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When trying to create a balanced diet you need to look at the building blocks of a healthy diet one that contains all the essential elements the body needs. Even if you are happy with your current weight you will likely maintain it easier with a good balance of carbohydrates (often know as carbs),fat and proteins.

Protein has approximately 4 calories per gram, and can be found in food like eggs, other dairy products made from milk such as cheeses,and yoghurt. In addition protein can be found in red meats such as beef steak and fish.

When looking at carbs like protein we find that calorifically around 1g of carbohydrate will produce about 4 calories of energy. However when comparing carbs it is much harder as they are rather more complex and in addition to being food found in nature than can also be found in food that is manufactured by man.

Those natural carbohydrates i.e those found in nature as plants include potato’s,rice, bread products and oatmeal.But we can also find more complex carbs in foods that are manufactured examples of which are cookies,white bread,candy and most forms of cake.

But you probably won’t be suprised to learn that from each gram of fat there are a massive 9 calories. That’s right a shocking 225% more calories than either carbs or protein.But few people fully understand the implications of this fact.

Nothing is ever quite as it seems as there are a number of different types of fat there are bad fats trans fatty acids and saturated fats which are generally derived from animals or manufactured by man. Where as good fats are generally from plants.

But your body needs a balanced diet, so you have to ensure your are getting adequate amounts of all 3 food groups to live a healthy life. If you maintain this balance correctly you will not become fat or have any problems with obesity.

The balance of carbs, to fat to protein is essential to healthy living and if you choose a diet which is unbalanced you risk health problems. Consume excess of either fat or carbs or a combination of both and you are likely to end up over weight.

Fat is much more calorific than either proteins or carbohydrates so when planning a meal try to keep a good balance of both carbs and protein and a smaller amount of fat.

Let’s examine the different types of fat individually.

Mono unsaturated fats (mono unsaturated fatty acids):- These are found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and some plant foods. They are liquid at room temperature. Some times referred to as MUFA’s.

Poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s):- Poly unsaturated fats are are most commonly seen in vegetable oils, fish and seafoods. They are liquid or soft at room temperature.Essential fatty acids Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of polyunsaturated fats and are considered essential to our diet but our bodies can not make them so they must be obtained through the diet.

Saturated fats (SUFA’s):- These are fats which are found predominantly in animal food sources such as meats, dairy products (those made from milk) such as butter and cheese and in some plants the most well know one being coconut and it’s derivatives.

Trans fats (Trans fatty acids) are liquid vegetable oils that have been chemically processed to become solid at room temperature through the addition of hydrogen atoms. These hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are used in some margarines and fried foods as well as to improve the flavor, texture and shelf-life of processed snack foods like cookies and crackers.

Just as a quick rule of thumb but it’s by no means an exhaustive or totally fool proof system. If the fat comes from an animal such as the fats found in butter, pastry or shortening, it is saturated fat and if it comes from a plant such as olive oil, sunfower oil or nuts it is most likely unsaturated fat. Remember unsaturated fat is good fat.

Just remember when it comes to eating healthy it’s all about keeping the balance right.