The number of diets that health experts and lay persons introduce each year is staggering, especially when you consider that a healthy diet has only a few basic concepts. Consuming whole foods and avoiding processed foods and fast foods are integral parts of consuming a healthy diet that may help you reduce your risk of chronic diseases. Consult your doctor or nutritionist about your health and developing a healthy diet plan.
Nutrient-Dense Foods
The USDA Dietary Guidelines says one of the basics of a healthy diet is to consume nutrient-dense foods and avoid processed foods and products that contain high amounts of calories, sodium, saturated and trans fatty acids and sugar and sweeteners. Nutrient-dense foods are whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, which contain high concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Kale, collard greens, bok choy, spinach and Brussels sprouts are five of the most nutrient-dense foods. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention advises you to consume ample amounts of fruits and vegetables every day to improve your health and prevent chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Balanced Calories
The USDA Dietary Guidelines also says a key part of a healthy diet is to balance your calories with physical activity to achieve a healthy weight and avoid becoming overweight or obese. Avoid eating processed foods and fast foods because these products are often high in calories. Increase your physical activity, especially as you increase your calories from foods. By maintaining the same amount of calories that you intake from food with the amount of calories you expend from physical activity, you are able to maintain a certain weight and avoid weight gain.
Healthy Fats
Consuming healthy fats can help you reduce your risk of heart disease. Increasing your consumption of omega-3 acids found in walnuts, flax seeds and cold water, fatty fish, such as salmon, halibut, herring, sardines and tuna, is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Increasing your intake of monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts and avocados may also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Healthy Beverages
Drinking healthy beverages that are not sweetened with sugar are part of a healthy diet. Drinking filtered water throughout the day can help you keep your body hydrated. Low fat milk, soy milk and almond milk are beverages that can increase your intake of proteins and calcium, a mineral that builds healthy bones and may reduce your risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Green tea contains antioxidants that can help you prevent coronary artery disease and cancer, control blood sugar, reduce inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease and increase fat metabolism to help you lose weight and sustain a healthy weight.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010; 2010
- Eat Right America; Full List of Andi Scores; 2010
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; How Many Fruits and Vegetables Do You Need?; 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish Oil, Alpha-Linolenic Acid; December 1 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health; Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, in with the Good; 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Calcium; 2010
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