Food is one of the most essentials for any living thing, especially humans. Eating right does not only help the physical body but goes as far as helping the things beneath the skin and reducing the chances of contracting diseases. That is why the emphasis is on the different classes of food.
Several people have wondered the kind of food to eat more of – whether to go with vitamins, proteins, water, carbohydrate, minerals or even fats and oil. There has been a rollercoaster of confusion and dilemma to many folks, especially because of health and weight check. Inasmuch as all the classes of food are important because they all provide the body with different nutrients, little consumption or too much of some of these foods may lead to short-term illnesses or sadly long and gruesome diseases. This goes a long way in explaining to us the adage that says “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”.
Understanding and knowing the functions of these classes of food can give us an insight into what to and not eat. Do you ever wonder why people gain so much weight even though they exercise regularly? Surprisingly, the lack of knowledge about the work of a particular food in the body is the first and important reason why people suffer from excessive weight even though they exercise frequently.
Here is a list of the classes of food
- Carbohydrates
- Protein
- Fats and Oil
- Vitamins
- Water
CARBOHYDRATES
Function: Carbohydrate does not only provide glucose which is the major source of energy to the body but to the brain as well, but also provides energy in abundance to the body. The body is forced to break down proteins when carbohydrate is too low during exercise or work. Therefore, this class of food is as important as the others.
Examples of carbohydrates include: Rice, cereals, grains, cake, bread, yam, etc.
Problems they can cause: Delicious as some of these foods may be, they are the foremost reason why a lot of people get obese because of excessive intake of them. They include cake and other floury products which may seem irresistible but excessively harmful when taken without caution. Because the digestive system breaks carbohydrates into glucose, some of them travel to the blood and raise the sugar level in the body which may make the beta cells in the pancreas release insulin which becomes diabetes and may again give rise to hypertension, a heart condition if not properly managed.
PROTEIN
Function: This is another class of food that is essential to the body. In the body, it is broken down as amino acids that help the body to build up its muscle tissues, boosts the immune system, takes molecules in and out of cells which provides the important elements for building hormones, hair, bones, etc. More so, protein carries oxygen and fights infection in the body.
Example of Protein: They include meat, fish, eggs, beans, etc.
Problems they can cause: As carbohydrate, too much intake of protein – red meat especially can be harmful especially to aged people. Protein is broken down and stored as fat when taken too much. It leads to hypertension which may give rise to more serious disease.
FAT AND OIL
Function: As carbohydrate and protein are important to the body, so are fats which are a great source of energy and helps the body to build properly. Fats also known as lipids, are the body heat regulator as well as producing steroid hormones.
It is imperative to know which fats is best for the body (monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fats), it is advisable to take vegetable or olive oil as well as oils from avocado, nuts, cooking oils, whole milk, etc. The importance of fats to the heart here makes me chip in a little adage of mine by saying “behind every good fat is a good heart”.
Examples of Fats: Saturated fat (from food made with butter, margarine, or shortening), Trans fats (found in milk, cheese, beef and lamb), and Unsaturated fat (Omega-3 fatty acids, oils such as safflower, sunflower, sesame, soybean, and corn oils).
Problems they can cause: Taking too much or the wrong fats can lead to heart problem, stroke, diabetes, and other things.
FRUITS and VITAMINS
Function: In as much as vitamins and supplements are good for the body, the mind blowing thing about it is its ability to be absorbed by the body without digestion. Vitamins functions are uncountable as it encompasses the body needs in every area. Some of its functions are found in enzymes needed for metabolism. It helps in the production of red blood cells and to build a healthy immune system. We may wonder the most appropriate time to take vitamins but this is the most interesting part of vitamins intake as it can be taken at any time of the day based on the type of vitamin.
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In making our choices, we must consider eating vitamins which have high nutrient content as it is most effective in this manner. Vitamins serve to assist in calcium absorption into the body and fights inflammation of organs in the body. Vitamins A, B, C, D, E and so on all have specific importance to the body. When in need of a healthy eye, skin, strong bones and teeth or wondering how wounds can heal faster, then vitamins is surprisingly the wonder magic.
Examples: They include; cabbage, broccoli, sweet potato, spinach and carrots amongst others.
Problems they can cause: Depending on the particular vitamin, too much of it can be detrimental to the body. For example, too much vitamin A can damage your skin while too much vitamin D puts you at risk of bone loss.
WATER
Function: Also in the classes of food is water which makes 60% of your body. Our body metabolizes daily and during all our physical work, we let out water through sweat and urination which makes the water content of the body reduces drastically. This is the point where water is necessary as lack of it causes fatigue and dizziness. As the saying goes, “water is life”.
Problems they can cause: It is important to know that it can also be toxic when not taken in the right proportion.
WHICH SHOULD YOU, EAT MORE OF?
Questions rise daily as to what class of food is to be consumed the most. In as much as the intake of all the classes of food is important to the body since they have different functions and excessive intake of any of them can lead to serious health conditions while little intake of it can also lead to health problems. If you have always wondered what to consume more of, then vitamins and water are very essential and the most important of all the classes of food. Most vitamins are fruits and vegetables.
In fact, there are people who are vegetarians and live a healthy life. Since it is that one class of food that the body can absorb without digestion, it is very good for people who have issues without food digestion which may result to constipation. Instead of eating more carbohydrate which may later increase one’s chances of contracting diabetes or even becoming obese, or consuming more of protein which may be stored as fats in the body, or even fats and oil which may put one at the risk of having a cardiovascular disease, vitamins are better for the body since they do more good than harm to the body.
Since the body is 60% of water, it is advisable to consume more of water than any other class of food. Be warned though, too much of water may cause intoxication and your intake of water depends on the weather.
Growing up, we had been taught about the essence of eating a balanced diet and research still shows and emphasizes on the need for a balanced diet. It is in our quest to find out about the class of food to eat the most that our eyes have been opened to the all-round benefits of all classes of food which means they all complement each other so that without two or more of it, a person lacks a proper diet. At the end of it all, the unending search for the most important class of food still goes on. To have a healthy life, eat balanced, and remember all the classes of food are important.