Actually, the ABCs of nutrition are the CPFs: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. These are the three basic macronutrients that all foods are made of. Any of these nutrients can provide energy, but your body responds to them in different ways.

Foods contain micronutrients too, the vitamins and minerals essential to health and body processes. And finally, you need to understand the importance of water—not the kind you drink but the often-overlooked ingredient in food.

Most importantly, you need all to function well, whether you’re running a marathon or sitting through a lecture. To understand which foods you should eat for meals and snacks (yes, you should snack!), you need to know how your body uses the basic nutrients, where to find them and how to put them together each day.

Can you tell food FACT from FICTION?

Which of the following statements are true of a healthy diet? (The answer is below)

a) You shouldn’t snack between meals.
b) Carbohydrates make you fat.
c) Fats are bad for you, especially when combined with carbohydrates.
d) Anything you eat after 8 p.m. will be stored as fat.
e) It’s okay to get half your daily calories from carbohydrates.
f) Feeling full after a meal is a sign that you’ve eaten too much.

Only (e) is correct. Check out our 1+2+3 Solutions to find out why snacking between meals is a good idea. Want to learn to trust your body to help you with when and how much to eat? Our Is it Hunger or Something Else page is a good place to start.