subject: Airline Pilots Diet Widely Accepted [print this page] Airline Pilots Diet Widely Accepted Airline Pilots Diet Widely Accepted
To function properly the body needs a range of different nutrients, some to provide energy and others that are essential for the maintenance and growth of the body. Protein, fat and carbohydrate are nutrients that one needs to live and grow! Substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment that should form a relatively large part of the diet as they provide the energy and the building blocks required to maintain a healthy body. Minerals and vitamins are micronutrients, which are only required in small amounts, but are nevertheless essential for a healthy body. A vitamin deficiency can, depending on the vitamin, cause conditions such as night blindness, rickets, pellagra and depression. However, most individuals are able to obtain the majority of the nutrients that they require from their diet.
Today, the emphasis upon nutrition tends to be aimed at encouraging individuals to eat less fat and sugary foods and more fresh fruit and vegetables to control weight. However, fat is not all bad. Glucose is the primary fuel for the brain, but the body also uses fat as a fuel, especially for muscle tissue, and it can be converted to ketones for use by the brain if required. If the brain's myelin sheath is taken into account, a huge portion of the brain is comprised of fat. The protective covering of nerves, known as the myelin sheath, is composed mainly of oleic acid. The body requires essential fatty acids and they play a part in many metabolic processes. Fats are also required for the absorption of certain vitamins. So whilst manmade trans fats should be avoided and the intake of saturated fats should be limited, good fats such as the mono-unsaturated oleic acid found in oils such as olive oil, vegetables such as avocados and nuts should form part of the diet. The body needs some fat, but it should not be a major part of the diet. Nutritionists recommend that 25-30 percent of an individual's calories should come from fat, depending upon lifestyle and body fat percentage. Nutrition is important and it may be even more important for those whose jobs demand alertness and high cognitive performance. A recent study on the effects of diet on pilots' performance illustrates this point.
