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Nutrition: Difference between revisions
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Healthy eating involves keeping every nutrient within some ''optimal range'' {{x|The range depends on your age, gender, physical activity level, etc. The exact numbers will be available in another part of this page.}} - in other words, "not too much, not too little". | Healthy eating involves keeping every nutrient within some ''optimal range'' {{x|The range depends on your age, gender, physical activity level, etc. The exact numbers will be available in another part of this page.}} - in other words, "not too much, not too little". | ||
It's hard (almost impossible) to ''mentally'' keep track of every nutrient, so people typically rely on some sort of general ''food guide'': By averaging enough different foods together, hopefully most nutrients will fall into their optimal ranges. But to really know for sure, you can check with the [[nutrition calculator]] (https://olam.wiki/nutrition.html). | |||
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The body can also burn a few other miscellaneous things, such as alcohol ('''7''' [[Term:kalories|kalories]] per gram). | The body can also burn a few other miscellaneous things, such as alcohol ('''7''' [[Term:kalories|kalories]] per gram). | ||
The exact ratio of protein/fats/carbs can vary widely and still be healthy, as long as there is... | |||
* the right amount of total calories | |||
* | * enough protein (bare minimum: about 10% of total calories) | ||
* | * enough fat   (bare minimum: about 10% of total calories) | ||
* | * enough of each vitamin and mineral. | ||
===Protein=== | ===Protein=== | ||
The body needs a certain amount of protein, | The body needs a certain amount of protein - or more specifically, ''amino acids''. | ||
====Protein quality==== | ====Protein quality==== | ||
There is a lot of confusing information about this, but it all boils down to: | There is a lot of confusing information about this, but it all boils down to: | ||
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* There are essential fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6. | * There are essential fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6. | ||
For these 2 purposes, the amount of fat the body needs is fairly small - typically less than 10% of total calories. | For these 2 purposes, the amount of fat the body needs is fairly small - typically less than 10% of total calories. | ||
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====Supplements==== | ====Supplements==== | ||
A ''daily multivitamin'' supplement can usually provide your full recommended daily intake of all vitamins and ''trace minerals'' - | A ''daily multivitamin'' supplement can usually provide your full recommended daily intake of all vitamins and ''trace minerals'' - quite cheaply (about 15 cents/day). But it can't provide enough of the ''macro minerals (electrolytes)''. That's because: if it did, the pill would be so big that you couldn't swallow it. | ||
Hence you need to get most of your ''macro minerals'' from [[food]] - especially from vegetables and [[legumes]]. | Hence you need to get most of your ''macro minerals'' from [[food]] - especially from vegetables and [[legumes]]. | ||
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There's a common ''misconception'' that "synthetic vitamins are useless, you have to get all your nutrients from food". That is ''not'' true. | There's a common ''misconception'' that "synthetic vitamins are useless, you have to get all your nutrients from food". That is ''not'' true. | ||
But what ''is'' true, is that supplements can't completely ''replace'' food, for the reason mentioned. {{x|In theory, you could supplement everything including protein and calories, but it would get a lot more expensive than just eating food. You'd also miss out on the thousands of other substances naturally found in plants, which aren't ''technically'' nutrients but probably have some health benefits.}} | But what ''is'' true, is that supplements can't completely ''replace'' food, for the reason mentioned above. {{x|In theory, you could supplement everything including protein and calories, but it would get a lot more expensive than just eating food. You'd also miss out on the thousands of other substances naturally found in plants, which aren't ''technically'' nutrients but probably have some health benefits.}} | ||
One way to eat healthy is to eat the cheapest whole [[plant-based]] ingredients available, and take a multivitamin. | One way to eat healthy is to eat the cheapest whole [[plant-based]] ingredients available, and take a multivitamin. | ||
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===Choline=== | ===Choline=== | ||
Scientists are still uncertain whether or not this nutrient is truly ''essential'' {{x|some studies suggest that the average healthy body can produce enough choline on its own, but others suggest that some people need to get their choline from food.}}. I recommend to try and hit the targets of other nutrients, and if choline falls short, don't worry about it. | Scientists are still uncertain whether or not this nutrient is truly ''essential'' {{x|some studies suggest that the average healthy body can produce enough choline on its own, but others suggest that some people need to get their choline from food.}}. I recommend to try and hit the targets of ''other'' nutrients first, and if choline falls short, don't worry about it. | ||
==Nutrient targets== | ==Nutrient targets== | ||