The food we eat has a direct effect on our health, and as such, it is important to take good care of ourselves. In this post, we’ll talk about what foods are healthy for us, what foods are bad for us, and how to prevent various health conditions through diet.

Food is the building block of our life. We need food to acquire energy, which is used to carry out all necessary functions from maintaining organ function to doing physical activity. Consider planting a garden, when you plant a seed it needs the right kind of soil along with an accurate amount of sunlight to grow properly. Similarly, our bodies also need the right nutrients to stay healthy and fight diseases. It is extremely important to get nutrients from eating both plant and animal material. The food we eat has a significant effect on how our body functions from day to day. A well-balanced diet comprised of all essential nutrients and healthy eating habits can help support a healthy and longer life.

Nutritional Deficiency

Striping our bodies from the necessary amount of nourishment can lead to nutrition deficiency which in turn causes diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Poor nutrition occurs when we start eating foods high in salt, sugar, and fat and low in vitamins and fiber. It mostly happens due to overeating, during which we take in more calories and burn less. On the contrary, if you are undereating, it is equally alarming as overeating because you are depriving your body of the nutrients it needs the most. It can lead to eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. The United States Department of Agriculture outlines a pyramid of foods part of a complete diet, starting from the largest portion of grains and ascending into smaller portions of meats, veggies, fruits, dairy, and fats. We cannot live properly with missing one or more of these key areas unless a substitute is eaten as we have evolved to eat a varied diet.

Basic Nutrients Our Body Needs

There are six essential nutrients found in our food that we need to grow, function, and stay healthy. However, our bodies cannot make them on their own so we must get these nutrients through our diets. Let’s see how these nutrients affect our bodies.

Water

Let’s start with the nutrient that dominates 60% of our body. It delivers other nutrients to cells, regulates the body temperature, acts as a shock absorber, and helps in the removal of body waste. If you don’t drink water regularly, you’ll get dehydrated and find yourself constipated more often. For every organ of your body to work properly, it needs water. This liquid helps your body function and cleanses toxins. The cells in the body stay hydrated because of water. It also helps in the process of digestion and. Not drinking enough water also makes you feel tired and reduces the ability to concentrate.

Vitamins

The basic function of vitamins is to keep you healthy and immune to diseases. Without a healthy dose of vitamins, it would be difficult for your body to fight microorganisms. There are 13 types of vitamin that your body needs and four of these are extremely essential e.g. vitamin A, B6, vitamin C, and vitamin D. All of these play an important role in our body and lack of these can cause serious health problems. Lack of vitamin B6 can cause your blood pressure to lower uncontrollably and lack of others can skin problems, vision problems, and weakness. The proper intake of vitamins keeps your immune system healthy and reduces the risk of lung and prostate cancer.

Protein

This is the nutrient that gets the most hype. Protein is the major structural component of our body, responsible for building and repairing tissues. Whether it’s your bones, muscles, skin, hair, or cells in your body, everything contains protein. In fact, protein is responsible for a staggering 16% of the average human’s body weight. Even your hormones and antibodies are composed of protein. In other words, it would be very difficult to live without protein. Our body needs protein to function properly that’s why nutritionists always emphasize on having a lot of protein in daily diet.

Fats

It is the nutrient that all want to avoid! It’s true that consuming an excessive amount of fats may be dangerous for the body and can cause heart problems. But you shouldn’t cut it completely. A study conducted at Harvard Medical School found that fats help in the absorption of other nutrients and on the top of that fats play an important role in cell building. The study further found that fats improve your muscle movement. While you might want to avoid fats because of high amounts of calories, it would be better if you ingest it and burn those calories instead. The controlled intake of fats improves brain function as well as decrease the risk of heart diseases and type II diabetes.

Minerals

when we hear about minerals the first thing that comes to mind is calcium, although this is not the only one. Don’t forget about the iron and zinc. This terrific trio is extremely important to keep the body healthy. Calcium is responsible for strong bones and transmits the nerve signals from one part of the body to the other. It maintains healthy blood pressure as well as improves muscle contraction and relaxation. Similarly, zinc is your go-to mineral when it comes to boosting your healing factors. It strengthens the immune system and improves metabolism. Lastly, iron is essential for the creation of red blood cells and produces hormones in the body.

Carbohydrates

While the world is shifting towards a low-carb diet, it is still one of the most important nutrients for our body. Carbohydrates serve as food for our brain and central nervous system. It is the main source of energy in the diet. Nobody is saying you should eat too many carbs but you should still consume a healthy amount of this nutrient in order to have a healthy lifestyle.

Healthy Eating Habits

Healthy eating habits are just a matter of taking a new approach to eating and making simple changes. Here are some helpful tips to start practicing healthy habits and breaking bad ones.

• This will help you avoid eating processed and fast foods, which have higher sodium and fat content.
• Plan healthy meals with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole-grains and leans meats.
• Read nutrition labels while purchasing food. Pay attention to saturated fat, sugar, and sodium levels, and don’t buy stuff that has higher amounts of these.
• Develop a habit of eating breakfast every day because it helps to rev up your metabolism.
• Keep eating small meals every 3-4 hours to stay energised.
• Aim for three balanced meals and two snacks each day.
• Drink plenty of water every day.
• Plan your meals and prep your food as often as possible.