How you can influence your performance with the right nutrition

Every day you probably hear or see at least some post on the Internet about the importance of properly balanced nutrition for your health. But did you really pay attention to what was said or written about that? Some of you could be already annoyed by the tries of almost every fitness trainer to rip you off by offering special diet programs, or by the abundance of blogs and posts about sophisticated ration and limitation almost on each kind of food. But a cliché “You are what you eat” remains still very actual regarding the good shape and well-being of our body.

In this short article, we would like to give you an overview of the proper balance of foods in your daily diet, so you can get familiar with the first essential steps on how to improve your nutrition.

Sources of your calories

Your body as an alive organism needs proper bio elements to get energy and to renew itself each second. The main sources of needed nutrition elements and calories are:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables

• Lean proteins

• Whole grains

• Nuts

• Legumes

Find out the number of calories you need

Our body is a permanently working machine. Even when we sleep our body continues to work. We breathe, we move, we walk and each of these motions requires the energy to keep working. This energy we get from calories. Based on medical studies the average person needs around 2000 calories daily to be in tonus and maintain a normal body shape. But of course, each individual case is different and based on different factors as gender, age, profession, the intensity of sports activities a person involved in, etc. ​ ​ Calorie formula here.

​ Very important is to keep in mind the sources of calories recommended above. Lovely foods we are weak about like chocolate, sweets, sodas, ice cream, pizza provide us “empty calories”. These kinds of food provide us a big number of calories, but a small amount of needed nutrients. By abusive consuming “empty calories” we gain excessive weight and increase the chance of getting sugar diabetes. It does not mean that you need completely deprive yourself of sweets or fast food, but you need just to be aware and put your consumption under a reasonable benchmark.

Why it is important to balance your nutrition?

Organic vitamin-rich food provides our body with the necessary nutrients and vitamins. This makes our immune system sturdy and fit. Moreover, vitamin-rich food provides our brain with necessary nutrients, which are vital for good academic and work performance. Studies show that an unhealthy diet is strongly linked to stroke, cancer, diabetes, and heart diseases, which usually are lethal for human life. However, if you want to know how well you are really doing, we recommend you to get a blood vitamin test. There are several opportunities to find out which vitamins your body needs most, for example at https://loewi.com/immuntest/

This way you will find out which vitamins to substitute in order to reduce the risk of severe diseases. Always remember that especially a young body can compensate a lot, but one day, your diet will pay off – either in a good or bad way. You decide.

Components of a healthy diet

A balanced diet usually includes the following nutrients: Carbohydrates, Protein, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and Healthy fats.

​​ Normally you get these nutrients by eating: ​ Organic fruits. Fruits are a perfect substitution for candies and other sugar-rich sweets. Even though fruits contain quite much sugar, but this sugar is organic and on top of its fruits provide us with other important nutrients like fiber. It is recommended to include to your fruit ration local fruits in a season when they get ripe. It will support your vitamin enrichment better because fresh fruits contain more vitamins than the imported ones. ​ Organic vegetables are a vital source of the full range of nutrients needed by our body. They contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Especially rich in vitamins are dark leafy vegetables like broccoli, green beans, spinach, Swiss chard. The best way how to consume vegetables are:

• in fresh as a side dish

• baked in a tray with a splash of olive oil

• by adding them to soups, stews, and pasta dishes

• by making a salad

​​ Whole grain products are made from whole grains that are not refined. Through refining, grains lose a major part of their minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients. Therefore, whole grain products are much richer and healthier than refined white flour. Usually, products as pasta, biscuits from whole grain are marked as “Whole grain product”, which makes it easier to find them in a supermarket. ​ Protein food. Meat is the richest food on protein, which is essential for muscle building and wound healing. It is recommended to consume organic fresh meat because this meat has a lower number of pesticides, which are harmful to human health. The healthiest sources of animal meat are:

• red meats such as beef or lamb

• poultry, such as chicken and turkey

• fish, including tuna, salmon, sardines, and other oily fish.

​ If you are vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute meat with plant-based protein. The richest plants on protein are:

• Lentils and beans

• Eggs

• Tofu and peas

• Almonds and sunflower seeds

• Walnuts and soy-based products

​​ Organic dairy is vital for enriching our body with calcium, protein, vitamin D. What is good about dairy products is that they are available in different ranges of fat percentage. The ones who would like to decrease fat in the diet could buy low-fat dairy products. Those who have lactose intolerance or follow a vegan type of diet could use an alternative as dairy-free milk, which include: soy, almonds, cashews, oats, coconut. ​ Fats and oils are an essential source of energy and vital component to maintain cells healthy. Excessive consumption of fats can lead to obesity and heart diseases though. Fats could be categorized into three groups:

• Preferred fats: vegetable oils and fish oils

• Fats to hedge: cheese, butter, and heavy cream

• Fats to eliminate: trans fats

​ ​ To put everything into a nutshell, a balanced ratio is vital for our health and mental welfare. We need to respect our body and provide it with healthy nutrients to maintain it in the best conditions. A healthy body has a sturdy spirit, let us make it a rule for ourselves and the result will not let us wait for a long time.

The USDA’s “ChooseMyPlate” initiative recommends the following way to proportionate the above-mentioned types of food:

• filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables

• filling just over one quarter with grains

• filling just under one quarter with protein foods

• adding dairy on the side (or a non-dairy replacement).

In order to individualize your nutrition more, you can use the “My plate plan” interactive generator developed by USDA, which will help you based on your inputted personal details to make a suitable balance for you. We hope guys, this short overview will help you to get a rough overview of the importance of balanced nutrition and the best sources of nutrients we should use in our diet.