Source of nutrition Non veg

 Source of nutrition Non veg

As we talked about nutrition in the first blog, we will now cover the sources of nutrition for non-vegetarians. But let’s recap what we know about nutrition quickly.

Nutrition is the process of taking in food and using it for growth, metabolism, and repair. In the form of food, we take nutrients: macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water. And micronutrients are many including minerals such as calcium, iron and iodine, vitamins and antioxidants.

You can read all about nutrition in our blog ___________

Non-vegetarians have a variety of food options available. And the food is generally richer in proteins in comparison to vegetarian food. Have a look at vegetarian sources of nutrition here.

So unlike vegetarian sources, non-vegetarian sources contain a variety of nutrients. For eg., consider eggs. Eggs are a source of protein, vitamin A, B12, D, K, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and many others. Animal based foods provide more energy as well and hence are a preference of athletes and other sportspersons.

But this excess of nutrients can lead to overnutrition. Also, animal based food increases more chances of toxins and other harmful things like pesticides to damage our body due to biological magnification. There is a requirement of caution and well planned food routine.

For that, we need to know the sources of nutrition. Which nutrient is provided by which food?

So, let’s look into them starting with macronutrients.

Carbohydrates: 

Carbohydrates are the base of human diet be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. 50% of the energy you need must come from carbohydrate sources in a regular diet. Most of the carbohydrate sources are plant based. Some of the best choices for carbohydrate nutrition are

●     Wholemeal Bread

●     Wholegrain Cereals

●     Potatoes and Peas

●     Sweet Potatoes

●     Other starchy vegetables

●     Baked beans

 

Proteins:

Proteins are the highlight of a non-vegetarian diet. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Some amino acids are made in our body so we don’t need to do much about them. But some of them are not. These are called essential amino acids and these are produced in the bodies of other animals and plants. As usual animal food is rich in essential proteins which lead to a rich and quality intake of proteins. One more benefit of animal protein is that they have fewer carbs per gram of protein in them. Some of the best protein sources are

●     Lean meat

●     Chicken

●     Fish

●     Cheese and Milk

●     Eggs

●     Nuts and Legumes

 

Reliance on only animal protein is also not good. The best way is to either mix plant proteins with animal ones in your diet or alternate consumption of both.

Fats 

Fats are of three types: unsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans-saturated fats. Here your motive should be to avoid trans-saturated and saturated fats as much as you can. The healthy sources of fats include

●     Oils

●     Butter and Cheese

●     Cream

●     Meat

●     Biscuits and Nuts

 

After these comes water which I guess we don’t need to talk about, do we? 

Now micronutrients

Let’s start with vitamins

 

Vitamins are vital amines. For different amines, different names are given for sake of easy understanding. For eg. retinol is called vitamin A, Ascorbic acid vitamin C and so on. Vitamin B is a complex vitamin, a group. Out of these vitamins, B6 and B12 are always in the discussions around nutrition. There are hardly any vegetarian sources of B12.

Lack of vitamins leads to various issues which we will discuss any other day but the courses of these vital nutrients are

VITAMIN A      :           carrots, spinach, pumpkin, cheese, eggs, meat, broccoli, tomatoes

VITAMIN B6    :           wholegrain cereals, meat, fish, peanuts, bananas

VITAMIN B12  :           meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk

Vitamin C        :           oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, strawberries

Vitamin D        :           fatty fish, butter, cream, cheese, eggs and most important SUNLIGHT

VITAMIN E      :           polyunsaturated oils, nuts, olive oil, fatty fish

and small amounts in whole grain cereals and green vegetables 

VITAMIN K      :           green vegetables, cheese, butter, pork, eggs

 

Next are minerals

Various minerals are required for various uses in our body. Mostly we have to take care of their fulfilment but there are some for whom we have to set the limits. Sodium is one of them which is overconsumed by many in the form of salt and junk food.

From others that we need regularly, the important ones are

Calcium           :           cheese, milk, yoghurt, canned fish, nuts, dried fruit

Iron                  :           meat, poultry, wholegrain cereals, wholemeal bread, eggs

Phosphorus     :           fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts, cereals, bread and meat

Iodine              :           sea food, iodized salt

Zinc                 :           meat, fish, eggs, wholegrain cereals, peanuts, poultry

 

And that’s it. As you have noticed that though the list of nutrients is a long one, most of the nutrients are fulfilled by a diet balanced with meat, eggs, dairy, green vegetables and fresh fruits. So have the base of your daily eating routine around these items and add something you think you are missing in any of the main meals or snacks.

This is a way to nourish your life with proper nutrition via non-vegetarian sources. For other nourishing stories stay in touch with us here and for small and short health hacks follow us on our socials @gethealthybits