Being healthy means more than just watching your caloric intake and weight. Certain foods, if eaten in excess, can increase your risk for developing disease. Monitoring distribution of calories and eating all the necessary nutrients can result in a healthier body. Adequate vitamin intake can also improve your health.
Significance
The kinds of foods you choose to eat every day can impact your health. Eat mostly fatty and sugary processed foods, and you risk developing diabetes and high cholesterol. While indulging every now and then is perfectly acceptable, for most days, you should keep track of what you are eating. A poor diet can also result in malnutrition. This occurs when your body doesn't receive enough nutrients. Malnutrition can lead to depression, fatigue, anemia, muscle weakness, digestive problems and cardiovascular disease.
Nutrients
All of your dietary nutrients are provided by carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The best way to know if you are eating a healthy diet is to divide your calories into each food group. According to the Mayo Clinic, you should consume 45 to 65 percent of total calories as carbohydrates, 10 to 35 percent as proteins and 25 to 35 percent as fats.
Processed Foods
Whether you are looking to lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar or stave off disease, all the science says the same thing: Stay away from processed foods. Try to choose natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as your carbohydrate sources. Beans, nuts and legumes provide a healthy way to eat protein. Unsaturated fats that come from sources such as extra virgin olive oil or fish provide many health benefits and are minimally processed. Most processed foods contain high amounts of salt, sugar, additives, preservatives and hydrogenated fats. Cooking for yourself using whole foods can increase your health.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are health-promoting substances found mostly in fruits and vegetables. They work to neutralize free radicals in the body. Free radicals are formed when toxins invade the cell and oxidize it. From this, oxidative stress can occur and the DNA inside of the cell can become damaged. According to the book "Nutrition" by Frances Sizer and Eleanor Whitney, more than 200 diseases can be attributed to oxidative stress. One of the main lines of defense the body has against free radicals is dietary antioxidants. These are found mainly in fruits and vegetables that contain large amounts of vitamins C and E.
References
- Mayo Clinic.com: Malnutrition
- Mayo Clinic.com: Healthy Diet
- "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Anti-Inflammation Diet"; Dr. Christopher Cannon and Elizabeth Vierck; 2006
- "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies"; Frances Sizer and Eleanor Whitney; 2004
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