Whether you're trying to eat healthy to lose weight, improve your wellbeing or fight disease, any time is the right time to start eating healthy. When it comes to eating healthy, even making small changes -- such as eating more fruits and vegetables, eating regular meals to avoid cravings, opting for grilled foods over fried and cutting down on saturated fats -- can make a big difference in your overall health.
Eat Healthy to Prevent Disease
No matter your age, you can always switch to a better diet to prevent disease. If you're in good health, a healthy diet can lower your chances of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. If you already have some of those problems, eating well can help slow down the progress of disease or may prevent further problems from developing. For example, a diet high in saturated fat may lead to high cholesterol. If you continue eating the way you have been, you might end up with heart disease or be at a higher risk for heart disease. By switching to a healthier diet and controlling your cholesterol, you may prevent further problems. A healthy diet will also provide you with nutrients such as calcium, vitamins and amino acids, which can help increase your resistance to infections, keep your teeth and gums healthy and prevent osteoporosis.
Eat Well to Treat Disease
If you already have a medical problem, it's still not too late to eat healthy. In fact, switching to a healthier diet may help treat the problem as effectively as drug treatment. For example, according to MayoClinic.com, diet and exercise are the preferred treatment methods for high cholesterol. Drugs such as statins should only be used if your cholesterol doesn't go down despite those changes. You can also lower your blood sugar by limiting your consumption of sweets, simple carbohydrates and highly processed foods.
Eat Healthy to Feel Younger
No matter your age, eating healthy may keep you feeling younger. According to HealthLinkBC, your vitamin needs increase as you get older. Your body might also struggle with the absorption of certain vitamins as you age. For example, vitamin B-12 is not as easily absorbed when you get older, so you might need to increase your intake of foods rich in B-12, such as milk products, eggs and meat.
Eat Right for Prenatal Health
If your diet was less than desirable before you got pregnant, it doesn't mean you can't get benefits from improving your diet now. In fact, eating healthy during pregnancy can help prevent a number of problems. Neural tube defects in the baby may be prevented with an increase in folic acid, and eating iron-rich foods may help restore your level of energy. Healthy eating will also prevent you from gaining too much weight and might help control or avoid gestational diabetes.
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