Introduction: How to Eat Healthy

This will help anyone looking for advice on how to eat healthy.

Step 1: Calories

Face it, calories are delicious. However, they are also somewhat bad for you. Calories are a unit of energy. When you exceed your daily amount of calories for energy they just get stored in your body. Unused calories create bodyfat. Each pound of fat your body stores represents 3500 calories of unused energy. In other words, caloies are perfectly fine up to a certain extent.

TIP: It is best to use up your daily amount of calories before or while exercising.

Step 2: Fats

Fats taste even better than calories. But, they too are bad for you. Fat is, well there is no easy way to put it, fat is fat. Fat is stored in you body and creates that extra mass hanging over your belt. However, there is also a good side to fat. Some vitamins can only enter the body through fat. And fats are also a source of essential fatty acids. Im not going to get technical with the names of these fats. I am here just to describe the main point of eating right. There are certain foods with good fats and certain foods with bad fats. It is highly reccomended (by me) that you have as many good fats as you can and as few bad fats.
Good fats include fish, nuts, sunflower oils, canola and olive oil.
Bad fats include anything with saturated or trans fats such as coconut oil or most packaged such as french fries or cookies.

Step 3: Cholesterol

Cholesterol is another agent of food that has a good side and a bad side. Good cholesterol is required to build and maintain cell membranes. Bad cholesterol just gets clogged up in your arteries which can lead to clots, heart attack or stroke. Good cholesterol can help to removed bad cholesterol in your arteries. Good cholesterol can be taken in by exercising, adding soluble fibers to your diet and believe it or not, by drinking alcohol (don't get carried away, one or two drinks a day will do the trick).
Bad cholesterol comes from many sources such as oils and fats. Examples of these sources would be cookies, doughnuts, cakes and other fatty foods.

Step 4: Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are somewhat important in our diets but overuse is just not good.They fill numerous roles in living things, such as the storage and transport of energy (starch, glycogen) and structural components.Additionally, carbohydrates and their derivatives play major roles in the working process of the immune system, fertilization, pathogenesis, blood clotting, and development. Carbs and protein work well together in most diets. They are both vital to supplying energy for our bodies. Carbs can be taken in from food such as sodas, cakes, cookies, candies, crackers and many other sources. DO NOT cut yor carbs low because you are asking for some serious problems. Just keep them at a normal level according to how physically active you are or how many calories you consume in one day. For a person that is just doing a regular amount of activity (intaking between 1,600 calories and 2,200), carbohydrate intake is more (around 65%) whereas fat intake is lower (20%) but if the person has a higher calorie intake such as 3,000-4,000 that does long-distance running, etc...the person will need less carbohydrates (55%) and more fats.

Step 5: Protein

All forms of protein are good for you. Plain and simple. Protein is vital to maintaining the energy in our bodies. Too much protein can be bad for you, but anyone with half a brain can know when too much is enough. Protein comes from many sources such as dairy, meats, grains and nuts.

Step 6: Eating Out

Eating out is fun. However, there are more bad choices out there than good. Follow this list for those choices.
BAD: McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys, Dairy Queen, Arbys, Cracker Barrel and Nathans.
GOOD: Subway, Blimpys,
IN BETWEEN: ChickFil-A, Arbys

Step 7: Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are a great source of many important items for your body. They contain fats(good fats), vitamins, minerals, fibers, good sugars, carbs, and a lot of other healthy stuff. Im not going to get technical but you can never eat enough fruitas and vegetables. Recommended servings: A combination of 7 fruits or vegetables a day.

Step 8: Food Pyramid

The food pyramid is a great example of the healthy balance of food. A few extra tips on combinations of food:
1. Do not fill up on junk food. Save room for healthier and bigger meals.
2. Some people are claiming 5 small meals a day are better for you than 3 big ones. I havent looked into this well enough but I would say its correct. It's a better way to exorcise your metabolism.

Step 9: Bibliography and Final Word

I hope I have heled you to the best of my ability. If you happen to have any questions just leave a comment and I will get back to it within one day.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Wikianswers, Wikipedia, Wikihow, American Heart Assosiation.
And thanks to search engine www.google.com

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