Nutrition and Food Chemistry

Food, Nutrition and Body weight

Maintaining a healthy body weight is a matter of balancing the energy we put into our bodies (calories from food) with the energy that we use up (or burn) during our daily activities or exercise. If we don’t use up all the energy we consume, the excess will be stored as body fat, and over time our body weight will increase.

Balancing your food intake means enjoying a wide variety of nutritious foods to ensure all your nutritional needs are met. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, legumes and cereal foods, and include lean meat, fish, poultry, milk, yogurt

 Dairy foods are well known for their role in bone health, they are often not the first food that comes to mind when thinking about losing weight. In fact, dairy foods can often be cut out in the mistaken belief that they are fattening. However, scientific evidence shows that eating 3 serves of dairy every day will not only help your bones but may also help you manage your weight.

 Research shows that a healthy vegetarian eating plan, or one made up of foods that come mostly from plants, may be linked to lower levels of obesity, lower blood pressure, and a reduced risk of heart disease. But going vegetarian will only lead to weight loss if you reduce the total number of calories you take in. Some vegetarians may make food choices that could lead to weight gain, such as eating a lot of food high in sugar, fats, and calories.