the highest levels, cause the highest spikes.

Foods that take longer to digest and be turned into glucose are at the other end of the spectrum and enter the bloodstream more slowly and at a steadier pace.

This is good news for all of us - not just the type 1 and type 2 diabetics. Completely healthy people are now starting to use the chart to help them lose weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes and more

What makes up the actual Glycemic Foods index list?

Simply, it's a list that gives you the rating of all the various foods you are likely to encounter. From bread to ice cream.

The best part is that everything you are likely to eat - from candy through broccoli is listed, in order of how good for your diet it is likely to be. If you aren't sure whether to have some corn or some cauliflower - just check the list. It's easy to see which one is better.

It makes blood sugar management (and weight loss) very simple. Just use the easy to understand numbers. 82 is extremely high - 12 is low. Start trading out your high numbered food choices and start adding in the low numbered ones.

Yah,yah...Another "miracle" diet. There's tons of them out there, why should I use the Glycemic Foods Index?

That's the bottom line question. What's so special? Whether I'm trying to control my blood sugar, my weight, or a myriad of other ailments...why SHOULD I use the Glycemic Foods Index?

First the glycemic foods index isn't just some random diet you'd find in a tabloid or on a late night infomercial. It's actually a scientifically created and tested system for dealing with blood sugar issues. The ability to easily lose weight is just a really nice bonus.

As a weight loss method, it's easy, painless and fast - but all these benefits have only recently been discovered.

Let's recap;

-The glycemic foods index is a useful tool to understand how your body digests foods and how the various foods affect your blood sugar levels.

-The values of the most common foods - ones we eat every day - are listed in the glycemic foods index. It's a snap to compare various food choices.

-It's a terrific weight loss system - even though it was developed for diabetics. It helps with other health issues as well.

For more fascinating info about the glycemic foods index, and other weight loss methods, visit my website. You can get a free subscription to my "Fast Weight Loss Tips!" mini-course.

About the Author:

The Glycemic Foods Index is one of the most powerful weight loss systems around! Plus it's easy! To discover more about this and other Weight Loss techniques, check out my site asap! I've completed all the boring research so that you don't have to. For a TON of interesting articles and to get YOUR copy of my "Fast Weight Loss tips!" mini-course, check out my site right now!