What Are The Effects Of A Healthy Diet On Health Care?

Whether you're a meat lover, vegetarian, raw-food advocate or a junk-food junkie, the food you eat today directly affects your current and future health, reports the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In its Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the department recommends making smart choices from every food group so your body can get the nutrients it needs. These choices will benefit your health and health-care needs in several ways.

Prevent Weight-related Problems

A healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or fat-free milk and dairy products. It also includes foods such as eggs, fish, lean meats, poultry and nuts, states the USDA. These foods help you lose weight and maintain it and lower your risk of weight-related conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. In 2007, diabetes cost Americans $174 billion, according to the American Diabetes Association. As of 2010, obesity costs the nation about $147 billion dollars annually.

Reduce Cancer Risk

The United States government has spent $100 billion dollars each year on health care since 1971, and cancer care checks in around $90 billion annually since 1990, according to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Study results indicate that a healthy diet can prevent or slow the development of certain forms of cancer. A study presented at the 2007 American Association for Cancer Research Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention showed that eating a lot of raw vegetables, especially broccoli and sprouts, and black raspberries has a cancer-protective effect.

Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease --- which includes coronary artery disease, heart failure and arrhythmia --- is the leading cause of death in America, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A high intake of saturated and trans fats is one of the leading causes of heart disease. These unhealthy fats elevate cholesterol levels that cause plaque to build up in your arteries and weight gain --- both of which increase your risk of heart disease. These fats occur in meat, whole-fat milk and dairy, junk food and prepackaged foods.

On the other hand, plant-based oils such as olive, canola and walnut keep cholesterol levels in check. Fiber helps to lower cholesterol levels, and fruits and vegetables are naturally low in cholesterol. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends reducing salt to maintain healthy blood pressure. High blood pressure contributes to heart disease.