Daily news programs tell you what to eat, how much to eat and what not to eat. Many times, however, you don't get the background of why you should eat healthy and what a healthy diet can contribute to your life. Not knowing "why" makes sticking to a healthy lifestyle difficult at times when you might want to cheat or go on a binge.
Better Strength
A healthy diet contributes to the strength of muscles, bones and every other body system. As your small intestine extracts vitamins and minerals from your digested food, it send nutrients to support body processes and build muscle and bone. Bones need calcium to grow and remain strong. Muscles need sugar to respond to the demands placed on them. Nerves need fat in order to communicate with one another. Arteries and veins need water and amino acids to allow them to dilate and contract in response to the heart's pulse. A healthy diet doesn't weigh your body down with chemical-laden food, but instead gives it the needed nutrients for strong, healthy body functions.
More Energy
Your body needs proper fuels to function normally. If your diet contains a lot of nutrient-poor foods, such as sodas and processed foods, you may feel lethargic and run-down. If you're too tired to get off the couch or out of bed in the morning, examine your daily eating habits. A healthy diet provides your body with nutrient-dense foods that keep your brain alert, your muscles energized and your body's systems functioning at optimal levels. A healthy diet is also lower in calories than a diet based on processed and fast foods. If you eat too much food, the energy required to digest it zaps energy from other body systems. Remember too that just because a product has zero calories doesn't mean it's good for you or that it will provide you with needed energy.
More Happiness
A healthy diet improves mood with an influx of proper nutrients. Healthy diets balance your glucose levels, which in turn affects not only your energy level but also your mood. A healthy diet prevents spikes in sugar and subsequent crashes, which also spike and deplete insulin and cortisol levels -- two hormones that affect mental clarity and emotions.
With a healthy diet, your body simply feels "lighter" and more energized. People around you notice a different energy, your glowing skin and positive attitude. You become a more attractive person to be around. The Healthy People 2020 objectives set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services monitors quality of life and relationships and positive emotions as measures of a healthy lifestyle.
Longer Life
A healthy diet can lead to a longer life through a stronger and better supported immune system capable of fighting cell death and disease. With the increased energy and strength a healthy diet offers, daily workouts increase oxygen flow to the brain and also thwart heart disease and high blood pressure -- two of the most pernicious contributors to early death.
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