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It’s probably not news that healthy foods can help with weight loss goals. But, healthy eating benefits far more than your waistline. Nutritious and vitamin-rich foods play an important role in supporting bodily functions that regulate your overall mental and physical well-being. Learn more about some of the most significant potential benefits of eating healthy below.
What Makes Up A Healthy Diet?
For the most part, a healthy diet consists of balanced meals that contain a variety of foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Typically, healthy eating also means avoiding highly processed foods that are rich in fats, free sugars, and sodium.1
A general breakdown of a healthy diet includes these main foods:
- Fruits and vegetables — Try to include many different colored fruits and vegetables so that you get a variety of nutrients.
- Whole grains — Whole grains, like whole wheat, barley, quinoa, and brown rice, have a milder impact on blood sugar levels than refined grains.
- Lean protein — Healthy proteins include fish, poultry, nuts, beans, and low-fat dairy. Try to avoid proteins high in saturated fat, like red meat.
- Vegetable oils — Use plant-based oils, like olive oil, canola, sunflower, and peanut oils, instead of hydrogenated oils that contain trans fat.
- Water — Drink water throughout the day, and try to avoid drinks with added sugar.2
Main Potential Benefits Of Eating Healthy
There are many potential health benefits associated with eating healthy meals. Below, you can find some of the main reasons to maintain healthy eating habits.
Heart Health Support
Adding certain foods to your diet can be just as important as eliminating others. In terms of heart health, cutting back on saturated and trans fats can help support healthy blood cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels, and manage weight gain.
Replacing fatty, unhealthy food with fresh fruits and vegetables can greatly increase your intake of fiber. Consuming high-levels of dietary fiber can help manage cholesterol levels and promote heart health.3
Mood Boost
Healthy foods can increase the production of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters, like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, which can all help support your mood and mental well-being. Try to include the following foods in your meals to give your brain a little boost:
- High quality proteins, like eggs, nuts, quinoa, and yogurt
- Several servings of vegetables and fruits everyday
- Lots of water (and avoid sugary drinks)4,5
Weight Management
Eating healthy foods is not about following a fad diet that restricts calories. Instead, eating healthy is all about consuming a wide variety of healthy foods. By including nutritious, real food in your daily eating habits, you may begin to lose weight or manage a healthy weight.
That’s because lots of vegetables and fruits are high in dietary fiber, which can help you feel full for long periods of time, reducing the urge to eat more. Additionally, dietary fiber slows the release of insulin, which is responsible for storing fats.6
Bone Strength Support
Eating a well-balanced diet can help support healthy bones. Your bones need adequate calcium to maintain strength and vitamin D to help with calcium absorption. Good sources of calcium include foods like cheese, leafy greens, tofu, and nuts.7
Support Of Digestive System Functions
The food you eat can have a big impact on your stomach and the health of your digestion. Foods that are high in fiber, vitamins, and nutrients can promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria which regulate proper stomach functions. Some great stomach-friendly foods include: whole grains, leafy vegetables, lean proteins, and low-fructose fruits.8
Support Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Everyone needs to consume carbohydrates for energy. But, where those carbohydrates come from can have a big impact on your blood sugar levels.
Carbs from highly refined foods, like white bread, pasta, white rice, and soft drinks can cause sharp increases in blood sugar levels and boost triglyceride levels. On the other hand, carbs from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains provide steady sources of energy without any radical increases in blood sugar levels.9
Better Sleep At Night
Your daily diet affects and controls many of your bodily functions, including your sleep. Eating plenty of essential nutrients every day may help support good sleep.
Conversely, a diet that lacks key nutrients, like calcium, magnesium, and vitamins, can disrupt hormonal pathways and diminish sleep quality. Additionally, a high-carbohydrate diet may increase the number of times you wake up at night.10
Increased Energy
Food is the fuel that keeps your engine running. But, different types of food are converted into different types of energy.
For example, simple sugar and white starches found in processed foods cause a quick increase in energy — then a sudden crash. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates and healthy unsaturated fats supply you with a consistent energy source that can help sustain you throughout the whole day.11
Support For Overall Health
Consuming excessive amounts of sugar, fat, and salt isn’t good for your overall physical health. In fact, one study showed that changes in diet may dramatically help support cardiovascular health. Even small changes, like replacing empty calories with nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat proteins may prove beneficial long-term.12
Healthy Eating Benefits Your Overall Health
As you can see, there are many potential benefits of eating healthy. Healthy foods provide the energy and nutrients you need to sustain the intricate systems that maintain life. Foods that are high in healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains should make up a major part of your diet. Additionally, you should try to limit foods with lots of added salt, saturated fat, and sugar.
Eating wholesome foods can support many day-to-day health benefits, like good sleep and increased energy levels. Plus, they also can promote long-term potential benefits like weight loss support and good mental health. Speak to your doctor to learn more about what foods to include in your diet to start out on your own new healthy eating program.
Learn More:
-Top 10 High-Fiber Foods You Should Eat
-How To Stop Eating Unhealthy Food When You Snack
-What Is Mindless Eating And What To Do About It
Sources
1 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
2 https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/
3 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17079-heart-healthy-diet
4 https://thrive.kaiserpermanente.org/thrive-together/live-well/improve-your-mood-with-healthy-food
5 https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/boost-your-memory-by-eating-right
6 https://www.forbes.com/health/body/foods-to-eat-to-lose-weight/
7 https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/bone-health/food-for-strong-bones/
8 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-foods-to-improve-your-digestion
9 https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/healthy-eating-for-blood-sugar-control
10 https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition
11 https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/eating-to-boost-energy
12 https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-dietary-factors-influence-disease-risk
