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Remaining warm, cheerful, alert, energetic, strong and smiling are but a few of the things that eating well will do. People often do not realize the importance of eating the proper types and amounts of food.
What are the Six Basic Food Groups?
 | Water: You are two-thirds water. In the winter you need to drink 3
to 4 quarts
of water a day. Dehydration makes you more susceptible to frostbite,
hypothermia, cramps, headaches and nausea. Water digests food, regulates body
temperature, and carries wastes out of the body. In winter you must force
yourself to DRINK LOTS OF WATER. You should never get to the point where you're
thirsty. Try to drink enough so your urine is as clear as possible. |
| Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are starches and sugars, easily and quickly
digested by your body. They are quick energy. One gram of "Carbs"
make 4 grams of heat and energy. Breakfast is a good meal for carbs; quick
energy to get you off and running. Honey, potatoes, pasta, rice, flour and candy
are "carbs". |
| Fats: Fats are more tightly packed with energy. They take longer to break down.
They will give energy long after the "carbs" have burned off.
One
gram makes nine grams of heat, over twice that of carbs. Cheese, nuts,
margarine, bacon are all rich in fats. |
| Proteins: Proteins build and maintain body tissues such as muscles, hair, and
fingernails. To make protein our body needs 22 amino acids. There are eight that
are not in all protein foods. So, we must eat a variety of foods. Meat and Fish
are the only foods with all 22 amino acids. If we don't eat meat, then we must
eat other foods that go together to give us all 22 amino acids, such as: beans and
macaroni, rice and wheat, macaroni and cheese. |
| Vitamins: have no calories to keep us warm, but we need them to process
the other foods we get. Fresh vegetables, eggs, fruits contain vitamins. |
| Minerals: like vitamins, don't create heat but are vital for bones (Calcium) and many other things around the body. Milk, vegetables, and meats contain minerals. |
Think of your stomach as a wood stove, and your body is the building being heated. Carbohydrates and sugar are kindling wood. Fast burning creating quick heat, but also burning out quickly. Margarine or other fatty foods are the logs you put on the fire to keep it burning all night and day. Exercise stokes up the fire to get it roaring along.
Interesting Fact: The average human eats about 4,500 calories in the winter and only 3,450 in the summer. Hard work in the cold winter days can burn up to 8 - 9,000 calories a day.
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