A healthy diet is important throughout life, not just when your body starts to show signs of aging. The way in which vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, carbohydrates and protein interact in our bodies sustains life, mobility and regular body functions. Pregnant women pass along dietary benefits to babies; children rely on healthy foods for growth; and adults maintain energy and freedom from disease with adequate nutrition. Understanding these aspects can provide the motivation you need to follow a good diet every day.
Normal Child Development
The effects of your diet are cumulative, beginning during gestation and continuing through adulthood. Adequate nutrition while women are pregnant creates a lower risk of birth complications and birth defects in babies. Children's growing muscles, bones and body systems require continual supplies of protein, calcium, potassium and iron for normal development. Kids and adolescents absorb these nutrients as well as the essential vitamins with the digestive help of dietary fiber. A healthy diet in childhood can create good eating habits for life.
Daily Energy
Healthy foods supply energy to your cells for daily activity. Your body's ability to move and your brain's ability to think depend on the balanced nutrition that comes from eating a variety of healthy foods. Avoiding vitamin and mineral deficiencies and overconsumption of solid fats helps you maintain a consistent blood count and energy level. You can enjoy these positive effects by drawing your meal selections from each of the fruit, vegetable, grain, dairy and protein food groups.
Weight Control
A healthy diet that limits all fats and sugar naturally contains more of the nutrients that benefit your body and less of the calories that may be stored as fat. Eating regular meals three times a day -- especially meals rich in fiber from fruits, vegetables and grains -- can prevent overeating. These good dietary practices encourage a stable, healthy body weight.
Good Health and Longer Life
Keeping your arteries clear of solid fats and your blood pressure normal by eating foods with less salt can help you live longer. A healthy diet also reduces your risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and many forms of cancer. A diet that maintains a healthy weight also reduces stress on your joints and organs so you can avoid arthritis and breathing problems. The Office of the Surgeon General reports that adults of an appropriate weight have less chance of dying prematurely from heart attack, stroke and complications of diabetes and cancer.
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