Proper nutrition is a guarantee of health andwell-being. As Hippocrates said: "I am what I eat." It is healthy food (and not some magical cosmetic creams and masks) that determines the condition of your skin, hair and nails, your figure, overall health and vitality. Unfortunately, the Internet is full of various articles on this topic, but the quality of advice and recommendations included in their content leaves much to be desired. Therefore, if you want to know everything about proper nutrition, then this article is especially for you, because in it we collected all the most healthy and rational. 
A little bit about energy
Why do we eat? Sometimes you might think that we eat, in order to experience the pleasure of food. However, this is not so - proper nutrition is the source of energy that our body needs. Energy is measured in calories or joules, with one calorie corresponding to about four-two-tenths of a joule. Depending on age, sex and physical activity, each body needs a different amount of calories / joules. For adults between the ages of twenty and thirty-five, the energy requirement is on average two thousand two hundred calories for women and two thousand six hundred calories for men. In adolescents, the calorie requirement is from two thousand seven hundred to three and a half thousand calories. Pregnant women and nursing mothers - about three and a half thousand calories. People who engage in sports and heavy physical labor have between three and five thousand calories. In any case, the right diet should include the amount of calories that you need - no more and no less. A lot of myths are connected with calories. One of them says: "If you want to lose weight, cut the number of calories by half." With this, of course, it's hard to argue, but this is not a healthy weight loss - you create a deficit of energy in your body. A consequence of inadequate nutrition can be apathy, a decline in the quality of cognitive processes, deterioration in the performance of various functional systems. In addition, first of all the body burns protein, not fat, so you will lose weight due to muscles. Of course, if you want to lose weight, reducing the calorie intake is necessary, but only if the energy from the food you eat exceeds the rate you need. And it is better to reduce caloric content due to harmful products, paying attention to proper nutrition - then it will be a significant contribution to the development of your health.
Fundamentals of proper nutrition
What is proper nutrition? There are a lot of rumors and speculation about how the proper nutrition system should look: someone thinks that it's vegetarian, someone can not live a day without a good steak, and for some it's just a tasty meal. If you want your food to be right, then you should include these simple and useful rules in your lifestyle: In proper nutrition, you need a variety: a little meat, lots of vegetables, fruits, fish and products from wholemeal. This gives the body all the nutrients and substances necessary for life, in which it needs. Unilateral food, used primarily in certain diets, is harmful to health. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are energy substances that must be supplied with food.
- Correct diet. Large portions create an unnecessary strain on the body and digestion. They cause a feeling of overflow, fatigue and lethargy. It is better not to eat three times a day, but five times in small portions. Breaks between meals will not be too large, and "high-calorie bombs" will not replace a healthy feeling of hunger.
- Eat slowly and with pleasure - this is the main thingfor proper nutrition. A hasty eater usually eats too much. Scientists have found that signs of satiety appear only fifteen minutes after eating. This means that those who greedily swallow their food, in just a few minutes, get enough calories / joules, not allowing their body to report on the transition of the saturation border.
- What relates to food should be respected infor drinking. If you have a strong thirst, it is best to drink water. Do not overestimate the value of thirst quenching beer because of its alcohol content and calorie content. From the neck of the beer bottle you can very quickly get excess energy. Be careful with sweet drinks (lemonades, fruit juices or drinks with cola). They do not quench their thirst, but they contain up to one hundred and ten grams of sugar in one liter.
- Do not drink too little: the daily need for liquid is one and a half to two liters. It is highly recommended mineral water or tea (best of all - fruit tea). Moderately can be consumed milk, coffee, beer, wine, champagne and drinks with fruit juices.
- Correct ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In your diet, they should be thirty, thirty and forty percent respectively. But do not forget about the quality of the building elements: from a piece of a sweet cake or a piece of fried meat, you will of course add carbohydrates and protein, but their health benefits are very doubtful. Full nutrition includes complex carbohydrates, good cooked meat and healthy fats (they will be discussed below).
Fats - harm or benefit?
Fat is a flavoring, therefore fat containingproducts are just tastier than their "skinny" replacement. Excess energy in the body quickly turns into "lifebuoys" at the waist. Reduce the consumption of harmful fat, and pay attention to the hidden fats in sausage, cheese, nuts, chocolate, sauces and chips. However, do not forget that fat is not only harmful, but also useful - without it, proper nutrition is impossible. The whole question is what kind of fat it will be. Useful fats are mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are mainly found in vegetable oils, oily fish, avocado and nuts. Proper nutrition must necessarily include the regular use of these products - they are the key to normal cardiac activity, metabolic processes, as well as the health of the skin, hair and nails. 
Healthy foods
What is proper nutrition? This is the use of useful products! Anyone who consumes a lot of fruits, vegetables and products from wholemeal flour, gives his body enough so-called "ballast substances". These indigestible plant substances, stimulating chewing, well saturating and regulating digestion. In order for the food to have the optimal amount of vitamins, the products must be soared, stewed, fried or baked with a small amount of water or fat, and the liquid obtained after boiling vegetables is always used for soups and sauces. Do not forget that the less heat treatment, the more nutrients and vitamins are stored in food. Use less alcohol. It not only gives a lot of calories / joules, but also negatively affects the work of the liver and other organs. And yet, during a good dinner, you can drink a glass of wine, champagne or beer. Avoid sweet temptations - sweets, chocolate, cakes, ice cream and lemonade. After all, the body turns excess sugar into fats. Be economical in handling salt. Do not forget that the one who often eats dishes from semi-finished products gets it more than enough. Salt, for example, causes, among other things, an increase in blood pressure. Make yourself a rule: the less, the more nutrition is right and healthier. It is better to sprinkle with plenty of greens or other spices. Our grandmothers knew only that the butter was delicious. However, we now know what lies in it: vitamins A, D, E, B, B2, B6, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Therefore, do not reproach yourself for eating a sandwich with butter - it's not just high-calorie, but also useful. In general, try to diversify your "oil" diet: add olive, linseed and other vegetable oils. 
Gifts of nature in proper nutrition
The fact that, using garlic, you can live up toold age, has not been scientifically proven, but it has a different positive property. For example, it prevents the development of atherosclerosis (aging of blood vessels) and lowers blood pressure. It contains allicin essential oil, which helps to destroy pathogens in the body and strengthens immune defense. Therefore, a garlic clove should be added daily. Numerous advantages of garlic for the maintenance of human health have been studied for millennia, but only recently attracted close attention to its ability to maintain the health of the cardiovascular system. This again aroused interest in using garlic as a food additive. Designed garlic tablets in a special shell, which dissolves in the intestines, which removes the smell of garlic from the mouth, but retains its healing properties. But, it turns out, amazing properties are not only garlic. The root of Siberian ginseng strengthens the excitability of the brain and helps to restore memory. It is recommended for mental and physical overfatigue, reduced concentration of attention, chronic fatigue syndrome, vegetovascular dystonia. The root of valerian helps to relieve muscular spasms caused by stress. Hops promote relaxation. The bark of white willow and the initial letter help to ease the headache, while the root of ginger copes with digestive disturbances caused by stress. Recently, scientists have discovered ways to extract chlorophyll from plants for use as a food additive. Preparations of chlorophyll help the body in creating an environment that is unfavorable for the growth of bacteria. In addition, chlorophyll is a multivitamin nutritional supplement and has a universal effect on the body, regulating the functions of the endocrine system. Bee pollen contains most vitamins, more than twenty-five micronutrients, twenty-seven mineral salts and enzymes. Bee pollen is especially rich in B vitamins, so important for metabolism. Due to its vitamin and mineral composition, bee pollen improves the functions of the immune system and maintains the body's energy reserve. Multifunctional Echinacea plant, which has antibacterial, antiviral and antitoxic properties, provides powerful support to the immune system. In particular, echinacea improves the health of the respiratory and digestive systems, which makes it a popular herbal supplement to protect against common respiratory diseases and flu. For many centuries, St. John's wort has been used successfully to treat wounds. The English called it "balm warriors". In France, Italy and Germany, St. John's wort is called the grass of St. John, which protects the house from evil spirits. Today, interest in this ancient medicine has increased enormously. Studies have shown that St. John's wort really expels "evil spirits", if by them we mean various serious diseases, in particular depressive states. They say that St. John's wort helps from a thousand diseases. Here are some of them:
- Mild or moderate depression, other neuropsychic disorders; chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Viral and microbial infections (influenza, simple or herpes zoster).
- The positive effect of St. John's wort on purulent processes.
- Wounds and burns. Helps with cut, torn and suppurated wounds; when forming purulent swells, cleans the wound from germs and viruses.
- Diseases of blood vessels. Increases blood flow in the vessels of the heart, which contributes to saturation of the heart muscle with oxygen. This is extremely important for ischemic heart disease.
- Increases the production of the hormone melatonin at night. Therefore, St. John's wort can be recommended for improving sleep and preventing sclerosis.
In conclusion, I would like to say once again thathealthy and healthy food is the basis of beauty and longevity. It is useless to live outside the city and play sports, if in the evening you will be eating potato chips and semi-finished products. Proper nutrition contributes not only to well-being, but harmony, a beautiful figure and a healthy complexion. So do not spare the time and energy, because you have one body, and you have to love, cherish and cherish. Take care of proper nutrition for him! We advise you to read:
