Nutrition Balanced Diets

Carbs

• Carbohydrates provide fuel for your body and choosing the right ones are very important for a nutrition-balanced diet. There is no compelling evidence that low carb diets work; instead, choosing the right types of carbs is what is important. "Bad" carbs are those that come from refined grains and sugar. They are made up of "empty," or nutritionally-inferior calories that raise your blood sugar levels, often leading to overeating. "Good" carbs come from natural sources like whole grains and fruits. Whole grains have not been stripped of their nutrients like refined grains and are packed with fiber, which helps regulate your digestive system. Eat plenty of whole grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice and oatmeal and avoid refined, "white" grains and sugar junk foods.
  
  

Protein

• Similar to carbs, there's a big difference between good and bad types of protein and a nutrition-balanced diet contains lean sources of protein. Proteins are the building blocks for your body's muscles and it's important to feed those muscles the right types of protein. Many fatty cuts of meat like beef and pork are loaded with saturated fat, which can lead to an increase in your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, which increases your risk of certain types of heart conditions. Stick with lean protein like chicken, fish, turkey and beans and avoid high-fat beef, pork and dairy products. If you do choose beef or pork, stick to lean cuts like sirloin and top round.
  
  

Fats

• There is also a big difference between good and bad fats. A balanced diets contains lots of healthy fats and very little unhealthy fats. Healthy fats are those that are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. These types of fats can actually help decrease your LDL cholesterol levels and are found in foods like olive oil, canola oil, fish, avocados and nuts. Saturated fats are found in animal products and can raise LDL cholesterol, increasing your risk of heart disease. The worst type of fat, trans fat, can raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Trans fats are found in foods like french fries, doughnuts, cookies, cakes, margarine and many other types of processed foods.