What you decide to eat on a daily basis is known as your diet. If you have good eating habits, this will be reflected in your overall daily performance. This includes both your mental and physical performance. Although exercise is known to bring health benefits to the body, you can also reap benefits from nutrition.
Caloric Intake
If you are 50 lbs. or more over your ideal weight, you have reason to take heed. Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for health complications such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and reproductive problems, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. If you are currently overweight, reduce your daily intake of calories to promote weight loss. By losing weight, you will reduce your disease risk and improve your functional performance of daily tasks. Aim for a 500-calorie daily deduction to lose about one pound a week.
Low-Fat Diet
Foods high in saturated fat are also high in calories, and they can lead to weight gain. In addition, saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol according to the American Heart Association. To keep your cholesterol levels down, limit your intake of whole-fat dairy products, red meat, deep-fried foods, processed meats and dark-meat poultry with the skin on.
Multi-Meal Plan
Eating multiple meals a day has its advantages over eating two or three meals a day. If you eat a small, balanced meal every two to three hours, you will keep your appetite satisfied, energy levels high and metabolism boosted. This will prevent you from gaining weight and improve your performance. Combine protein with complex carbs to make your meals balanced. Half of a whole wheat pita with sliced low-fat cheese, lettuce, tomato and light mayonnaise is a meal, for example.
Moderate Alcohol Intake
Drinking high amounts of alcohol can have a negative impact on your liver, heart and weight because it is high in calories. If that's not bad enough, it also has a dehydrating effect on the body. This dehydration is known to decrease physical performance, so that a previous night of drinking will continue to affect you the following day, according to the American Council on Exercise. Keep your intake to no more than two drinks a night if you choose to drink at all.
Fiber Intake
Fruit, vegetables, whole grains and beans are all high in dietary fiber. The Mayo Clinic recommends that women get 21 to 25 g a day and men get 30 to 38 g a day. Fiber offers the body a number of benefits. It helps fill you up, it keeps you feeling full and it also reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease. As an added benefit, certain types of fruit and vegetables--such as citrus, red peppers, tomatoes and berries--are high in antioxidants, which counteract free radicals in the body.
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