ATKINS: A CLOSER LOOK AT YOUR FOOD

 

Protein

·         Made of long, complex chains of amino acids, which are the basic building blocks of your body

·         Needed to build and maintain your muscles, bones, organs and other tissues and to keep the body functioning.

·         Besides bones and water, body is made up almost entirely of protein.

Fat

·         Also knows as lipid

·         Dietary fats are complex molecules that don’t dissolve in water

·         Body must have fat for many vital purpose

o   Making hormones

o   Building cells

o   Storing energy

Carbohydrates

·           Made from long chains of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

Simple carbohydrates	Complex carbohydrates
Sugar	Vegetables
Sugar in Fruit	Grains
	Legumes

·           When body digest complex carbohydrates, it breaks them down into simple carbs

·           Fibre is one class of complex carbohydrates that body cannot digest

·           It’s valuable ally in weigh control efforts.