Nutrition In People Engaged In Mental Labor

Intense mental work, combined with high nervous and emotional stress and hypokinesia (lack of sufficient movement), leads to a number of adverse changes in metabolism and increases the risk of a number of modern diseases.

Nutrition in such conditions should be complete by obtaining essential biologically active nutrients on a daily basis. It is necessary to select products with high nutrient density while minimizing refined, canned and empty calorie foods.

Proteins.

They must be in quantities providing not less than 10% of the required energy. Given that foods that are sources of animal protein are usually rich in saturated fatty acids, foods with a lower fat content, such as fish and poultry, should be preferred when compiling the menu. Milk and dairy products should be one of the main sources of complete protein. At the same time, they provide calcium, which is important for the prevention of osteoporosis. Some of the proteins should be from legumes (beans, lentils, soy), nuts (walnuts, almonds), whole grains, which are foods with a hypocholesterolemic effect.

Fat.

They must be limited. Fat should provide no more than 25% of energy for the day. A proper combination of vegetable and animal fats is needed. To meet the needs of polyunsaturated fatty acids, it is necessary to combine vegetable and fish fats in the diet.

Carbohydrates.

Mostly easily digestible should be limited due to the high energy value, such as pasta from white flour, pastries, and other pastries, waffles, pancakes, etc. People of mental labor should prefer complex carbohydrates mainly from whole grain bread, legumes and potatoes. Sugar needs should be met by fruits (dates, grapes, bananas, etc.), milk, honey.

Fibers.

Fiber is essential for the prophylactic direction of nutrition and normalization of motor activity of the digestive system. To provide the necessary amounts - 25 to 30 g per day, foods rich in fiber such as wholemeal bread, oatmeal or bran, wheat bran and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables should be included in the diet daily.

Vitamins.

Vitamins must be supplied exclusively from natural sources, ie. with food. The intake of vitamins in the form of food supplements is necessary if the diet is incomplete and is not able to provide the necessary vitamins. This usually happens during the winter months, when fresh fruits and vegetables are not so much. But even in winter, with a well-balanced diet it is absolutely possible to provide the necessary vitamins. The key is diversity. This is achieved by consuming raw, seasonal fruits and vegetables daily. Of great importance is the prevention of latent forms of hypovitaminosis, which manifest themselves first with reduced efficiency and easy fatigue.

Substances with antisclerotic and lipotropic action (such as methionine, choline, inositol, lecithin, polyunsaturated fatty acids, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12) are important in the diet of people engaged in mental work. Sufficient natural antioxidants should be imported with the food every day - vitamins A, E, C, carotenoids, selenium.

Minerals .

Bioelements are essential nutrients for people engaged in mental work. A proper combination of food products of animal and plant origin is necessary for their full provision. Cooking salt should be limited, especially in the presence of hypertension. An essential requirement for people of mental labor is not to abuse alcohol, coffee, strong tea, cola and other tonic drinks rich in caffeine.

Diet .

The regimen should be 4 times: first breakfast to provide 20-25% of energy for the day, lunch should provide about 40% of daily calories, afternoon breakfast should be light and provide about 10% of daily energy, dinner should be no more than 25 - 30% of energy needs for the day. Dinner is recommended to be light - mostly dairy - vegetarian and taken no later than 2 hours before bedtime. Otherwise, the digestive system does not have the time to break down the food and start digesting it.