Benefits of a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet can help to prevent disease, treat disease, provides us with youthful energy, helps to maintain a proper weight level, boosts our emotional and mental state, and helps to get us through our day.  So why is nutrition important?  Have you ever heard the phrase, “you are what you eat?”  Well this is unfortunately true inside and out relatively speaking.  If all you do is eat greasy, processed, and unhealthy foods this will reflect in your immune system function, energy levels, blood work, skin, hair, nails, muscles, and bones.  It will literally affect your entire body. 

Food Pyramid

The old food pyramid reflected the largest portion be from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group-nearly 6-11 servings in fact!  The new food pyramid is much more accurate also reflecting how much exercise is needed on a daily basis.  It states that adults should exercise at least thirty minutes most days of the week and children need at least sixty minutes.  It further states that sixty to ninety minutes of activity is needed daily to prevent weight gain or sustain weight loss.  These statistics and more may be found at www.mypyramid.gov. 

What you should be eating

Mark Twain once wrote, “Be careful about reading health books.  You may die of a misprint.”  So what should we be eating?  Complex carbohydrates, good fat, and lean protein are the staples.  Eliminating all fat is definitely not the answer; some fats are good for you.  Bad trans fats include: meat, dairy, eggs, and some seafood.  Bad saturated fats include: hydrogenated and oxidized fasts (i.e. fast food).  Good monounsaturated fats include: nut, canola, and olive oils.  Polyunsaturated good fats include: corn, soy, and sunflower oils which are omega 3 fatty acids. 

Cholesterol

We must limit our intake of the bad fats.  What is cholesterol?  Cholesterol is the wax-like substance made by our liver that plays essential roles in the formulation of cell membranes, some hormones, and vitamin D.  The good guys are mono-unsaturated fats and poly-unsaturated fats. 

Carbs

A carbohydrate is a food that your liver is able to breakdown into glucose, to be used for energy.  Simple sugars include: white flour, white rice, and white sugar which are highly processed and contain little to no nutritional value.  Complex carbohydrates include: whole grain, fruits, and vegetables which are organic and rich in vitamins and essential minerals. 

Phytochemicals

What are phytochemicals and why are they important?  Phytochemicals are antioxidants that promote heart health, vision health, healthy skin, strong bones, lower cholesterol, boost the immune system, increase memory function, lower the cancer risk, and promote health aging.  These are the Benefits of a Healthy Diet!