Eating healthy has never been easier than it is today, but it has also never been more difficult. Thanks to innovations in technology and transportation, fresh fruits and vegetables are available year-round. Leaner meats and meat alternatives are easily accessible. Manufacturers offer reduced-fat, reduced-sugar, and reduced-sodium products for almost any meal, snack, or dessert. Even fast-food restaurants and convenience stores carry food items that are lower in fat and higher in nutritional value.
The problem is that myths and misconceptions plague the health and fitness industry; many people are unaware of, or have been misled about, how to achieve all the many benefits of good nutrition. In principle, eating well and making wise food choices is not difficult. All we need to do is eat a wide variety of foods that supply the appropriate amounts of essential nutrients without overeating those nutrients that can be potentially harmful, such as saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. Still, eating right proves extremely difficult for many of us. However, the Global Health and Fitness (GHF) Nutrition program will show you how you can improve your nutrition and make an amazing difference in the way you look, act, and feel.
Eating a well-balanced diet is easier when you have a clear understanding of each of the six nutrients that are so vital to the human body. These nutrients all play different-- yet very important-- roles in nutrition.
Three of the six, the energy nutrients, provide energy for the body and thus yield calories. They are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The amount of energy a food has depends on how much carbohydrate, protein, and fat it contains. Food energy, both in its consumption and expenditure, is measured in terms of calories. Fat is a very concentrated source of calories; it has more than twice the calories of carbohydrates or protein. One gram of fat contains nine calories, whereas one gram of either carbohydrates or protein contains only four calories.
The other three vital nutrients are water, which is by far the most abundant nutrient (60 percent of the body) and a major part of almost every cell and tissue; vitamins, which serve as helpers, making it possible for other nutrients to be digested, absorbed, and metabolized; and minerals, which help the body's metabolic process, assisting proteins and vitamins to carry out their important functions. Although water, vitamins, and minerals do not provide energy, they have very specific and vital roles in nutrition that cannot be substituted or compromised.
In the GHF Nutrition program, you'll learn about the different kinds of fat and their roles in nutrition: How much cholesterol you need in your body and how to reduce high-risk levels. Why fat makes us fat. Our program also offers guidelines and easy-to-follow recommendations for keeping dietary fat and cholesterol at an optimal level.
You'll learn about protein and its role in nutrition: How to figure out the recommended daily protein intake for your body weight and training intensity as well as the average amount of protein-rich foods you should consume to meet your recommended daily requirement. You'll also read about some dietary problems and consequences of consuming too much protein.
You'll find out all about the role of carbohydrates in nutrition. Guidelines for how many carbohydrates (simple, complex, and fiber) you should consume daily and examples of foods rich in each. Since fiber is so important to our health, yet often missing, you'll get easy-to-follow strategies for increasing your daily fiber intake, lists of foods rich in fiber, and the amounts of each to consume to meet your daily requirement.
Next, you'll receive important information about the two classes of vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants, and their roles in nutrition, what foods are rich in each of the vitamins and minerals, the recommended daily allowance of each, and what happens if you consume too much or too little.
Finally, you'll learn water's vital importance in nutrition, ways of monitoring your hydration level, very important guidelines for consuming water daily, and during and after exercise.
GHF offers a personal, practical approach to health and fitness for all levels of experience. Our program integrates weight management, nutrition, cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility training into individually-tailored plans to help you develop and maintain a body full of energy and free from unnecessary injury and disease. With GHF, you'll adopt gradual, realistic changes into your life that will make healthy eating and activity a permanent pleasure. That's the GHF way!
