Nutrients in Food Fall Into 3 Categories: Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates.

The foods that we eat contain nutrients that provide energy and other substances that the body needs. Most of the nutrients in food fall into three major groups: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Crazy enough most of us have been taught wrong from the world about what category some of the food we eat really falls under.

For example, I have always thought that nuts were a protein..right? Anyone else think that? Now nuts DO have protein in them, but they are actually a fat. WHY? Because there is actually more fat in nuts then protein which therefore makes them fall into the fats category.

So lets dive in and let me share the information that I have learned from Veo Clinic.

What is a Carbohydrate?
Starches/breads, fruits, vegetables, fruit juices and milk products/dairy are all carbs. There is a difference between simple and complex carbohydrates.  Complex means they contain fiber (100% whole wheat pasta, 100% whole wheat bread, oats and brown rice). An exception to this rule is lactose found in milk, cottage cheese, yogurt are complex carbs. Complex carbs last in your body as energy for up to 30 minutes. Simple carbs such as fruit, white breads, white rice and white potatoes only last as energy for a maximum time of 15 minutes.

What is a Protein?
Protein is part of every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies.  These body proteins are constantly being broken down and replaced.  The protein in the foods we eat is digested into amino acids that are later used to replace these proteins in our bodies.  Protein is found in the following foods: meats, poultry, fish, legumes (dry beans and peas), tofu, eggs, raw nuts and seeds, milk and milk products, grains, some vegetables and some fruits.

What is a Fat?
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water.  GOOD FATS- (yes there are such thing:) ) Good sources of fatty acids are found mostly in fish, nuts, oils, seeds, dark leafy greens, flaxseed oils and some vegetable oils.  At the end of the day, a good fat is still a fat in terms of calories.  BAD FATS- These are artery-clogging saturated fats from meat and dairy products and are solid at room temperature.  Saturated fats have been shown to directly raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.  Any labels on cooking oil that describe the oil as "light" are referring to the taste or color, not the fat or calorie content.  All oils are 100% fat and are worth around 120 calories per tablespoon.

Hopefully you guys learned as much from this as I did. I think it is incredibly important to know the difference between these three so we can get eat the right portion of eat when we are making our meals.

**FYI all fresh seasonings are "free" zero calories. Such as, cilantro, parsley, ginger, chives, garlic, hot sauce, mustard etc. Any food item with 0 calories is a free food.