Before figuring out why healthy foods are great for your health, it is important to understand and know what the ideal healthy food should consist of. The ideal healthy diet should consist of a lot of fruits and veggies, good fats and whole grains.
To eat healthily also means that you have to avoid some types of food, particularly those with high amounts of added salts and sugar.
While eating healthy consists of eating foods that contain nutrients, it also involves the use of safe methods to process your foods. It starts with as little as using clean water to wash your fruits and vegetables. If you are not sure of your water source, you can purify it using faucet water filters and other forms of water filtration.
Now that we understand what healthy foods are, let’s see some of the reasons why they are beneficial for your health.
Healthy and Nutritious Foods Provide a Lot of Benefits
Reduced cancer risk
Obesity is often caused by sticking to an unhealthy diet. This is said to increase the risk of a person developing cancer. So logically, weighing within the healthy weight limit would reduce the risk of a person getting cancer.
Studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits, fiber and vegetable may reduce the risk of cancers in the upper gastrointestinal tract, colorectal and liver.
Weight loss
Loss of weight is important because it reduces the risk of chronic conditions. As stated earlier, an overweight person has a higher risk of getting cancer. It could also increase the risk of contracting heart disease, diabetes, and poor bone density.
For the most part, vegetables and fruits (healthy food) have lower calories than most processed foods(unhealthy food). So anyone who wants to lose weight should reduce the number of calories they take. Most of the time, people go through the trouble of counting calories. However, studies have shown that with a diet that is rich in fiber, fruits and vegetables is great for a weight loss plan.
The Health of the Next Generation
Children model everything that adults do and if a parent has great eating habits, the children would pick these habits up. A great way to model this is to eat at home. A study in 2018 showed that children that had meals with their families ate less sugary foods and more vegetables than children who ate less at home.
Diabetes
By eating healthy, Diabetic patients can manage their weight (and even lose weight), manage their blood glucose levels, maintain blood pressure and completely prevent the complications of diabetes.
It is important to note that diabetic people reduce sugar intake and avoid fried foods. That is not healthy dieting for them
Heart Health
According to a study made in 2017, about 92 million people in the U.S. have at least a type of condition that affects their heart and blood vessels.
However, do you know that over 80 percent of the premature cause of heart diseases can be prevented by changing their lifestyle choices? Continuous glucose monitors are an effective way of evaluating your heart’s health. Plus, exercising more and eating healthier would reduce the chances of people getting heart conditions.
Apparently, there is a link between trans fat and heart-related illnesses. So reducing or eliminating trans fats from their diets would reduce the chances of cholesterol ‘plaquing’ within the arteries; thus reducing the risk of getting heart attacks and strokes.
Strong bones and teeth
A diet with an increased level of calcium and magnesium would increase the strength of bones and teeth. Calcium is also very vital in preventing people from developing conditions like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis later in life. Here are some of the most regular foods that can easily give you calcium:
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- cabbage
- tofu
- legumes
- Cereals and plant-based milk
It could improve your mood
Recent studies have shown that there is a great relationship between healthy dieting and having a great mood.
Researchers have figured out that there is a link between high glycemic diets and depression and fatigue. However, while a nutritious diet can improve your overall mood, it is important that people suffering from depression get medical care.
It improves your sleep
Sleep apnea is a condition that makes it difficult for you to breathe during sleep and can disrupt your sleeping pattern. This is particularly caused by unhealthy dieting. Healthy eating and reduction in the consumption of alcohol and caffeine can ensure a restful sleep.