Balanced Nutrition

   Get ready to get your mind blown. Are you ready? Ok, here goes. Losing weight is not necessarily a good thing. Really? Yes really. Many people's concept of fitness is obsessively centered around losing weight. Consequently many diets are also obsessing over this frantic trend. And so you see and hear strange arguments over the malnutrition of milk or the unhealthy nutrients in whole wheat. People start trying to tell you that orange juice is bad for you because it has too much sugar. Wait but chocolate milk isn't?
   Stop! Take a minute and relax. Losing weight is trendy. In many cases it is needed. But losing weight is not the solitary platform of health. Instead of basing your nutrition needs based on weight loss, base it on your lifestyle. Undoubtedly our nation is in the midst of an obscene obesity epidemic, the likes of which no other nation or generation has ever witnessed or imagined possible.
    But most people who recognize that they fall into the obese category fail to change their reality because they focus on the trend (losing weight). Rather than the catalyst (unbalanced lifestyle). And what is balance? Balance essentially engineers itself through consistent equilibrium. Your lifestyle doesn't need a makeover. It simply needs calibration. So what does a balanced nutrition plan look like?
   Well first off let's assert the obvious; no two people are alike. Prescribing the right amounts of nutrition and daily exercise has as much to do with gender, age, health history, fitness level, fitness goals as it does the individual's level of commitment.
   But if there are four basic nutrition needs as stated in our previous article, knowing the correct amounts of each will go a long way in customizing a plan for you the individual. Let's start with fat and end with water. We will cover the rest next week. Fat is not a bad thing. Low fat foods and snacks don't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to eating healthy. Dietary fats, in fact, absorb key nutrients that your body needs to function properly and efficiently. Monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats are considered dietary fats; essentially assisting the cells to function properly.
   For example, polyunsaturated fats such as omega 3 are necessary because the body does not naturally produce these fats. They are only obtained through diet. They are important for visual and mental function and development. If your cellular membranes do not have sufficient fat coating they cannot properly protect the cell interior from hostile environments meaning your cells will not develop properly. Thus, dietary fat is good. Moving on,
  The average human is 70% water. That is over 70% of your physical identity belongs to water. Without it your organs fail, your neurons become inefficient, no longer transmitting information properly and thus you are no longer a functioning human being. Water keeps your body in operation. The higher amounts of water you drink the more efficiently your body's organs operate. Your cells clearly communicate; hormones are fluidly transported. And when something is wrong your body more clearly identifies it and more adequately treats it. I encourage every adult to drink a gallon of water each day. It makes a difference in energy levels, stamina and productivity.
   These are two vital step is balanced nutrition. Next week we will discuss protein and carbohydrates.