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Health Advice

Importance of healthy eating

Published : Saturday, 21 September, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 1481
Dr. Nazma Akter
Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good and have energy. Eating a healthy diet does not need to be restrictive or complex, and you don't need to give up foods that you love. It is about balance. We all need a balanced and varied diet of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals to sustain a healthy body and mind.

We also need to ensure portion balance; this means consuming foods in the right portions for our bodies' needs. Overeating and not exercising can lead to unhealthy weight and body conditions. So too can under eating for the energy that we are using, which can lead to malnutrition and unhealthy weight and body conditions.

Healthy eating is about selecting the healthiest options from each food category and replacing processed food with natural foods whenever possible. For example, foods with refined grains, such as white flour or refined wheat, have high amounts of starch that the body just stores away and doesn't use. Try to eat more whole grains such as whole wheat bread, brown rice and oats, etc. which provide energy over a longer period of time after you have eaten them.

If you want to eat healthily, it is important to try to make healthy choices in what you eat all the time - this includes meals and snacks. A healthy diet is important for good health and nutrition. It is essential to protect you against many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The nutrients in the foods that you eat support the activities of day-to-day living, protect your cells from environmental damage and repair any cellular damage that might occur. 

Supporting your gut health with the right healthy diet and lifestyle is of paramount importance because the gut plays a key role in your digestion and metabolism. Its primary function is the digestion and absorption of nutrients, and the excretion of waste. However, 90% of the serotonin in your body also happens to be produced in the gut. Serotonin is a chemical that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout your body. It plays a key role in such body functions as mood, sleep, digestion, nausea, wound healing, bone health, blood clotting and sexual desire. An unbalanced, unhealthy diet can impair your gut health and impact both your physical and mental wellbeing.

It is also important to educate children at an early age about eating healthy foods. Eating healthily helps a child to develop both physically and mentally, to maintain their concentration and energy levels, and this helps a child to effectively learn throughout the school day. Instilling healthy eating at a young age forms life-long healthy eating habits and preferences.


A balanced diet ensures you get all the required essential nutrients your body needs to enhance your overall quality of life by boosting your well-being, including physical and mental. 

1. Helps lose weight
Obesity and excess body weight are global health issues. Thankfully, mindful eating may help reduce this problem. Consuming more green leafy vegetables, whole fruits, healthy fats (PUFAs and MUFAs) (olive oil, fish oil, nuts, and seeds), lean protein (skinless chicken breast, fish, eggs, mushrooms, tofu, and lentils), and whole food nutrients lower calorie intake, increase satiety, and lower BMI. Clean eating also gives natural nourishment and helps balance the hunger hormones (leptin and ghrelin), improves insulin sensitivity, and maintains normal thyroid function, which aids weight loss and helps you live a healthy life.

2. Helps manage diabetes
Type-2 diabetes  affects millions of people worldwide, irrespective of age. Unhealthy eating habits, obesity, insulin resistance, and genetic factors may  lead to type 2 diabetes. Changing your eating habits and lifestyle can certainly help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and related complications. Avoid consuming excess sugary by opting for gluten-free alternatives and junk foods and replace these with nutritious substitutes. Eat healthy greens, beans, low-glycemic index foods, low-sugar substitutes such as dark chocolate, and healthy snacks to keep your cravings and hunger pangs at bay.

3. Improves heart health
Excessive consumption of unhealthy foods, alcohol, and smoking leads to an unhealthy heart. The cholesterol and triglyceride levels rise and cause heart blockage, ultimately weakening the heart muscles. Eating healthy by including plant-based food such as fresh green vegetables, fruits, fruit juices, seasonal ingredients and plant sources of protein in your diet, limiting the intake of red meat, and avoiding junk food, animal fat, and sugary foods helps reduce cholesterol and improve heart health.

4. Decreases cancer risk
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide.An unhealthy lifestyle and genetic factors can cause the cells in your body to divide exponentially, leading to abnormal cell functions.

Researchers have found that consuming organic edibles and unprocessed foods is the best way to keep cancer at bay. There are certain foods that have nutrients that may inhibit cancer progression. These include berries, watermelon, broccoli, cabbage, tomato, garlic, turmeric, ginger, and leafy greens.

5. Increases Immunity
A healthy immune system helps keep infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and the common flu at bay. It aids faster recovery and healing. Consume foods that are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Eating healthy foods like blueberries, strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, other fruits rich in vitamin C, leafy greens, carrot, tomato, cheese, milk, fatty fish, herbs, and spices help improve your immunity.

6. Boosts Brain Health
Healthy eating boosts brain health and elevates your mood. Foods loaded with omega-3 fatty acids (olive oil, fatty fish, fish oil, nuts, and seeds) help maintain the cell membrane and normal brain function and facilitate synaptic plasticity. These foods are used as "diet therapy" for people suffering from dyslexiai  , attention deficit disorders, schizophreniai  , depression, and bipolar disorderi  (13).

7. Improves Digestion
Whole ingredients like vegetables. fruits and whole grains, and functional foods like probiotics are essential for maintaining good gut health and improving digestion. Dietary fiber is found in fruits and vegetables. Dietary fiber cannot be digested by humans, but the good gut bacteria ferment it, which helps them thrive and survive. Dietary fiber also adds bulk to the stool and improves bowel movement, thereby reducing constipation. Probiotics like yogurt, buttermilk, kimchi, probiotic drinks, and sauerkraut help add more good gut bacteria, which, in turn, help improve digestion.

8. Strengthens Teeth And Bones
Eating healthy also helps strengthen bones and teeth. Fish, milk, tofu, soy, leafy greens (except spinach), oranges, soaked beans, and nuts are a great source of calcium. You must also get morning sun or eat egg yolks, liver, and saltwater fish for your daily dose of vitamin D.

9. Delays Aging
Eating healthy foods has a direct impact on how fast you age. Fresh greens, fruits, lean protein, fatty fish, whole grains, green tea, herbs, and spices are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids that help flush out the harmful free oxygen radicals from the body. This, in turn, helps maintain the DNA structure and slow down the aging process.

10. Improves Skin Health
Unhealthy oily junk food leads to breakouts and acne. The key to getting healthy skin is drinking water, green tea, coconut water and eating fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.



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