Bad & Good Things About Healthy Food Choices

Bad & Good Things About Healthy Food Choices
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If you don't know how to cook or don't like to, healthy eating choices might turn out to be more boring than processed food. To make the most of healthy food and still get lots of flavor, use herbs and spices for flavoring. Also, don't be afraid to try new things and experiment with new items and combinations. Find foods you love to eat so you don't feel deprived.

You Get Lots of Nutrients

The most obvious benefit of healthy food choices is that they provide lots of nutrition. Highly processed foods lose vitamins and minerals during processing, so you end up with less fiber and foods that are "empty" when it comes to nutrition. Healthy food choices -- such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables and monounsaturated fats -- provide you with all of the nutrients you need to stay healthy. They have the added benefit of being higher in fiber and lower in calories than processed foods.

You Will Miss Some Flavors

If you focus on healthy food choices, you won't be eating much processed sugars, such as cakes, cookies or ice cream. Though a bowl of fruit salad might be tasty and satisfying, it can't replace the taste of a piece of chocolate cake -- especially if that's your favorite dessert.The same is true if you're a fan of salt. Because too much sodium is bad for your health and can raise your blood pressure, you have to add less of it to your favorite dish. If you prefer lots of salt, you might find the food a bit bland at first. It's OK to indulge in the foods you love once in a while.

Might Help Prevent Obesity

Obesity is directly related to diet. Choose healthy food and you can keep your weight under control, but focus on fatty, highly processed foods and you're more likely to gain weight. Healthy food choices that include plenty of lean proteins, produce and whole grains are lower in calories and more filling, so you'll end up feeling fuller and reducing cravings. Obesity is directly connected to a number of health problems, including diabetes and heart disease.

It Might Become Difficult to Eat Out

Restaurant food is not necessarily the healthiest food you can find. In order to enhance flavor, restaurants cook dishes using plenty of fats, sugars and high-calorie ingredients. If you're looking for healthy food choices, you might have a hard time eating out. If you find healthy dishes, you might be limited to just a few choices and you might need to avoid certain types of cuisine altogether. For example, Chinese food buffets usually include lots of fried items and few vegetables, although you might be able to customize your order if you buy takeout. Thai food tends to use lots of sugary sauces, and Mexican food contains lots of beef.

References

Article reviewed by Anton Alden Last updated on: Feb 8, 2011

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