Why Must I Eat Healthy
Food?
Food is the fuel
that gives you energy for everything you do.
To stay full of food
fuel, your body needs three good meals a day - breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
There are six main
kinds of nutrients - water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and
vitamins. Your body uses some to get
energy, and others to make and mend cells.
Your body gets most
of its energy from the two kinds of carbohydrate - sugars and starches.
The trouble with
food that contains lots of fat and sugar is that it tastes so good. If you eat too much, your body will store up
fat, and you will put on weight.
Your body needs
proteins to make everything from muscle and bone cells, to heart and lung
cells.
Healthy eating means
eating lots of different food, so you get lots of different nutrients.
The energy that
keeps your body running comes from carbohydrates, fats, and protein.
It's easy to eat too
many calories. Your body stores leftover
calories as body fat.
Every gram of
carbohydrate has four calories. So does
every gram of protein. But every gram of
fat has nine calories.
Your weight is a
balance between the calories you eat and the calories you use to live, move,
and grow.
Your weight does not
depend only on your height and shape, because some people have heavier bones
than others. The best way for you to
keep your weight healthy is to eat a balanced diet and exercise.
Healthy food is
delicious, so enjoy it!
The Food Pyramid
Food gives our
bodies energy.
A food pyramid shows
us what kinds of food we should eat each day.
The bottom of the
pyramid shows what foods we should eat the most.
Fiber helps food
move through our bodies.
[Fruits and
vegetables] give our bodies quick energy.
The middle of the
food pyramid shows foods that we should eat in smaller amounts.
The top of the food
pyramid shows foods we should eat in very small amounts.
On to "But I deserve this chocolate!"
Hugs,
Melinda
