Developing A Proper Diet To Build And Maintain Mental & Spiritual Balance In Your Life

We are what we eat. This is a common phrase which means that our physical,mental and spiritual fitness is determined by what we eat. The big question here is how does a proper diet influence our mental and spiritual fitness. The physical fitness is the ability to perform effectively and efficiently during work and leisure and to be healthy and able to resist situational diseases. It has  two components: the general fitness which refers to the state of health and well-being, and specific fitness which relates to ability to perform specific aspects. Having a proper diet is important in your life. The best body is the one that is strong from outside and inside. How does one develop a proper diet to build and maintain mental and spiritual balance in ones life? It is important for one to do a proper diet search to determine the best diets for his or her fitness. The best diet is the one that is easy  to plan for. The following diets should form part of ones meals so as to enhance  fitness; milk and milk products, meat. Eggs,cereals fruits and vegetables.

A health diet forms the core part of ones fitness mentally and spiritually.  There are different types of diets. There are factors that one should consider while selecting a diet. These are; the weight, cholesterol amount, body mass index, heart rate, hormonal level, history of disease and blood pressure.  The goal here is build and maintain body fitness.  It should however be noted that proper diet does not mean fad nor crash diets,but eating healthy and avoiding foods that are not good for your body. Its about getting the correct nutrition in proper portions. A healthy diet helps in maintaining and improving ones health and prevention of many diseases that are chronic. A proper diet entails consuming  required amounts of nutrients and most importantly water. There are wide variety of foods that one can obtain the required nutrients, However you should always pay a keen attention to the fact that each meal you take should comprise the following categories of food so as to enhance physical fitness,these are;

1. Protein, needed by the body to repair worn out tissues and growth of human body. Proteins comprised amino acids and essential amino acids, a good diet should contain these essential amino acids.
2. fat, for formation of cell membranes,oxidized for energy and can be used later by the body if food intake is inadequate. Fats can be categorized into four; saturated , monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans fat
3. Carbohydrates, used as a source for energy for the body especially for the brain. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and fructose. Glucose is used by the  body in the muscles.
4. Minerals,there are many and are used for various reasons for the body. Such include salt,calcium, magnesium,potassium,iron copper,chromium and selenium. Each of these minerals serves a unique purpose in the body hence the need to have a diet that incorporates most of them.
5. Vitamins, needed for the body to maintain good health and to fight pathogens that attack the body
6. Fibre, helps in digestions and to lower chances of attracting cholesterol.

While developing a proper diet at least 20% of your food intake should contain milk and milk products,meat and eggs while the remaining 80% should be made of vegetables,fruits and grains. Apart from this one should ensure that he or she at least eat three meals a day. Breakfast is essential and missing it compromises ones nonperformance enhance physical fitness it is wise to take  breakfast is also important to ensure that all meals contain vegetables or fruits and grains.

Decreasing the amount of fats in diets is important. This can be done by ensuring the following;

•   serving meat not more than once per day
•   white meat i.e fish and poultry should be served regularly rather than red meat
•   Remove fat from meat and excise the skin fro the chicken meat.
•  Take eggs and milk in moderation. Eggs have high cholesterol level
•  and lastly make use of Margarine instead of butter

There is a misconception that red meat helps to build one body and muscles. This is wrong.

The other important thing that one should consider is to increase the amount of fruits, grains and vegetables in ones diet. This can be done by observing the following;

• One should at least have five servings of fruits and vegetables a day
• Every meal should be accompanied by fruits
•  Fruits should me offered as desserts or snacks
•  If it is possible start every day with a glass of passion fruit
•  While preparing  food increase the amount of vegetables and decrease the amount of red meat.
• Take more soup
•  take more cereals for breakfast
•  Use whole grain bread for sandwich.

Iron is an important element in ones diet. It is therefore wise to increase the a amount of iron in ones diet. This will help enhance physical fitness and reduce risks of getting anemia. Food such as red meat poultry and fish are good sources of iron. Ensure you serve food with iron at least once per day. Although liver is a good source of iron it should be avoided because it has 16 time more cholesterol that meat. For those who do not like eating meat use luncheon meats as a source of iron. Most types of bean also contain adequate iron. Also iron enriched cereals, peanut butter, sweat potatoes,raisins ,spinach egg yolks and prune juices.

For a person who want to maintain good physical fitness he or she should avoid a lot of salt. Instead use other spices and herbs as a supplement. Especially for you children salt is not good for their fitness.

Sugar should always be taken in control.  A lot of pure sugar intake has a lot of side effects such as tooth decay, It also causes jitters,dizziness and sleepiness and acute hinger late after intake. The main problem however is that excessive intake of sugars could lead to  obesity and other related diseases such as artery blockage.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is learning what to eat before exercising. Before exercising complex carbohydrates are the best.. This comprises bread, rice ,potatoes and pasta. However this should be taken 3 to 4 hours before the beginning of the activities. This means digestions will have taken place making it comfortable to do exercise.

Adequate water consumptions is an integral part of ones growth. Nutritionists have argued that one should a t least take 8 glasses of water a day, water helps in metabolism and digestions hence keeping fit. Over 80% of ones body is made if water and this explains the important need of water intake to keep fit.

Lack of calcium in ones diets may develop problems. Calcium helps in the formation of strong bones and has also been known to reduce the risk of hypertension to susceptible persons. Traditional foods like cassava contain adequate calcium.

If you want to keep healthy avoid foods such as fast foods that are not balanced and involves intake of excessive carbohydrates most of the time an always endeavor to take a balanced diet.