Do you ever feel confused about what food products to purchase? Are you in the grocery aisles trying to read labels and not sure what to put in your cart? Doesn’t everyone benefit from fat-free or sugar-free foods – because fat and sugar should be avoided by everyone, right?
Many people purchase products because they “think” they are choosing the healthiest foods. As you know, first and foremost, we recommend that people eat foods in their most natural forms – not from a box or a microwavable container.
I recently had the opportunity to teach a nutrition/cooking class to twelve home school children and five parents. We covered this very topic – so everyone, young and old needs to understand it.
Protein
Protein is a naturally occurring substance that provides the building blocks for many functions in our bodies. Long protein chains are made up of individual amino acids, some of which are essential for our bodies to live. In other words, you cannot live without protein. Foods high in protein come primarily from animal sources, but some plant-based products contain moderate amounts as well.
Good protein containing foods: beef, chicken, fish, pork, lamb, turkey, eggs, tofu, nuts, legumes (also contain carbs).
Fat
Fat is used as an energy source by the body, and also plays an integral role in hormone production, skin and hair condition, and joint lubrication. Fats are made up of long chains of fatty acids, some of which are called “essential” meaning that they must be consumed in your food and cannot be gotten from any other source (IE your own body). Everyone needs some fat in their diets.
Good fat containing foods: nuts, butter, olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, avocados, natural nitrate-free bacon, and fish oil.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which include starches, cellulose, and sugars, and are important sources of energy. All carbohydrates are eventually broken down in the body to glucose, a simple sugar. Simple carbohydrates are foods that are already broken down to sugar and are therefore very quickly absorbed by the body such as table sugar, soda, candy, cake, pie, cookies, certain sports drinks, white bread, white pasta, white rice, and similar products. Fiber-containing carbohydrates are broken down more slowly in the body and aid in normal digestion, along with other health benefits.
Good carbohydrate containing foods: vegetables, whole grains, split peas, lentils, potatoes with skins, oats, and corn.