Foods of nutritional value are those as close
to their natural forms as possible
Basic science teaches
that the content of a body is called its mass and its weight is the mass acted
upon by gravity. Either ways you may agree with me that both are attributes of
a body’s heaviness. What is this body called again? Yes Matter!
In today’s world where almost everybody is having a frenzy about health,
looks and weight (which is important) let us bear in mind that humans beautifully
come in different shapes and sizes. Understanding how your body works and
adapting the healthiest and realistic methods to look and be your best is
therefore very crucial.
The human body being a
typical example of matter has among others muscles, bones, water and fat as its
contents that contribute to its heaviness. Reiterating that humans come in
different shapes and sizes I want to emphasize that the mentioned bodily
constituents have their percentage contributions to our physical appearance.
These, to a greater extent, stem from what we eat.
From my experience and
knowledge as a practising medical scientist, weight is usually gained when
more calories are packed in, against those that are used or burnt by the body. A
calorie is a term for the energy that is acquired from foods and drinks we
consume. It is also the energy that is used by the body. I will not get into
the scientific details of calories but what I can say is that their right
amounts are essential for bodily activities: from heartbeat to brain activities.
There are calories
with and without nutritional value and those must be considered before any form
of food consumption, even in the least. Another consideration to be made is
portion control. I think every individual must have a distinction of the amount
of food that satisfies their hunger from the amount that gets them overly full.
In portion control, a balance of the various food groups is essential. Eating
in moderation and timing are other factors to consider. These play roles in
ensuring that the right amounts of calories are given to the body to use. The
major sources of calories are carbohydrates, proteins and fats (their roles
will be talked about in later posts). Those of nutritional value are best
gotten from foods that are as close to their natural forms as possible whilst
those of low or no nutritional value are from processed foods.
As the part of calories
in weight gain and loss has been briefly touched on, the importance of water
should not be overlooked. It is very crucial to stay hydrated, especially in
our part of the globe. Water makes the skin, hair and nails look fresh just as
green leaves need water to stay fresh. It is very dangerous to reduce the
intake of water in the bid to speed up weight loss. I am positive you have
heard of dehydration. It simply means loss of water. We are constantly losing
water in the form of sweat and urine as well as in faecal matter which needs
incessant replacement. Ignoring this will be like forgetting to put water in
the cooling system of your car’s engine. It will break down and so will you!
Dehydration causes
weight loss in a very unhealthy way and its health consequences include
tiredness, dizziness, the formation of kidney stones and muscle damage, just to
mention a few. In consciously and unconsciously keeping track of my water
consumption, I got myself a really nice yellow 1 litre bottle which I fill with
water before I go to sleep at night for the following day. I mostly have it
with me, either at home or out of home, making sure I constantly sip from it. I
also ensure I fill it twice or thrice in a day and finish the last fill before
bed time. You can try it till it becomes a part of you. Do not wait till thirst
catches up with you.
I will advise my
beloved readers and followers to be aware even of the least of things that gets
into your bodies, especially what goes down your throat. Remember that your
body gives you what you give it.
Dare to make a
difference!
She_Darevel
(Audrey Anim-Ankumah)
fitdarevels@gmail.com
