A nutritious diet provides adequate amounts of nutrients for your body to function properly and prevent disease. Just because a specific food contains a particular nutrient does not mean that the food is healthy, especially if it is high in calories and substances that may increase your risk of diseases and disorders. Consult your doctor or nutritionist about your health and consuming a nutritious diet.
Nutrient-Dense Foods
The USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend that you consume nutrient-dense foods and beverages and avoid processed and fast foods and sweetened beverages. Nutrient-dense foods include whole foods such as whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Whole foods have high concentrations of nutrients that include carbohydrates, healthy fats, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Plus whole foods are high in fiber, an indigestible substance that can stimulate regular bowel movements. Processed and fast foods, however, are often high in calories, sugar, unhealthy fats and sodium and may increase your risk of chronic diseases.
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that can reduce your risk of heart disease. Monounsaturated fatty acids are in olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados. Polyunsaturated fatty acids include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are in walnuts, flaxseeds and fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines. Omega-6 fatty acids are in vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower and corn oils. Eating foods with healthy fats may also reduce your risk of mental health disorders. Adult women with a high intake of fish, omega-3 or omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D have a lower rate of psychotic-like symptoms than women who consume lower amounts of these fats, according to research by scientists at Uppsala University in Sweden and published in "BMC Psychiatry" in 2010.
Low Sodium
Eating foods low in sodium can help you maintain normal blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. Whole foods are naturally low in sodium. However, processed foods and restaurant foods are often high in sodium, which manufacturers use for flavor and as a preservative to extend shelf life of the product.
Healthy Beverages
Drinking healthy beverages not only fulfills your hydration needs but also can improve your nutritional health. Healthy beverages include water, green tea, low-fat cow or goat milk, soy milk, almond milk and freshly squeezed fruit juices. Fruit juices contain high amounts of antioxidants, substances that may stimulate your immune system and protect you against harmful chemicals that cause aging and diseases.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010; 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health; Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, in with the Good; 2010
- "BMC Psychiatry"; Dietary Intake of Fish, Omega-3, Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Vitamin D and the Prevalence of Psychotic-Like Symptoms in a Cohort of 33,000 Women from the General Population; Maria Hedelin, et al.; 2010
- Centers For Disease Control and Prevention; Sodium: The Facts; 2010
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