Balanced diet

The problem of human nutrition, the production of sufficient quantities of tasty and healthy food to meet the needs of different population groups, has always been at the centre of attention.

Countries produce a huge amount of products: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and fruits. However, we don't always know how to properly dispose of this huge national wealth, and how to treat it with care and rationality. This blog should help you make better and fuller use of food, and make it tastier and healthier.

Nutrition should be balanced

It is known that the body of an adult weighing about 70 kg contains about 40 kg of water, 15 kg of protein, 7 kg of fat, 3 kg of mineral salts and 0.7 kg of carbohydrates.

But the body is not a warehouse where everything is stored unchanged. The human body is constantly undergoing metabolic processes, some substances are burned, oxidized, excreted, and in return new substances are needed, and for various purposes.

Proteins, fats, carbohydrates, mineral salts and vitamins are the basic substances needed for life. Of course, the purpose of each of them is different.

Caloric content of the diet

Each of us should receive as much energy as it spend during the day,  in the body should observe energy balance. When a person does not receive calories compared to energy expenditure, he or she becomes thin.

 In cases where the inflow of energy with food exceeds the body's energy expenditure, fat deposition is inevitable. Excess weight is harmful, it drastically reduces fitness, reduces efficiency, worsens well-being, and spoils the figure.

 Unfortunately, many people underestimate the harm that obesity causes and sometimes believe that fat accumulation is a sign of health.  Obesity is a disease of overeating and fat metabolism that is nowadays very widespread.

Protein

Proteins are the most important component of nutrition. Proteins are the basis for the structural elements of cells and tissues. Proteins are associated with the basic manifestations of life: metabolism, muscle contractions, nerve irritability, the ability to grow and reproduce, and even the highest form of matter movement - thinking. By binding significant amounts of water, proteins form dense colloidal structures that determine the configuration of the body. In addition to structural proteins, protein substances include haemoglobin - the carrier of oxygen in the blood, enzymes - the most important accelerators of biochemical reactions, some hormones - subtle regulators of metabolic processes, nucleoproteins - substances that largely determine the direction of protein synthesis in the body, which are carriers of hereditary properties.
We can get the necessary amount of proteins from meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, bread, potatoes, beans and peas.

Simple fats are made up of glycerol and fatty acids linked by ester bonds. They form the basis of such well-known products as butter, pork, lamb and beef tallow, various types of vegetable oils, margarine, etc. Fats are liquid at normal temperatures (vegetable oils) and contain a very large percentage of so-called unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids include oleic, linolenic, arachidonic and other acids. The higher the unsaturated fatty acid content, the lower the melting point.

Studies have shown that the complete elimination of fats from the diet leads to serious health problems.  Because fats contain essential substances such as linoleic and arachidonic acids and some fat-soluble vitamins. Lack of essential fatty acids in diets leads to delayed development of the growing organism, disturbances in the structure and function of cell membranes, dryness and inflammation of the skin, disruption of the proper course of pregnancy, and other health disorders.

If bottles of vegetable oils are stored in contact with air for a long time, oxidation and polymerization products of unsaturated fatty acids may accumulate in them, which has negative effects on the body. Especially unjustified is their storage in open wide vessels, contributing to the contact of oil with air oxygen. The properties of vegetable oils are very unfavourably affected by prolonged heating, e.g. frying in the same oil many portions of pies, doughnuts, potatoes and other - culinary products. The thick tar-like products formed in this process can damage the liver and even cause the development of malignant tumours.
  

Carbohydrates 

Of all the food substances consumed by humans, carbohydrates are the main source of energy The pure carbohydrate is sugar. Honey, depending on its origin, contains 70-80% mono- and disaccharides. Its high sweetness is due to the significant content of fructose, the sweetness of which is about 2.5 times higher than glucose and 1.5 times higher than sucrose. Sweets, cakes, pastries, cakes, jams, ice cream and other sweets are the most attractive sources of carbohydrates and pose a clear danger to obese people. A distinctive feature of these products, which have been increasing rapidly in recent decades, is their high caloric content and low content of essential nutritional factors. 
 This is particularly true for athletes engaged in intensive physical training and people's appropriate level of sugar consumption varies based on several factors, including age, physical activity, and overall lifestyle. For young individuals, consuming 80-100 grams of sugar per day can generally be beneficial in strenuous physical labour, as their sugar requirements may be slightly elevated. 

However, it is crucial to ensure that these large quantities of sugar and sweets do not replace other essential nutrients, such as protein. For the elderly and those with sedentary lifestyles, the recommended sugar intake is about 50 grams per day.

The health concerns surrounding excessive sugar consumption have been well-documented. Increased sugar intake, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages, has been linked to weight gain, dental caries, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association has recommended limiting added sugar intake to no more than 200 calories per day,  equivalent to about 50 grams.