FUEL FOR YOUR BODY

The body works like as a machine. Moreover, as a machine it needed to be supplied with the right kind of fuel to keep going and continue to do its task properly.

Fuels of the body are the vitamins and minerals that can be found in the food we eat. They are specifically : Protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water.

• Protein-Proteins are amino acids that usually found in meat, nuts, and dairy products. It works by:
  • Building up your muscles, organs and glands
  • Repairing and replacing the muscles
  • Helping in making hemoglobin- which carries oxygen around the body in your blood
  • Helping to make antibodies – to fight diseases

• Carbohydrates- There are two types of carbohydrates: sugars and starches. The latter is a complex form of carbohydrates that takes a longer time before your body absorbs. Carbohydrates works by:
  • They give energy to all the cells in your body.
  • They produce glucose
  • Glucose gives you quick energy, but your body cells can’t use heaps of it all at once so it saves some in your liver and muscles, as glycogen
• Fat- In your body, it is the way you store energy for later. It is abundant in lots of good foods such as meat, eggs, cheese – but sometimes there is too much in fast foods, chips, biscuits and many of the ‘sometimes’ foods.

There are three types of fat that we eat:

• Saturated fatty acids – from animal foods, dairy foods and some oils that come from plants.
• Unsaturated fatty acids – from plants, fish and most plant oils.
• Mono unsaturated fatty acids – from some plant products such as olive oil and canola oil.

Fat works by:

• acts as the body’s reserve tank of energy
• protects our organs – like a cushion
• helps our bodies stay warm in cold weather
• helps hormones keep blood pressure steady
• helps keep skin and hair healthy
• gives some vitamins a place to stay and helps them get round in the blood to where the body wants them.

However, too much fat may lead to being unhealthy such as obesity and having illnesses.

• Water- Your body needs water to work well too. It helps in carrying blood and food to all parts of your body.