Author: omotosho oladeji

A healthful diet typically includes nutrient-dense foods from all major food groups, including lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables of many colours. Healthful eating also means replacing foods that contain trans fats, added salt, and sugar with more nutritious options.

1. It helps manage a healthy weight 

 You know the two critical ingredients for weight loss: diet and exercise. However, it was argued that weight loss is 75 per cent diet and only 25 per cent exercise.

An analysis of 700 separate weight loss studies found that people experience the most significant results when eating well. On average, dieting without exercise amounts to 23 pounds lost over 15 weeks. On the other hand, exercising without dieting results in six pounds lost after 21 weeks. Of course, this doesn’t discount the value of exercise—you need both to be as healthy as possible.

2. Help support a robust immune system 

 You rely on your immunity to defend against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other foreign invaders. However, poor nutrition starves your immune system of the proper vitamins and minerals it needs to produce antibodies. If you focus on eating well, you are less likely to become sick. Especially with times like this with Covid 19 still very much around. 

3. Increase your energy level

 The whole purpose of eating is to derive energy from your food. “Empty calories” found in soda, processed snacks, and other junk food may fill your stomach, but they fail to provide high-quality energy.

For that, you need complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein. Also, if you have unexplained fatigue, try increasing your iron intake with seafood, poultry, dark leafy greens, and peas. Your body also absorbs iron better if you eat it with vitamin C, which is found in broccoli, peppers, oranges, and tomatoes.

4. Helps you live longer 

Although not an official cause of death, being overweight is a leading precursor of premature death in the US. According to research, 18 per cent of all deaths can be attributed to poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. If you want to live a long life with fewer health complications, focus on eating better.

5. It improves your mental health and well being 

 Your body isn’t the only thing that benefits when you eat a balanced diet; your mental health also improves! You may routinely reach for junk food when you’re feeling down, but what you need to boost your spirits is a diet full of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and complex carbohydrates. A recent study found that eating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, whole grains, fish, and olive oil reduced symptoms of depression among participants, which lasted for six months after the experiment.

Eating a healthy diet is not about strict limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your health, and boosting your mood.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be overly complicated. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you, you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. The truth is that while some specific foods or nutrients have been shown to have a beneficial effect on mood, it’s your overall dietary pattern that is most important.

The cornerstone of a healthy diet should be to replace processed food with real food whenever possible. Eating food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it can make a huge difference to the way you think, look, and feel.

The Fundamentals of Healthy Eating

While some extreme diets may suggest otherwise, we all need a balance of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals in our diets to sustain a healthy body. You don’t need to eliminate certain categories of food from your diet, but rather select the healthiest options from each category.

Protein

Protein gives you the energy to get up and go—and keep going—while also supporting mood and cognitive function. Too much protein can be harmful to people with kidney disease, but the latest research suggests that many of us need more high-quality protein, especially as we age.

Fat

Not all fat is the same. While bad fats can wreck your diet and increase your risk of certain diseases, good fats protect your brain and heart. In fact, healthy fats—such as omega-3s—are vital to your physical and emotional health. Including more healthy fat in your diet can help improve your mood, boost your well-being, and even trim your waistline.

Fiber

Eating foods high in dietary fiber (grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and beans) can help you stay regular and lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can also improve your skin and even help you to lose weight.

Calcium

As well as leading to osteoporosis, not getting enough calcium in your diet can also contribute to anxiety, depression, and sleep difficulties. Whatever your age or gender, it’s vital to include calcium-rich foods in your diet, limit those that deplete calcium, and get enough magnesium and vitamins D and K to help calcium do its job.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of your body’s main sources of energy. But most should come from complex, unrefined carbs (vegetables, whole grains, fruit) rather than sugars and refined carbs. Cutting back on white bread, pastries, starches, and sugar can prevent rapid spikes in blood sugar, fluctuations in mood and energy, and a build-up of fat, especially around your waistline.