المواد الغذائية nutritional foods _٢_ كتاب عِش رشيقا تعمر طويلاً

NUTRITIONAL FOODS _2_ Book Live Slim and Live Long

Carbohydrates or sugars and starches

Carbohydrates are the second source of energy that the blood transports with oxygen after the metabolism process to all the cells of the body, especially the brain cells that only work with the energy produced from carbohydrates. The main source of carbohydrates are plant-based foods such as sugars and all types of grains, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables, except for milk and its derivatives, as it contains a limited amount of milk sugar (lactose). The second animal source is honey, which contains large amounts of sugar.

Carbohydrates also contribute to providing the body with the necessary energy that it consumes in all its activities and in maintaining a constant body temperature. A lack of carbohydrates does not harm, but sometimes causes fatigue, lethargy, cold, and low blood sugar. An increase in carbohydrates leads to alcoholic diabetes, obesity and associated diseases. The energy produced by carbohydrates is
(1 g carbohydrate = 4.1 calories Thermal ).

Vitamins

(Vitamins)

Vitamins are not considered building blocks in the body's cells like protein, nor are they materials that provide the body with energy like fats, lipids, oils, sugars, starches and carbohydrates. However, vitamins are essential nutrients that the body must obtain. The importance of vitamins is highlighted in regulating all body functions such as: metabolism of sugars, starches and proteins, oxidation of fats, formation of red blood cells, blood clotting, muscle metabolism and protection of the body from some diseases. To date, 19 types of them have been known, and each vitamin has its specific function.

Vitamins are divided into two groups:

1 - Fat-soluble vitamins, such as: A, E, D, E, K).

2 - Water-soluble vitamins, which are the vitamin B group and vitamin C. The body needs vitamins in small quantities, and water-soluble vitamins are needed daily by the body because it is unable to store them and the excess is excreted through feces, urine and sweat. As for fat-soluble vitamins, the body does not need to obtain them daily because it is able to store them in the liver and some of its organs. It is not recommended to use vitamins in large quantities because they may cause harm to the body.
Mineral salts

MINERALS

Mineral salts have several vital functions, the most important of which are building bones and teeth, maintaining fluid balance in the body, forming pigments in the blood, regulating most metabolic processes, and many other functions.

Mineral salts do not contain energy, i.e. they do not contain calories, but they are considered building materials for the body. The most important mineral salts that the body needs in large quantities are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, sodium, and fluorine. As for the minerals that the body needs in very small quantities, they are iron, iodine, copper, zinc, fluorine, and molybdenum. The body loses some mineral salts with feces, urine, and sweat. The body obtains all these mineral salts from a variety of foods. A deficiency of mineral salts in the body also leads to several diseases (for more information, see the author's book Sports Nutrition).

Cellulosic Fibers

(Cellulos Fibers)

Cellulosic fibers are part of food and plant materials that the body cannot metabolize and absorb, and they are found in all types of vegetables, fruits, legumes
and nuts, etc.

Cellulosic fibers improve the digestive mechanism and rid the body of waste due to the stimulation they cause to the intestines and help them activate their functions and protect the body from constipation. Their absence in the body leads to constipation and the formation of hemorrhoids. The increase in cellulosic fibers in the intestines requires a large amount of water or fluids so that the body can
get rid of them through stool.

Water

(Water)

Water is one of the very necessary materials that the human body needs, and a person can live for (30) days without food, but he cannot live more than three days without water, and in extreme cases (7) days, after which the person dies from thirst and internal dehydration. Water is one of the most important components of the body, as the human body consists of about 60 percent water, and the body generally needs 2 or 3 liters of water per day. Water has many functions in the body because most of the body's organs are made of water, and water does not cause obesity as some people believe because it does not contain calories, and in some pathological cases the body retains some fluids in its muscle and fatty tissues. This is if the sodium level in the blood rises. Table salt contains a large amount of sodium, so do not overdo it with salt with food and drink.