I decided to do this Basic Nutrition series to educate everyone on the basic aspects of nutrition. Please keep in mind when reading this that I could go into much greater detail and outline the specifics of nutrition, but that is not the goal. The goal here is to give readers a general understanding of nutrition in terms of what the basic nutritional elements are and how they work with the human body. I intend to break things down in this series as simple as possible. At the end of this series, which will be 5 parts long, you will have a basic understanding of nutrition. Not so basic that you still won’t know much, but basic in a sense that you could give a general explanation of how nutrition works to somebody who has no clue. So here we go. Read, take notes and learn as much as you can because these articles are going to help you understand how your body works and how nutrition is a key factor in achieving your desired fitness goals.
Let’s begin with H2O. Water is the most basic and most important aspect of nutrition. It has zero calories so you cannot consume too much and gain permanent weight from it. Actually, 70% of the human body is composed of water. Water is a part of every single cell in the body, which is why it is so important to drink plenty of it on a daily basis. I personally strive for a gallon a day. Granted I am a 6 foot tall, 200 pound man who works out daily, but that really doesn’t matter. Half of my water consumption is usually during my workouts. Keep in mind that water consumption counts when it comes from fruits and vegetables as well. Some people just cannot consume a lot of water. Eating green vegetables and plenty of fruits will help keep your body hydrated throughout the day. Ultimately I recommend a minimum daily water consumption of 60% of your body weight in ounces of water. To figure that out take your weight x 0.60 and the answer is how many ounces you should be drinking daily at a minimum.
In knowing that 70% of our bodies are made up of water, let’s take a look at some of the health benefits that water has for us. Take a look at this picture below by Seth Larson.
Water is a pretty amazing thing huh? I think so. Without it we cannot survive. You can literally go weeks without food but only days without water. Whether you are at work, at the gym or on the go you should always have a bottle of water with you. In fact, before you drink your coffee in the morning you should take your vitamins with a tall glass of water to help hydrate your cells and flush the toxins from your body that have built up during the night. That brings me to the next topic: vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and minerals are another very basic and key aspect of nutrition. Many foods contain vitamins and minerals. However, not all foods do. Processed foods contain little to no vitamins or minerals. This is why items like cookies, crackers, candy and soda pop are often referred to as empty calories. The calories are there, but the vitamins and minerals are not, which means there is no nutritional value. Fruits, vegetables and different types of meat on the other hand are high in vitamins and minerals and should be your primary source of calories. Be aware though that when you cook these foods they lose some of their nutritional value. I do not recommend eating raw meat or sea food, but your fruits and vegetable should be eaten raw as often as possible in order to receive their full nutritional value.
Since we are on the topic of raw and cooked fruits and vegetables I want to clear up a common myth. Microwaving your food does not affect the nutritional content of food any more than cooking on a stove top or oven. Also, it does not mutate the cellular structure of the food. If it did you would see your food mutate into something else. A microwave heats food just the same as anything else, by causing the water molecules within the food to move faster, causing friction within the food itself, therefore it heats up. In fact, with some foods cooking in the microwave actually preserves more of the nutritional value than cooking on the stove. Take broccoli for example. When broccoli is boiled on the stove the surrounding water actually absorbs a large portion of the nutrients from the broccoli. However, if you were to cook it in the microwave this would not happen. So the next time somebody tries to tell you that microwaving your food is bad you can tell them it’s not any worse than cooking on the stove and you now know why.
So back to vitamins and minerals. You cannot actually consume all of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs for the day just by eating. For this reason I highly recommend taking a daily multi-vitamin. I have been taking them for years and if there is one nutritional supplement that I recommend to all of my clients, family and friends it is a multi-vitamin. Vitamins and minerals are critical for the proper function of your body. Iron for example plays a key role in oxygen delivery to cells and liver metabolism while many vitamins help support immune function and proper function of organs. Along with the increase in vitamin and mineral nutrients you will experience an increase in energy. This is because the body is now getting the required amount of vitamins and minerals that it needs to be able to function properly and does not have to work as hard to maintain energy levels. I actually notice a difference in energy if I go too long without taking multi-vitamins. I feel sluggish and tired whereas with my vitamins I feel more energized and healthy. Again, this is because when I am taking my vitamins my body is receiving all of the necessary nutrients for it to fully function the way it is supposed too rather than fighting to stay energized because the required nutrients are not there. Also, vitamins and nutrients play key roles in immune function, digestion, cell production, recovery from workouts and much more. Without vitamins and minerals our bodies could not perform all of the necessary functions to keep up healthy.
This wraps up part 1 of my Basic Nutrition series. I hope that you have learned about the importance of water and vitamins and minerals. The key takeaways here are that water is a part of every cell in the body and makes up about 70% of our structure, therefore it is crucial to keep your water intake up. Plus it plays a key role in metabolism which can help with weight and fat loss. I would recommend a minimum of 60% of your body weight in ounces of water each day. For a 150lb person that would be 90oz of water daily. Also, vitamins and minerals are key players in many bodily functions to include organ function, blood cell production, maintaining energy levels and much more. Without vitamins and minerals your body will not function properly and you will lack energy. So remember to drink your water, take a daily multivitamin and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and you will be well on your way to a healthier, better functioning body! Check back soon for part 2 of this series: Amino Acids and Protein!
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