Calories: The Good and The Bad?

Making a commitment to have healthier eating habits is a tough one. Knowing how to implement that commitment may be even harder. Where do you start? What foods should you eat, and which ones should you stay away from? These are all questions you should try and answer before getting your weekly shop in!

We need nutrients to survive. We need vitamins, minerals and calories everyday.

There are two types of nutrients; micronutrients are our vitamins and minerals and macronutrients are where our calories come from. The three types of macronutrients are fat, carbohydrates and proteins.

Many people think that fats and carbohydrates are bad for you. That would just leave us with protein!  If this were the case, our diets wouldn’t be very enjoyable. Fortunately not all fats are bad and the same goes for carbohydrates.

With all the negative publicity and confusion over nutrition that we make as a society, you might be afraid to eat carbohydrates but trust me, carbs are not the enemy! Carbohydrates are our main fuel source. Our brain can’t use anything else to power itself with and our muscles will work the best on it. Don’t deprive yourself of it. Carbohydrates that you should stay away from are simple sugars that are found in sweets, cakes and many other snacks. Good carbohydrates such as wholegrains and fruits will keep you energised throughout the day and avoid sugar highs and lows.

Fats are also very important. Without fat, our body wouldn’t be able to utilise some of the vitamins we consume. Fat is found in our cell walls and makes up a big part of our hormones. Fats you should avoid or cut down on are saturated fats that come in meat, milk and dairy products. Everyone should consume good (unsaturated fats) that come from plant sources such as nuts and olives.