If you’re at your ideal weight or striving to reach your weight goal, is it simply a matter of burning more calories than you consume? The answer, is no! Body health improvement as well as weight gain or loss must be factored in to the equation or you could be heading for problems. The correct nutrition can help to reduce the risk of of health related problems, the most scary of which are surely heart disease and cancer. Proper nutrition, entails eating many different foods, monitoring your consumption of some food and beverage items, and counting calories. A Good diet offers balanced nutrition that helps reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and also helps with weight control.

For your body to function properly it must have the correct combination of nutrients:

Carbohydrates. The body uses carbohydrates to build glucose which can be used immediately or stored in your body for later. A little too much is stored as fat. Simple and complex are the two types of carbohydrate.. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Starches and fibers are complex carbohydrates.

Proteins. Proteins help your body build and maintain muscles and other tissues.  Protein is also used as an enzyme, which starts reactions within the body, including metabolism, and gene growth & repair. Protein is also stored as fat.

Fat. Fat is another nutrient your body requires. It comes in both saturated and unsaturated forms. Saturated fat foods such as pork, butter, fatty beef puts you at risk of health problems. Unsaturated fat such as peanuts, almonds is healthy, but if it goes through any type of refinement process, it can become saturated fat.

Vitamins. Vitamins are organic compounds that are necessary for growth and maintenance of life. Different vitamins work different within the body. They can work with the metabolism to help with energy levels for any task you can think of that you need your body to perform. Some certain vitamins can prevent disease.

Like Vitamins A, C, and E, called antioxidants, canprevention of coronary artery disease by keeping build up from occurring on artery wall.   Vitamin B-1 is needed for digestion and the proper nervous system function. Vitamin B-2 is needed for normal cell growth. Vitamin B-3 helps to detoxify your body. Vitamin D assists with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin K helps your blood clot. All serves in different areas, and that is why vitamins is needed.

Minerals and trace elements. These are another nutrient your body requires. Minerals like chlorine help make your digestive juices. Phosphorus helps build strong bones. Both of these can be found in the foods we consume, but with a trace element, the body just needs a small amount. Salt is also a final nutrient your body requires. Experts say not consume more than 2400 milligrams per day, might raise your blood pressure.

You should follow a plan create a well nutritional diet. First, try to consume two and one half cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit each day. A good guide is to eat as many different colors as possible.

You should eat three ounces of whole grain products each day. Half of your grain intake should be whole grain based. Milk should also be part of your healthy diet. Consume forty-eight ounces of low fat milk or milk products on a daily basis. Total fat intake should be between ten and thirty percent of your calories. Most of the fats you consume should be in the form of unsaturated fats, saturated fats can do damage to your health. Meat,  dry beans, and milk or milk products should all be lean, low-fat, or fat-free. Ten percent of your calories should come from saturated fats, avoid trans-fatty acid.

Rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be a regular part of your diet as should potassium rich foods.

And keep in mind excellent nutrition is the basis of a healthy diet.

Which is can you say is your healthy food of choice?