- Average human adults require a minimum of 1700 kcal/day for their energy requirements.
- According to the Word Health Organization (WHO), 1.9 billion people across the globe are either obese or over weight. Meanwhile 462 million are suffering from deficiency of adequate nutrients.
- Nutritional imbalance and deficiencies are common worldwide among the general population especially trends have been seen among growing children, those lactating, pregnant women and elderly people.
- At least 6 to 8 glasses of daily water intake is essential for adults and children above 13 years old.
- Scientific data has proven that vegetables and fruits reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and boost our natural immune system.
- Recommended intake of protein is about 50g per day; in some cases, 60-80g per day is recommended.
- Children and adults who are above 11 years should not consume more than 6g of salt a day.
Everyone at some point had an unsuccessful attempt to a healthy lifestyle.
However, having one is not far from impossible. We just need to know what are the things we should do in order to keep ourselves healthy and in good shape.
“The average body of an adult man consists of roughly 60 Billion independent cellular units.”
At a microscopic level, every cell needs energy in the form of ATP to generate more energy and to carry out its metabolic functions.
Same is true about the macroscopic picture of the human body.
Every organ of the human body is working in some ways. Just take for example the human brain, it never sleeps. The heart is constantly pumping blood throughout the body. Our muscles need energy when we walk, talk or perform any function.
“An average adult requires a minimum of 1700kcal/day for his energy requirements. Taking a balanced diet that covers all the necessary nutritional requirements of your body is recommended by the World Health Organization.”
This article contains (7) seven important tips which can help you meet the daily nutrient requirements of your body.
It discusses the important nutrients, their effect on the human health, and their deficiencies and how to treat these deficiencies.
What Do We Mean By Nutrition?
It is referred to the total amount of food, substances and calories required to maintain energy requirements of a human body. It’s the component of food which allows them to differ in their biochemical make-up. We can categorize nutrients on the basis of how much is required in the human body. Macronutrients are those which are to be taken in bulk quantities i.e
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Fats
Micronutrients are required in small quantities; but still are of the same importance as macronutrients.
- Minerals
- Vitamins
Statistics of Malnutrition Across the Globe
Malnutrition can be in any form and shape. It can take various forms such as being underweight, overweight, obese, body mass wasting and stunting of children growth.
“ According to the Word Health Organization (WHO), 1.9 billion people across the globe are either obese or over weight.
Meanwhile 462 million are suffering from deficiency of adequate nutrients. “
Children under the age of 5 years are suffering from wasting and stunted growth.
It’s also determined that 45% of death under the age of 5 years old is directly linked to nutritional deficiencies.
Who are at risk?
Nutritional imbalance and deficiencies are common worldwide in the general population.
Especially trends have been seen in growing children, lactating and pregnant women and elderly people.
Furthermore, people in developing countries are facing this more commonly than developed countries.
Growing children need more energy and a balanced diet for optimum growth. Hence, this age group is more prone to malnutrition and food deficiency.
Malnutrition poses some serious challenges to world health agencies and agencies dealing with food security.
WHO Response to Malnutrition:
On April 2016, WHO general assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to declare 2016-2025 as decade to combat malnutrition in all of its forms.
So it is a great opportunity if we can defeat and eradicate malnutrition from its roots across the globe and achieve our goal of a healthy world.
Tips to Get All Your Daily Nutritional Needs and to Stay Out of Risk
Below are 7 important tips which will elaborate and suggest what to eat in your daily routine so that you get all the required nutrients.
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Never skip breakfast
Breakfast makes up around 15-20% of the total daily energy needs of your body. It is the most important meal of the day.
Many people underestimate its importance in our nutritional make up.
Many tend to skip it repeatedly, which has been proven unhealthy and has some serious medical effects on the metabolic levels in the human body.
Medical Researchers and nutritionists through their research have proved that our balanced daily nutritive diet must include breakfast in every morning.
Breakfast has endless benefits. It helps to reduce extra fat hence helping in weight reduction and its maintenance within normal range. It has healthy effects on the brain functioning.
Sleeping means not having any food for many hours. It is very important to consume food items rich in the essential minerals and vitamins to kick start your day in the right way.
Such food items are: fruits, juices, dietary fiber rich items, food items high in protein.
Some examples of good breakfast meals are: omelette, salmon fish, fruits & vegetables, peanut butter, cheese and eggs.
So in nutshell to get a daily balanced diet one should not skip breakfast.
If you run to your office in hurry and do not have enough time to go to the kitchen in the morning to prepare your breakfast, you can easily go to a nearby drive through offering healthy breakfast choices.
Make sure to make it a habit to have breakfast every morning.
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Drink plenty of water
Water makes up 60% of our body mass. Most of our metabolic and biochemical functions in our body at the cellular level take place only in the presence of water.
The human body functions by excreting water in the form of urine and sweat. So on a daily basis we need to replace it to prevent dehydration.
“Health professionals and nutritionists recommend minimum intake of 2-3 litres of water for adults and 1-1.5 litres for children“
Remember that fizzy and sugary drinks can never compensate for your daily water requirements.
Do not mix up these drinks with water. As these are rich in sugar, hence cause obesity as well as advances tooth decay. In watery diets, tea, coffee, low fat milk and non alcoholic drinks are good choices.
“ At least 6 to 8 glasses of daily water intake is very much essential for adults and children above 13 years.”
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Eat fruits and vegetables
Vegetables and fruits make up an essential part of our daily food requirements and are rich in vitamins, minerals and also contain some antioxidants which are necessary for biochemical reactions in metabolism reactions.
Scientific data has proven that vegetables and fruits markedly reduce risks of cardiovascular disease, prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and boost our natural immune system of the body.
Following are the key benefits of fruits and leafy vegetables:
- Boost immunity
- Contain essential minerals and vitamins
- Rich in fibers which prevent constipation
- Maintain healthy diet and prevent from gut cancer
- Contain folate, calcium and potassium
- Decrease cholesterol level in body hence preventing obesity related complications
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Eat enough amount of proteins
Protein is an important component of the daily diet which roughly makes up 10-15% of the general food consumption to maintain metabolism on an optimal level.
The significance of protein is not arguable as every cell of body needs amino acids, a basic component of protein, to carry out its basic metabolic and biochemical functions.
At a macroscopic level, our nails and hair are made up of protein. Protein is required for tissue repairs.
It also reduces hunger. Protein is required for the oxygenation process taking place in energy generation in every cellular unit of body. It is needed for the formation of enzymes, bones and the bulk of muscles mass.
The amount of protein required is very much dependent on the fact that different people and different age groups need it differently. Active gym members need more protein content in their daily diet. Same is true for growing children.
“ Recommended intake of protein is about 50g per day; in some cases it is recommended between 60-80g per day. “
One has plenty of options to choose a protein rich diet. People can get the daily recommended dose of protein from a number of food items such as:
- eggs (19g)
- cereals
- snacks
- yogurt (20g protein content in 240g serving)
- almonds (6g protein content in 28g serving)
- salads( rich in minerals, vitamins and also contain some protein contents
- chicken breast ; very rich in protein content
- protein shakes in your daily breakfast
Read out Article where we cover the different types of plant based proteins:
Plant-Based Proteins- Pea, Hemp, Brown Rice, Oat Proteins, What is the Difference?
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Balanced intake of salt
Salt which contains sodium and potassium is necessary for metabolism but taking it too much in the daily diet is detrimental to our health.
Even if we do not include salt in our daily food we might still be taking too much salt from our dietary choices as most of our ingredients are made up of these elements.
Studies have shown that too much salt intake impose a great risk of developing cardiovascular and neurologic complications such as hypertension and stroke.
“Children and adults who are above 11 years should not consume more than 6g of salt a day.”
A balanced diet includes having adequate salt in daily food items. Especially those who have a known family history of hypertension, diabetes or other cardiovascular complications.
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Avoid too much sugar
Same is true for sugar. Sugar is the end product of carbohydrates which make up 60% to 70% of our daily energy requirement.
Below are some food items which contain high levels of sugar:
- Energy drinks
- Biscuits
- Bakery cakes
- Alcoholic drinks
- Pastries
- Puddings
- Chocolates
Many baking items like packed foods and drinks contain high quantity of free sugar which should be avoided and need to be cut down.
Free sugar has potential health hazards such as causing obesity and tooth decay.
According to the NHS, if a diet contains 22.5 g of sugars per 100g then it is very high in sugar and must be cut down.
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Exercise:
Exercise refers to the physical activity involving major parts of the body specially the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system.
Exercising muscles need more energy which is derived in the form of ATP (a basic unit of energy) hence it leads to the consumption of extra fat and glycogen reserves of our body.
Ultimately, this leads to weight loss and reduces risk factors which can cause obesity.
Following are the key health benefits of daily exercise:
- Help in weight reduction
- Minimize risk of cardiovascular diseases
- Keep us mentally and psychologically fit
- Improve sleep wake cycle
- Improve memory and thinking power
Exercise includes every kind of physical activity such as morning and evening walk, joining gym for fitness goals, cycling and indulging in sports activities.
Every person depending on his/her occupation, age group can adapt to any of these activities to attain their fitness goals.
Finally, How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle?
After going through the basic idea of nutrition, its various components, its importance in our health and bodily requirements of its nutrients, it is a well established fact that to maintain a healthier body, one strictly needs to adhere to principles of a balanced diet in his/her daily food menu.
Although daily requirements of all these nutrients varies for people, age group and geographical distribution but still these 7 tips which have been extensively described in the above article can help people in the general population.
By doing these recommendations as part of your daily food intake, you can fulfill your required nutritional needs. These tips can prevent you from developing obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Make it your daily habit of not skipping breakfast at any cost. Drink plenty of water. Take a balance diet. Do not eat sugary foods to avoid weight gain and obesity.
Protein must be taken on a daily basis even if in very small quantities. Have fruits and vegetables to boost your immunity.
Reduce salt in your daily diet to avoid future health problems such as heart diseases, hypertension and neurological disorders which are linked with excessive salt intake.
Last but not the least, have a regular exercise that will help you burn extra fat, maintain weight within normal limits and keep you mentally, psychologically active and fit.
