Page 24 - aruba-today-20190911

A24 HEALTH
Wednesday 11 september 2019

Essential Health

The worse medical advice has hydrates. You will hear dieticians
been to eat “fat free” and take discussing “good carbohydrates
cholesterol lowering medication. and bad carbohydrates” but you
Your brain is brain is 60% fat, so why do not need to eat any to be
do you want to reduce the amount healthy. Generally, “Bad” carbo-
of fat you eat. Cholesterol, afat-like hydrates are white. White bread,
substance is naturally made by the sugar, potatoes, rice and of course
body. Most of thecholesterol in our processed foods, snacks and sug-
bloodstream75%, is produced by ary drinks. “Good” carbohydrates
the liver, and only the remaining includewhole grains, like pure oats,
25% comes from the foods we eat. quinoa, brown rice, millet and am-
Many animal and vegetable fats aranth. But they are not essential,
and oils are called Fatty acids. you can live without them. There is
Essential fatty acids, necessary a small amount of carbohydrates
for the body are polyunsaturated in vegetables, fruit, beans and
(healthy).That are synthesized by milk products, which also include
plants, not your body and therefore healthier proteins and fats.
are dietary requirements.Foods Your body breaks down most car-
and oils with high amounts of poly- bohydrates into the sugar, glu-
unsaturated fats include olive oil, cose which is absorbed into the
walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds bloodstream. Although your brain
or flax oil, oily fish, such as: salmon, is mostly fat, it runs on glucose, so
mackerel, herring, albacore tuna, your brain needs sugar or glucose.
and trout. Not only are they essen- Some brain disorders have shown
tial, for you, polyunsaturated and improvement with sugar made by
monounsaturated fats are healthy. the breakdown of protein and/or
Older people with high cholesterol fat, not carbohydrates. Your body
levels will live longer. The fat from breaks down fats into glycerol
food is a major source of energy. It and fatty acids. These fatty acids
helps you absorb some of your vi- can then be broken down directly
tamins and minerals. Fat is needed forenergy or can be used to make
By Dr. Carlos Viana to build cell membranes or walls glucose through a multi-step pro-
as well as the protective cover cess. In that process, your liver uses
surrounding nerves. Fat is essential essential amino acids to create this
Something that is necessary is considered ‘essential’. Breathing, the abil- for blood clotting, muscle move- glucose.
ity to drink water, eat, digest and absorb your food is metabolically es- ment, reducing inflammation and Get The Point! Eating the freshest
sential. Metabolic or metabolism means, the breakdown and changing making hormones like estrogen, unprocessed food possible includ-
of food into energy to fuel the body. testosterone and adrenalin. Cho- ing your essential nutrients, amino
lesterol is essential for your body acids and fatty acids, vitamins and
When a clinical nutritionist discusses metabolism of food, they include- to produce vitamin D, necessary minerals is vital for good health. No
three food groups, protein, fat and carbohydrates. Protein is found in forabsorption of calcium from your or low-carb diets are not new, they
animal muscle and organ, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy. food. Dark green, leafy vegetables have been around a long time and
Proteins exist throughout your body in everything from muscles and or- are the best available sources of shown to work under many “diets”
gans to bones, skin, and hair. The body does not store protein like it does calcium. names. Nutritional science shows
other nutrients. Complete sources of protein which contain all the amino The third food group is carbohy- a low-carb diet reduces appetite,
acids your body needs to function effectively are called essential. Es- drates. The two main forms of car- supports abdominal fat loss, lowers
sential amino acidscannot be made by the body, they must come from bohydrates are sugars (such as triglycerides (“Bad” fats) increases
your food. fructose, glucose, and lactose) good fats, reduces blood sugar
Plant-based foods rich in protein includelentils, nuts, beans, peas, certain and starches, which are found in and other health benefits. A clini-
fruit, such as avocados, grains like; hemp, quinoa, millet and amaranth. foods such as starchy vegetables cal nutritionist can evaluate your
Many vegetables also contain high amounts of protein. Whether you are (potatoes, corn and beans) and individual needs and help you set
getting your it from animal or plant source, it is essential togood health grains like, rice, breads, and cere- up a personal plan addressing your
to eat protein. als. There are NO essential carbo- best health.q