Smart Eating 101

Greetings and salutations dear readers. I do so enjoy your companionship that I've decided to do what I can to keep you alive longer (so that you can keep visiting, of course).
Now, chances are that you're aware that the US is pretty much the fattest nation in the known world (and, in all likelihood, we'd beat some of the unknown too). A quick bit of research shows that about 1 in 4 adults are clinically obese. This doesn't mean that these people are to the point where they can't get out of bed, but it's still not exactly a great thing.

I don't want this to turn into a rant about weight - far from it. Eating right isn't about dropping 2 sizes in time for bikini season, it's about being healthy. The benefits of a healthy lifestyle go far beyond a measurement. A longer life, less stress (to make those extra years bearable), and more energy are a few good ones.

I'm also not here to talk about "health food". I don't really like that term, anyway. Too many bad thoughts enter our heads when we hear it. I am a fan of knowing a little about the food you're eating, though. So, I'm going to give you a crash course in the basics.

There are six things you need to survive:
Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats, Water, Minerals, and Vitamins.

The first three give us energy in the form of calories (that's right, calories aren't some nasty thing that make us fat, it's just a measure of energy). Specifically, a calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 mL of water 1 degree Celsius. And actually, when a label says something has 100 calories, it's actually talking about kilocalories (100,000 calories for you metrically impaired)... but that's really just a fun fact to impress your friends. We'll keep it simple here and just call them calories like we're all used to seeing. The latter three have various functions in our body and are important for any number of reasons.

When it comes to proteins, carbs, and fats, there are the good and the bad (and in some cases, the ugly). You need each, in varying amounts. So let's take a look, shall we?

Proteins - they build and repair muscle and other body tissues, help your immune system, and otherwise rock face.

There are two categories; complete and incomplete. Proteins are just chains of amino acids. There are just over 20 amino acids (that we care about, anyway), and our bodies produce over half of those naturally. The completeness of a protein depends on whether or not it contains all of those amino acids that we can't make on our own - the essential amino acids.

Essentially complete proteins are found in animal products, while plant products only have incomplete proteins (with a few noteable exceptions). So how do all of those vegetarians get along? Complementary proteins. Mix the right foods, and together you'll get everything you need in the protein department. And don't worry, there's no big complicated chart where you pick one from list A and two from list B, just three groups. Grains, nuts/seeds, and beans/legumes. Pick any two, put them on the same plate, and enjoy. You probably already do this more than you might think. Some classic examples are rice and beans and the american favorite, the PB&J (note that the jelly here is just for taste - it's the bread and peanut butter that does all the real work).
Like I said, though, there are some exceptions from the rule of "plants = incomplete protein". Soy only lacks one essential amino acid, and so is basically considered as complete. Quinoa and amaranth are both good sources of complete protein.

Carbohydrates - simply put, they're your body's energy. If anything else is used for energy, it's converted to carbs first. If these conversions happen too often, they can lead to some nasty side effects.

Again, there are two types here; simple and complex. Simple sugars are extremely easy for your body to use, and so lead to quick spikes of energy that fade soon after and can lead you tired afterward. Complex carbs are larger things that take some time to break down into useable pieces, so your body gets a longer lasting, more evenly distributed source of energy from these.
As a rule the more refined something is when you eat it, the simpler it is. Refined sugars, honey, candies, and all the other goodies are simple sugars through and through. Pasta and bread are examples of complex carbs. In the case of grains using the whole thing (namely the husk) gives you an even more complex carbohydrate.
It's fairly easy if you think about it. Grape jelly is more complex than pure sugar, but grapes are more complex than the jelly. 100% whole wheat bread is better than puffy white bread, but any bread (that I know of, at least) is still better than that jelly.

Fats - they cushion our organs, keep us warm, and are the perfect long-term energy storage facility (unfortunately this does mean that excess energy generally gets thrown into fat cells, which can expand to virtually any size).

As before, there are the good fats, the unsaturated fats (mono-unsaturated being better than poly-unsaturated). Mono-unsaturated fats raise HDL cholestrol (the good kind) and lower the LDL cholestrol (the bad kind). Poly-unsaturated fats lowers both, so it's not as good as the mono's, but it's better than some.
Mono's generally have strong flavors (such as olive oil). Poly's are generally neutral (such as corn oil), so if you don't want the flavor these are a good second choice.

Saturated fats (those that are solid at room temperature) aren't wonderful. As far as cholestrol goes, they raise your LDL. They're great for flavor though (examples are butter and bacon fat), so just watch the amount you use.

Now the really bad guys. Trans fats are pretty much the worst guys around. Anything hydrogenated (taking a liquid fat and altering it so that it'll be solid at room temperature - such as margarine) is a trans fat. These raise your LDL and also lower your HDL. Boo and hiss, I say. Your body can't even really process the hydrogenated fats thanks to the alterations that have been made. I don't know about you, but if my body can't even recognize it as edible, I'm not sure that I want to use too much of it when I cook.

Now amounts are also important. 50-75% of your calories should come from carbohydrates. 10-15% from proteins, and 20-25% from fat. Seems low on protein, doesn't it? You have to remember that our bodies make most of what we need already. Even if you're into weight training, you don't need much more than that - it'd be far more important to get the good versions of everything, especially carbs so that you have energy for all those reps.

Before I go, I'll give a quick bit about the latter three nutrients. Water is pretty simple. If you don't get any you'll be dead within a week. Drink it. Vitamins and minerals... the easiest way to get what you need is to eat a variety of different foods. Different colors generally mean different nutrients in that respect. So hey, not only will the plate look better if it's not all white, you'll be getting what you need too.

And lastly, refinement and cooking. The more something is treated, the more it loses. Fresh strawberries have more nutrients than strawberry jelly or juice. The closer you are to the vine/tree/root/whatever, the more nutrient dense the food will be. Also, the more something is cooked, the more nutrients it will lose. This is why steaming and soups are considered to be good methods, nutritionally speaking. With soup, anything that cooks out of the ingredients stays in the broth and still makes its way into your system. Steaming is a very gentle, low-contact cooking method, so not much will be lost.

I'm not suggesting that you try steaming a chicken, but be aware that more violent methods of cooking (such as deep frying) drag out more nutrients than gentler methods (like a long slow roast).

So there's a (not so brief as originally intended) look into what's going on with your food. As they say, knowledge is power. Like I said, it's not about dropping sizes, it's about a healthy lifestyle. Love your food, and love yourself. Eat good, and eat smart.