If you're one of the many people who eats too little fiber, doesn't get enough fruits and vegetables, eats refined grains more than whole grains and consumes high amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol, you could be increasing your risk of health problems. Adjusting your diet can have positive effects on your overall health. Consuming healthy nutrients and avoiding unhealthy nutrients allows your body to work at peak performance.
Healthy Weight
The key to weight loss is consuming fewer calories than you burn every day. These calories do not have to be healthy -- so a slim figure does not always denote health. To be healthy on a low-calorie diet, you need to spend your calories on nutritionally rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. When beginning any weight-loss diet, eat in a way that limits calories but avoids nutritional deficiencies that can lead to an increased risk of health problems.
Heart Disease
The foods you choose play a role in increasing your risks of developing heart disease. In fact, treatments for heart disease and related problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol include changing your diet. Diets that contain trans fats and high amounts of saturated fats increase the risk for developing heart disease. Trans fats -- even in small amounts -- increase bad, LDL, cholesterol levels and lower good, HDL, cholesterol levels. Saturated fats consumed in high amounts have similar effects as trans fats. Treatments for heart disease generally suggest lowering the intake of saturated fat-rich foods such as red meats, processed meats and whole-fat dairy products.
Obesity
Eating considerable amounts of calories -- often in the form of processed foods, junk foods and fast foods -- can lead to obesity. These foods affect your body's health because they contribute to weight gain, which can then result in obesity. Many of these processed foods and junk foods have a high glycemic index, which means they are quickly burned. This leaves you feeling hungry again shortly after, causing you to eat again and increasing your overall calorie intake. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, when your body mass index is over 25, your chances of dying early from problems such as heart disease and cancer increase -- and if your body mass index is 30 of higher, your risk of dying early dramatically increases. Therefore, what you eat plays a role in weight and weight-related conditions as well as your lifespan.
Healthy Food Choices
According to the University of Maryland Medical School, your body requires more than 48 different nutrients to maintain your good health, fight off illnesses and prevent life-threatening conditions. These nutrients are best consumed in the form of foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain carbohydrates such as pasta and rice, legumes. lean meat proteins and unsaturated fats. By eating a regular variety of these nutrient-dense foods, you can keep your body constantly supplied with the nutrients it needs. This can reduce your risk of some forms of cancer, autoimmune disorders, gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, unwanted weight gain, shortened life span and day-to-day illnesses such as the common cold.
Member Comments