Fueling the Body
Food is the fuel that your body needs to keep functioning. Just like a car needs gasoline to continue to run. If you were the owner of a Lamborghini Diablo, you probably would not put a low-grade gasoline in it as that might cause the engine to seize up. Think of your body the same way. You must fuel it with a high-quality fuel for it to run efficiently.
Once nutrients are available to your muscles, the muscles are able to utilize energy for muscular contraction. The type of fuel muscles used depends on the physical fitness and workout intensity of an individual. The greater your level of fitness, the more free fatty acids (fat) will be used to supply your body with energy, especially in activities that last more than twenty minutes.
Nutrients are an important part of a healthy diet and make your bodies perform well. What are nutrients exactly? The components of nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids (fats), vitamins, minerals, and water. All of these nutrients are necessary for the body to function at all.
Some of these nutrients provide energy, which is needed to generate movement and for workout and exercise. Some of these nutrients are utilized for growth and development of the body as well as regulating the processes that occur in the body, such as digestion, absorption, sweating, and forming new cells.
You may have heard before that the components of nutrients are not created equal. It's best to choose foods that are nutrient dense, meaning they have many high-quality nutrients Quality is the key word here.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers a free interactive learning tool to educate consumers on how to read and understand the content of the Nutrition Facts labels that are on all food products sold in the United States. This tool will help you to keep track of calories, as well as provide information that can help you plan a healthy diet. For more information, or to download this learning tool, go to
Most of the foods that are processed and packaged have been stripped of nutrients. Some food manufacturers fortify their products with vitamins and minerals, meaning they add them back into the product after they have been processed out. To fortify a product is better than not having any vitamins at all, but it's not as nutritious or beneficial for your body as nutrients in their natural form. This is why a diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is so highly recommended. These foods have not been processed and therefore their nutrients have not been stripped away.
