Sensible Use Of Nutrition Data Can Help With Exercise Programmes

By Marion Peters


For anyone who enjoys an active lifestyle, whether as an athlete or simply to stay fit, nutrition data can be a very useful tool. When coupled with experience and common sense, information of this kind can be used to inform the choices made about diet. While pages of statistics, or numbers on labels, can be confusing, using some sense with regard to food choices is not hard.

Anyone who is looking to take basic steps to improve the health of their diet should begin to cut processed and pre-packaged foods out. These kinds of products often have a lengthy list of chemicals as their ingredients, making it hard to tell what kind of food they actually consist of, in many cases. Avoid products with long lists of chemicals on their labels, as they are also likely to contain more sugar.

Sugar, in particular, is the enemy of a healthy body, and the kind of refined and processed sugar which exists in many pre-packaged products is particularly harmful. While fat was viewed as the enemy of health until fairly recently, it has been discovered that sugar is the main driver of obesity in many people. Eating natural fats, such as those which occur in milk, nuts and eggs, is actually good for the body, and helps it burn unhealthy fat.

Finding a healthy protein source is essential for a good diet, and white meat, such as chicken, and fish can play an important role in providing protein. Red meat contains more saturated, or unhealthy, fat than meats which are classified as white. It also contains more cholesterol, and has been identified as a cause of digestive illness and heart conditions.

It is also wise to avoid fried food, especially food which has been fried in generic vegetable or corn oil. If you need to fry foods, do so gently in olive oil. Olive oil is also an excellent choice to dress foods such as salads, as it is nutritious and can help the body to burn unhealthy fats.

A good general rule for choosing healthy foods is whether it can be killed, or whether it can be grown. If either of those criteria can be applied, then it is probably very healthy. If a product has a long list of chemical ingredients, it should be avoided.

Nutrition data can be a useful complement to common sense when choosing food. Avoid foods which are processed and pre-packaged. Choose foods which are as close to their natural state as possible before preparation and cooking.




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