What do you know about balanced nutrition? Rational nutrition and its importance for human health

12.04.2018

Balanced diet

Balanced diet - this is “smart” nutrition, as the name comes from the Latin word “Rationalis”, which means “Smart”. A balanced diet should be complete, varied in products and types of dishes, balanced in components, depending on a person’s age, type of activity and state of health, and, finally, tasty. Proper balanced nutrition and its importance for human health can hardly be overestimated: such nutrition corresponds to a healthy lifestyle and does not harm a person.The concept of rational nutrition is based on the idea that nutrition is designed to provide a person with all the components and substances necessary for full active life, while prolonging the active period of life and strengthening human health.

Basic principles of rational nutrition.

The functioning of the human body is based on the laws of thermodynamics, and the most importantthe first principle of rational nutrition is as follows: the energy value of the food received must be completely adequate to the body’s energy expenditure, without exceeding it and not falling behind significantly. In modern life, almost no one follows the principle of accounting for energy consumption: people tend to eat mostly high-calorie foods, without taking into account the body’s daily calorie needs. As a rule, bread and bakery products, confectionery products, sugar, fat and oil, fatty cheeses, mayonnaise, fatty meat, and potatoes are consumed in excess quantities. The scourge of our century is obesity, which is increasingly being recorded in children. An increasing percentage of overweight newborns are born to mothers who do not limit themselves to consuming these foods. Obesity is mostly registered in very developed countries - America, European countries. Everyone knows that obesity brings with it a whole bunch of diseases that lead to degeneration, reproductive dysfunction, and work restrictions.

The second principle of rational nutrition is the correct correspondence of the chemical composition of food to the real needs of the body. Every person’s body must receive about seventy vital substances daily, and such compliance can only be ensured through a varied and balanced diet, with variously prepared dishes and different products.

The third principle of rational nutrition is the wide variety of types of products that are used on a daily basis. The richer the set of products, the easier it is to get from food all the necessary substances that the human body needs every day.

The fourth principle of rational nutrition - this is adherence to a certain regime in which food should be taken. The regime is regular meals, multiple meals, with alternating meals. The diet should also correspond to the person’s lifestyle and work, depending on the age and daily activity of each person.

If all four principles of rational nutrition are observed, then this allows a person to receive a complete diet, optimally balanced in chemical composition, with the presence of a variety of products, adapted to age and type of activity.

To maintain proper balanced nutrition, it is not enough to maintain a balance of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, without paying attention to the diet and food composition - such nutrition is not yet complete, because a person will most likely not receive enough vitamins and microelements, and will also receive unbalanced food quantity. It must be repeated once again that for proper nutrition you need to fulfill all four principles.

Rational nutrition and its importance for human health should become the main postulate of a healthy lifestyle, because proper nutrition can prolong health and even cure many diseases, and improper nutrition threatens the development of many diseases and complications, both in the digestive system and in the whole body.

Rules for organizing rational nutrition.

1) Always take into account the energy and nutritional value, as well as the quality of the food you eat. You should always pay attention to the shelf life of purchased food products and the conditions for their preparation.

2) The conditions for preparing food are also of great importance for organizing proper balanced nutrition. It is better to eat foods prepared with a minimum of fat, steamed, baked or stewed. Fried foods, especially those with a large amount of fat or oil, lead to many serious diseases over time, including the development of cancer.

3) The daily diet should be organized in such a way that meals occur at the same time and are balanced in volume. Breakfast should have an energy content of up to a third of the total daily diet, lunch - up to 60 percent, and dinner - 10-20%. Moreover, it is better to consume protein foods in the first half of the day, leaving light vegetable dishes, fruits, purees, and stews for dinner.

4) It is imperative to control the caloric content of the entire daily diet and correlate it with your actual energy expenditure during the day. If a person is inactive and spends most of the day at an office desk, then the caloric content of his food should be as low as possible, but not to the detriment of the content of vitamins and microelements in it.

5) During periods of significant increase in physical activity, it is necessary to increase the caloric intake of the diet accordingly.

6) The number of meals per day should be 4-5 times, of which 3 are main: breakfast, lunch, dinner. Two meals should be distributed between breakfast and lunch and between lunch and dinner, preferring at this time to eat fruits, vegetable salad with a slice of wholemeal bread.

7) You need to eat slowly, calmly, and chew your food thoroughly. As practice shows, the setting and serving of dishes are important in nutrition, and even dishes can affect our mood, as well as the digestibility of food.

8) You should not get carried away overly with spices and seasonings - in large quantities, they stimulate the appetite and cause a person to eat more than he needs.

10) Bread should be limited to 100-150 grams per day.

11) It is necessary to completely exclude drinks with sweeteners and dyes, as well as confectionery products from the diet. It is best to drink clean water, mineral water, juices, compotes, green tea.

12) After meals, you don’t need to lie down - it’s best to walk and do housework.

13) You need to have dinner at least 2 hours before bedtime. For dinner, it is best to eat vegetable dishes, light porridge with fruit, juices, kefir, mousses, purees, and vegetable salads.

14) After dinner, it’s a good idea to take a walk in the fresh air before going to bed.

15) Once a week you need to control your weight. It is the scales that will tell you whether your diet is organized correctly and correct it in time.

16) To improve your well-being, you can organize fasting days once or twice a week with the use of kefir, freshly squeezed fruit juices, fruits and raw vegetables.

Compliance with the principles of proper balanced nutrition is the most important condition for a healthy lifestyle, and, as a rule, increasing the body’s immunity and defenses against adverse environmental manifestations and diseases, as well as the fight against excess weight. Proper balanced nutrition and its importance for human health should become lifestyle trends known to each of us.

It represents the most balanced combination of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, amino acids, microelements and other substances in the human diet.

The amount of food that enters our body and is converted into energy must be equal to energy expenditure. Those. try to give back as much as you eat.

There are different ways to do this. For the elderly, this can be a feasible load (long walks, work in a summer cottage, some sets of physical exercises), and for the young and fit it is a daily load in the form of jogging, a set of special physical exercises.

Only if your diet is varied will your body be able to get all the nutrients it needs. That's why, try to understand principles of rational nutrition and not get hung up on the same products, but, on the contrary, strive to expand your menu as much as possible.

Properly balanced nutrition:

Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner - all meals should occur at the same time. In addition, it is important to wisely “scatter” the total number of calories throughout the day. So, breakfast should account for no more than 30% of the daily calorie intake, lunch can be 40%, and dinner – 20%. Another 10% should be saved for an afternoon snack or snack. By the way, nutritionists believe that the most optimal for the human body is 4 meals a day.

Many of us love to eat meat and potatoes, and porridge with bread... But few people know that such products are incompatible because they are digested differently. What happens as a result of their mixing? Food is not digested properly and the cells in our body begin to starve. This contributes to overeating, and, as a result, the appearance of excess weight.

We remember that it is best to eat meat with vegetables and under no circumstances combine it with flour and dairy products, eggs, or cheese. Sugar does not pair well with starches and protein foods. Any liquids should be drunk before meals. If you want to have tea after eating, wait about thirty minutes after finishing your meal.

Reasons to refuse food:

• if you don't feel hungry
• when you're in a hurry
• with severe fatigue
• during illness
• with overheating and chills
• before you get behind the wheel
• for negative emotions: anger, anxiety, etc.
• before starting heavy physical activity

Drink clean water more. Make it a rule to drink a glass of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner. An adult should drink at least several glasses of water or one and a half to two liters per day. Food must be chewed very carefully. The more thoroughly we chew it, the better it will be absorbed. There will be less waste and sediment left. Remember that before swallowing food, you must make at least thirty chewing movements.

How many of us eat 500 or more grams of vegetables and fruits daily, as nutritionists advise us? And even if you are one of these lucky people, it is important to remember that over the last half century the content of nutrients in vegetables and fruits has decreased significantly, and in order to get the amount of vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body, a person needs to eat 3-4 times more vegetables and fruits than in the fifties of the last century.

Nutrition for centenarians

Proper nutrition has always contributed to a healthy and long life. Let's look at examples: how did the centenarians of our planet eat?
All centenarians of the world eat little. There are no fat men or fat women among them - even in the Caucasus, even in China.

The portions are small, they sit down at the table 3-4 times, and get up from the table without feeling satiated. Products are prepared without prior storage in the refrigerator, exclusively fresh, thereby preserving vitamins. Yes, and they are consumed immediately. There is no such thing as “yesterday’s dinner” or even a cold lunch—everything left uneaten is given to the cattle.

Long-livers of Abkhazia and Karabakh consume fermented milk products every day - special ones, with a special leaven. In the Caucasus it is matsoni, narine. Any centenarian in the world, be it Japanese, French, or Abkhazian, always has a lot of greenery on his table.

Coriander, tarragon, tarragon, watercress, rosemary - sometimes up to 200 species of different plants, fresh and pickled. Eating herbs in large quantities sanitizes the intestines and maintains its ecology in ideal condition.

The world's longest-living people practically do not consume sugar. Why, if there is honey and sweet dried grapes (raisins, simply put)? There is also no pure salt in their kitchen. It is replaced by hot seasonings - among the Abkhazians it is adjika, prepared from hot red pepper, dry and fresh herbs, spices, garlic and a very small amount of salt. Adjika, by the way, thanks to hot pepper and partly garlic, keeps “bad” cholesterol under control, and therefore is an excellent prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

A very important point is water quality. It is clean, spring-like. The cuisine of the world's centenarians is low-fat, with the exception of Far Eastern fish dishes, which are usually fatty. Low-calorie diet + fish diet, extremely beneficial for vascular health. (A fish diet is vitally indicated for coronary heart disease due to the presence in it of a record amount of healing Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids).

The diet always contains a lot of not only vegetables, but also fruits. Wheat bread is not eaten; instead, the long-livers of Abkhazia always have corn flatbreads on their tables. Food should be extremely low in calories, with a minimum amount of fat and animal proteins, with plenty of vegetables and fruits.

Basic principles of rational nutrition:

• four meals a day
• biological value of food
• moderation
• diversity
• balance

The Japanese are also world-recognized centenarians. Their menu includes low calorie food, it's rice and seafood. In addition, the Japanese eat a lot of vegetables, as well as tofu, a lot of fish, soups and some meat. The average life expectancy of the Japanese is 86 years for women and 78 years for men.

Modern scientists have determined that excess weight has a bad effect on life expectancy, but despite this, obesity has become a problem for individual countries. This can be explained by what we don’t know food culture, and we also don’t know that upon reaching 25 years of age, the body stops growing, which reduces the metabolic rate.

But we do not give up the habit of eating fatty foods in the same quantities, and do not think that the body cannot cope with processing the huge quantities of nutrients that enter it, turning them into fat deposits, which threatens us with obesity.

It is very simple to change the situation by reducing food consumption by approximately 30% without changing the composition of the products. This way you can increase your life expectancy and reduce the development of endocrine diseases, as well as heart and vascular diseases, which usually occur in old age.
Subject to rules of rational nutrition many health problems will go away on their own.

The time you spend reading labels and choosing foods carefully will add to your life expectancy in the future.

Follow the basic rules of nutrition: food should not contain anything unnecessary that would overload the body, it should be tasty and healthy. You need to eat at the same time with an interval of 3-4 hours, at least 3, and preferably 4 times a day.

For normal life, food must contain nutrients rich in energy and fully satisfy the body's needs. Energy in the body is maintained through the consumption of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Take a look at the table showing the water and nutrient content by weight of some foods:

Food products	kJ 100 g.	Water %	Proteins %	Fat %	Carbohydrates %
Fruits	250	80,0	0,7	0,3	15,0
Vegetables	170	85,0	2,5	0,3	8,0
Potato	290	80,0	2,1	0,1	17,0
Dry potatoes	2400	1,8	5,3	40,0	50,0
Nuts	2650	4,5	15,0	60,0	18,0
Bread	1050	35,0	8,0	1,0	50,0
Meat	750	70,0	18,0	10,0	0,1
Sausage	1130	60,0	12,0	25	0,0
Butter	3000	17,0	0,6	81,0	0,7
Cheese	1400	45,0	23,0	27,0	3,0
Milk 3% fat	270	89,0	3,1	3,4	4,65
Fruit juices	170	85,0	0,3	0,1	12,0

Joules are a unit of energy. 1 Kcal = 4.18400 kJ. 1 kJ = 0.23890 Kcal. Now let’s find out how many kcal are in 250 kJ. 250 x 0.238 = 59.5 Kcal. This is approximately because... Fruits and vegetables vary in size, taste and calorie content.

To find out the daily calorie intake, we will use the Mifflin-San Jeor formula.

For men: 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) – 4.93 x Age + 5

For women: 10 x Weight (kg) + 6.25 x Height (cm) – 4.92 x Age – 161

Using the formula, we calculate the daily calorie intake and multiply the result by the physical activity coefficient:

If you are watching your weight and dream of a beautiful figure, then use the calorie calculator:

Chips without potatoes, glazed cheese without cottage cheese, sausage without meat, yogurt without milk - all this is modern food that the shelves are littered with. See for yourself:

For good health, a person needs to eat a balanced diet every day. Thanks to such nutrition, the risk of chronic diseases is reduced, appearance improves, weight is normalized and energy appears for the entire working day.

Eating healthy is the easiest way to feel healthy and look good every day.

Let's consider the important principles of rational nutrition for human health, which every inhabitant of our planet should know.

No. 1 – daily calorie needs

The daily calorie requirement in the diet should correspond to energy expenditure during the day. In other words, if you eat 2200 kcal per day, then you should spend the same amount or a little more in order for your weight to remain normal. If you burn fewer calories than you take in per day, you will gain weight, and this is bad for human health. After all, excess weight puts a strain on the heart and other human organs. We are talking about an adult, but if we are talking about a child, then he needs enough calories to grow, and the weight will increase as he grows older.

The daily requirement is different for each person, depending on: gender, age, profession, activity during the day.

Rational nutrition implies the amount of calories per day so that excess subcutaneous fat does not accumulate.

Women spend on average 10% less calories than men, older people spend 7% less energy with every ten years they live.

Take the following formula as a basis: multiply your weight by 28 and get your daily calorie intake. Then, after 1-2 weeks, look at your weight on the scale, how you feel, and if necessary, add or subtract calories from your daily menu. For example, we multiply the weight of 70 kg by 28, and we get 1960 Kcal daily for good health and well-being.

Watch educational video No. 1:

No. 2 – the correct ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates in the diet

The body needs proteins, fats, carbohydrates - every day. A balanced diet should be balanced and healthy.

Proteins are the building material for muscle fibers, synthesize hormones, enzymes, vitamins and perform other functions in the body.

Carbohydrates provide the human body with energy throughout the day. Carbohydrates also include fiber (dietary fiber), which improves the digestion process. Scientists have proven that fiber is very beneficial for humans, helps digest food, and prevents many chronic diseases.

Vitamins and minerals – help ensure proper metabolism and improve immunity.

Daily value (for people with a normal lifestyle):

• Proteins – 10-20%
• Fats – 15-30%
• Carbohydrates – 50-60%

For athletes and people with an active lifestyle, the formula is approximately the same, only proteins increase to 25-35% per day of the total calorie intake.

The minimum amount of protein per 1 kg should be 1 gram. For a girl weighing 50 kg, there should be 50 grams of protein every day. For a man 80 kg, correspondingly 80 grams of protein per day. Proteins can be of plant or animal origin. In the diet, their ratio of 50 to 50 is reasonable. For athletes, it is better to give preference to animal proteins.

Vegetable protein sources:

• Mushrooms
• Buckwheat
• Seeds
• Nuts
• Durum pasta and other products

Sources of animal protein:

• Cottage cheese
• Lean meat
• Chicken
• Low-fat cheese and other products

Fats are of plant and animal origin; more precisely, they are divided into: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. A good ratio in the daily diet is as follows: 6-9% saturated, 11-16% monounsaturated, 4-8% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The norm is 0.5-1 grams per kilogram of weight. For example, a man is 75 kg, then the norm is 37.5-75 grams of fat per day, and for a girl 50 kg, respectively, 25-50 grams of fat.

Saturated fats are considered harmful and are found in butter, margarine, fatty meats, fatty sour cream, fatty cheese and other animal products. Healthy fats are of plant origin and are found in oils: olive, sunflower, corn, and soybean. Omega-3 healthy fats are found in fish.

Carbohydrates are divided into “simple” and “complex”. Simple ones are quickly absorbed and, when in excess, are stored in subcutaneous fat, while complex ones take a long time to be absorbed, they are more useful.

Sources of simple carbohydrates: sugar, jam, honey, cakes, chocolate, sweets, etc.

Sources of complex carbohydrates: rice, buckwheat, durum pasta, etc.

No. 3 – proper diet

Rational nutrition should be fractional. 3-5 times a day in small portions; you need to get up from the table after a meal with a feeling of slight hunger. Then excess weight will not be deposited in the form of subcutaneous fat. The last meal is 3-4 hours before bedtime, no later. Do not starve, long periods between meals are harmful to the body. Prepare in advance for the work day, prepare food at home and take containers with ready-made food with you.

No. 4 – food variety

Each product contains different components. There are no universal foods that contain a balanced amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. For breakfast, lunch, dinner you need to combine different products. Every day, try to make your menu varied, because vitamins and minerals are contained in different foods. And for full, productive life, many vitamins and nutrients are needed. Make your menu different every day, and you will receive a full set of all vitamins and have a good appetite, because the same food gets boring pretty quickly if you eat it for weeks on end.

#5 – Remove these foods from your diet

Products containing a lot of sugar are harmful to your health; they provide the body with energy, but there are practically no nutrients in them. They are not part of your daily must-have foods, so feel free to exclude them from your menu. Sweets are bad for teeth, caries develops, unfortunately, and this is unnecessary pain and a waste of money and time on trips to the dentist. Sweet drinks, lemonades, soda, etc. should also be excluded. It is better to drink clean water, 100-200 ml before each meal. On average, you need to drink 1-2 liters of water a day, because we are 60% made up of it.

Follow these 5 principles every day and your body will be healthy!

Watch educational video No. 2:

Rational (from lat. ratio- mind) nutrition is the most important factor in a healthy lifestyle.

Nutrition balanced in energy terms and nutrient content depending on gender, age and type of activity.

Currently, for the majority of our population, nutrition does not correspond to this concept, not only due to insufficient material security, but also due to the lack or lack of knowledge on this issue. Before moving on to nutritional recommendations in everyday life, let's look at the role of nutrients in the body.

Nutrition is an integral part of life, as it maintains metabolic processes at a relatively constant level. in ensuring the vital functions of the body is well known: energy supply, synthesis of enzymes, plastic role, etc. Metabolic disorders lead to the occurrence of nervous and mental diseases, vitamin deficiencies, liver diseases, blood diseases, etc. Improperly organized nutrition leads to decreased working capacity, increased susceptibility to disease and, ultimately, to reduced life expectancy. Energy in the body is released as a result of the oxidation of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

The importance of basic nutrients, their energy value

- vital substances in the body. They are used as a source of energy (oxidation of 1 g of protein in the body provides 4 kcal of energy), building material for cell regeneration (restoration), the formation of enzymes and hormones. The body's need for protein depends on gender, age and energy consumption, amounting to 80-100 g per day, including 50 g of animal proteins. Proteins should provide approximately 15% of the calorie content of the daily diet. Proteins contain amino acids, which are divided into essential and non-essential. The more proteins contain essential amino acids, the more complete they are. Essential amino acids include: tryptophan, leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine.

They are the main source of energy in the body (oxidation of 1 g of fat gives 9 kcal). Fats contain substances valuable to the body: unsaturated fatty acids, phosphatides, fat-soluble vitamins A, E, K. The body’s daily requirement for fats is on average 80-100 g, including 20-25 g of vegetable fats. Fats should provide approximately 35% daily caloric intake. The greatest value for the body are fats containing unsaturated fatty acids, i.e. fats of plant origin.

They are one of the main sources of energy (oxidation of 1 g of carbohydrates gives 3.75 kcal). The body's daily need for carbohydrates ranges from 400-500 g, including starch 400-450 g, sugar 50-100 g, pectin 25 g. Carbohydrates should provide approximately 50% of the calorie content of the daily diet. If there is an excess of carbohydrates in the body, then they turn into fats, i.e., an excess amount of carbohydrates contributes to obesity.

In addition to proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the most important component of a balanced diet are biologically active organic compounds necessary for normal life. Lack of vitamins leads to hypovitaminosis (lack of vitamins in the body) and vitamin deficiency (lack of vitamins in the body). Vitamins are not formed in the body, but enter it with foods. Distinguish water And fat-soluble vitamins.

In addition to proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins, the body needs , which are used as plastic material and for the synthesis of enzymes. There are macroelements (Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe) and microelements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, Cr, Ni, I, F, Si).

The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates for middle-aged people should be (by weight) 1: 1: 4 (for heavy physical work 1: 1: 5), for young people - 1: 0.9: 3.2.

The body receives these substances only if a varied diet is consumed, including six main food groups: dairy; meat, poultry, fish; eggs; bakery, cereal, pasta and confectionery products; fats; vegetables and fruits.

The diet is of great importance: the frequency of meals, the distribution of daily calorie content, weight and composition of food in its individual meals.

For a healthy person, four meals a day are optimal, since less frequent meals lead to the accumulation of fat in the body, a decrease in the activity of the thyroid gland and tissue enzymes. Eating frequently at the same time helps improve the flow of bile. Poor diet is one of the main causes of chronic diseases of the stomach and intestines. The frequency of meals is determined by age, the nature of work, daily routine, and the functional state of the body. The regularity of eating contributes to the development of a conditioned reflex during eating and the rhythmic production of digestive juices.

With four meals a day, the ratio of the number of calories in food for individual meals should be 30, 15, 35, 20%.

Products rich in animal proteins (meat, fish) are healthier to consume in the morning and afternoon, as they increase performance. Second breakfast may include fermented milk products, vegetable dishes, sandwiches, and fruits. Lunch should be the largest meal in terms of volume. Dinner should be small in volume and consist of easily digestible dishes. The last meal should be 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Principles of rational nutrition in everyday life

To give correct advice regarding diet and nutrition, we should talk not so much about chemical components, but about a set of products. American scientists present the ratio of products necessary for a healthy diet in the form of a pyramid (see Appendix 4), divided into four parts equal in height. The bottom, widest part of the pyramid is grain products (bread, cereals, etc.), the next is vegetables and fruits, then dairy products, meat and fish. The smallest part of the pyramid is sugar and fat. The diet of a modern person often contains too much animal fat and sugar, not enough vegetables and fruits, and not enough vegetable fats. In 1990, WHO presented its recommendations for a balanced diet. The daily diet (in calories), depending on energy costs, is usually presented in special tables.

To organize nutrition in everyday life, the following principles should be observed:

• do not overeat;
• the diet should be varied, that is, it is advisable to eat fish, meat, dairy products, vegetables and fruits, wholemeal bread, etc. every day;
• in cooking methods, preference should be given to boiled;
• know the calorie content and chemical composition of food.

Features of nutrition for the prevention of obesity

One of the negative consequences of poor nutrition is excess body weight, which increases the risk of many diseases. People who are obese are 1.5-2 times more likely than people with normal body weight to have cardiovascular diseases, 3-4 times more often diabetes mellitus, 2-3 times more often cholelithiasis and liver diseases . Obesity is one of the most common causes of premature aging.

There are several ways to determine optimal body weight. The most common Brock's formula is: height (in cm) - 100. However, this calculation has a number of disadvantages. A more accurate indicator is the Quetelet index (weight (kg) / height 2 (m2), see Appendix 4). WHO offers the following gradation of the Quetelet index: 18.5-24.9 (normal values), 25-29.9 (overweight), 30 or more - obesity. The optimal levels are 22-25 kg/m2. It is at these values ​​that the risk of disease and death in each age group is minimal. Consequently, a person needs so many calories so that his mass does not exceed the limits of the corresponding Quetelet index. You need to constantly monitor your weight, making the necessary adjustments to your diet and physical activity, including using fasting days. To prevent obesity you need to:

• pay attention to information about the composition and calorie content of products on labels;
• do not get carried away with flour products, especially muffins containing fat and sugar;
• avoid excessive consumption of sugar and sweets, use sugar substitutes;
• avoid foods rich in fat (sausages, sausages, sausages, fatty dairy products);
• remember that alcoholic drinks, including beer, are high in calories;
• leave the table with a slight feeling of hunger, since the body has already received enough food, but the signal about this has not yet had time to reach the brain; chew food thoroughly, as this contributes to the extinction of appetite;
• increase physical activity as your body weight increases.

Features of nutrition of elderly people

A decrease in the intensity of metabolic processes in old age and a decrease in physical activity cause a decrease in the need for nutrients and a decrease in caloric intake in this population group. The diet of an elderly person should be varied and include a sufficient amount of vegetables and fruits. Food should be taken frequently, at least 5-6 times a day, in small portions. The diet should include sea fish, cottage cheese, lactic acid products, and lean meat. It is preferable to consume fish and meat boiled. You should limit the amount of animal fats, giving preference to vegetable fats containing unsaturated fatty acids, which is the prevention of atherosclerosis. You should limit your intake of salt, sugar (replace with honey or a sugar substitute), spices, smoked foods, strong tea and coffee. For regular bowel function, older people should include wholemeal bread in their diet.

Nutritional features of pregnant women

Rational nutrition of a pregnant woman is important not only for the proper development and maturation of the fetus, but also for the restructuring of the pregnant woman’s body in connection with future lactation. Therefore, the nutrition of a pregnant woman should provide the body with increased needs for all essential nutrients. In the first half of pregnancy, the need for proteins is 1.2-1.5 g per kilogram of weight, in the second half - 2 g per kilogram of weight. A pregnant woman should consume 120-200 g of lean beef or 150-200 g of fish daily. Fat should be consumed in the amount of 80-100 g per day (of which 30 g should be vegetable fats), carbohydrates - mainly in the form of raw vegetables and fruits up to 400-500 g per day. Particular attention should be paid to foods rich in iron, since anemia often develops in pregnant women. The daily requirement for iron is 15-20 mg. Iron is found in beef, beef liver, egg yolk, fruits and green vegetables (spinach, lettuce, apples). Pregnant women should limit their intake of salt, liquids, chocolate, citrus fruits, sweets, strong tea and coffee. With a rapid increase in body weight, on the recommendation of a doctor, so-called fasting days can be prescribed.

Medical nutrition

The patient’s nutrition, along with medications, plays a big role in the treatment of the patient. A certain diet is the most important factor in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, cardiovascular system, kidneys, endocrine system organs, etc.

Medical nutrition is organized according to the nomenclature of diets developed by the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. A social work specialist must have an idea about the features of a particular diet - a treatment table (there are 15 such treatment tables). Each number of the treatment table corresponds to a specific disease for which this table (diet) is used. A therapeutic diet can be prescribed not only in a hospital setting, but also at home. The diet is prescribed by the attending physician. In the hospital, along with the attending physician, the observance of therapeutic nutrition is monitored by the ward nurse, who checks the contents of the packages and controls the storage of products. At home, diet compliance is checked by a local doctor, a local nurse, and the patient’s relatives.

Radiation and nutrition

After the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, large areas were exposed to radioactive contamination. The remaining part of the population of these places receives up to 90% of radioactive substances from food, up to 10% from drinking water, and up to 1% from inhaled air. Plants absorb water-soluble isotopes of cesium-137 and strontium-90 from the soil. The concentration of radioactive substances in plants depends on the type of plant and soil composition. Since plants are eaten by domestic animals, radioactive substances accumulate in meat, milk and fish. Strontium accumulates most in carrots, beets, and grain crops. Thus, bread can also be contaminated with radionuclides (and rye bread is 10 times more contaminated than white bread). Cesium accumulates most in vegetables and meat, especially beef. Fewer radionuclides accumulate in fermented milk products than in milk. Eggs contain the least radionuclides in the yolk and the most in the shell. Freshwater fish accumulate more radionuclides than sea fish. In order to reduce the level of radionuclides in the human body, it is necessary to subject foods to special processing, to use in the diet foods containing substances that promote the removal of radionuclides (minerals, vitamins, iodine, potassium, magnesium, dietary fiber). These products include: seaweed, legumes, garlic, nuts, seeds, wholemeal bread, oats, beans, pumpkin, cabbage.

Food processing to reduce radionuclide levels involves the following measures:

• thorough washing of food;
• peeling root vegetables, removing the top leaves of cabbage, removing seeds from fruits;
• soaking meat and root vegetables before cooking in frequently changed water (up to 12 hours);
• removal of bones, heads, internal organs of animals and fish;
• exclusion (if possible) of lean fish and vegetable broths from the diet;
• use of fermented milk products (rather than whole milk);
• using eggs fried rather than boiled.

In order to reduce the intake of radionuclides into the human body, 2-2.5 liters of liquid should be consumed daily in the form of tea, juices, compotes, herbal decoctions with a weak diuretic effect (chamomile, St. John's wort, parsley, dill).

Rational nutrition is a diet that ensures normal functioning of a person, improves his health and prevents diseases. The principles of rational nutrition are energy balance, adherence to food intake and balanced nutrition.

The first principle of rational nutrition is energy balance- assumes that the energy value of the daily diet corresponds to the energy expenditure of the body, no more and no less.

The second principle of rational nutrition is balanced diet. This means that the body must receive the substances it needs, and in the quantities or proportions in which it is needed. Proteins are building materials for cells, a source of synthesis of hormones and enzymes, as well as antibodies to viruses. Fats are a storehouse of energy, nutrients and water. Carbohydrates and fiber are fuel. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the daily diet must be strictly defined.

Briefly, the norms of rational nutrition can be presented as follows:

• animal fats - 10%;
• vegetable fats - 12%;
• animal proteins - 6%;
• vegetable proteins - 7%;
• complex carbohydrates - 60%;
• sugar - 5%.

The third principle of rational nutrition is diet. The rational nutrition regime is characterized as follows: fractional meals 3-4 times a day;

• regular meals - always at the same time;
• balanced nutrition;
• last meal no later than 3 hours before bedtime.

Which products to choose

Try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Vegetables and fruits that grow in the region in which a person lives are especially recommended for a balanced diet. It is better to choose low-fat varieties of meat and poultry, but fatty fish, on the contrary, is very beneficial for the body. Fatty fish contain large amounts of omega 3 acids. Eating fatty fish reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and sclerosis.

It is better to boil food, steam it, bake it, or use a grill. Frying food is not recommended. During frying, it not only becomes saturated with excess fats, but also produces carcinogens. If you decide to practice balanced nutrition and you care about your health, it is better to avoid fried foods.

It is also necessary to limit the consumption of canned foods, salty, spicy, and smoked foods. You should not overuse various semi-finished and frozen foods.

For drinking, use clean non-carbonated water, herbal teas, natural juices, fruit drinks, compotes. The consumption of coffee, tea, and cocoa should be limited.

Important nutritional points

☀ There are a few more rules that can help rationalize your diet:

☀ Fruits must be eaten separately from other dishes, preferably 20 minutes before meals and 1-2 hours after meals, and can be combined with nuts.

☀ Grains and legumes cannot be mixed with each other. The exception is dishes richly seasoned with herbs and non-starchy vegetables.

☀ Vegetables are not consumed with fruits, except in cases where they “met” in the same juice.

☀ Dishes that combine dough with meat are bad for the stomach - pasties, navy pasta, pies, pancakes with meat and dumplings.

☀ Whole milk should not be combined with other foods at all, and remember that an adult body may not perceive it.

☀ Liquids should be consumed before meals. It is also better to start eating with raw vegetables, this will cleanse the stomach of excess substances.

☀ You should not eat dishes with bread.

It is important to understand that balanced nutrition is not only the consumption of tasty and healthy food, but also the diet, as well as nutritional conditions. In addition, you need to understand that an excess of certain nutrients can be harmful in some cases even more than their deficiency.

A balanced diet is especially important for people with various diseases or disorders, since nutrition is the main source of nutrients for the good functioning of the whole body.

In order to eat rationally, you need to understand why you need to do it. First of all, this is only necessary for you and your body; disordered eating will not bring good things. Secondly, this is necessary for your entire family, so that you are all healthy, beautiful and happy. The decision is yours. Remember, only you decide how to behave in one area or another of your life; your nutritional behavior also depends only on you.

What do you think about balanced nutrition? How do you rate your nutrition and your health? It’s very interesting to know your opinion, share it in the comments below.