“You are what you eat.” You’ll realise how true this phrase is when you learn how nutrition affects your whole wellbeing. Of course, we already know how our eating habits affect our physique. But did you know that food can broadly impact our mental and emotional state as well? Because our diet supplies the nutrients we need to function, good nutrition can give us better health and overall quality of life.
10 Benefits of Good Nutrition & Healthy Eating Habits
To demonstrate the importance of good nutrition, here are just 10 benefits you can get from eating healthy.
Supports Healthy Growth & Development in Children
Your children’s diet has a significant influence on their growth and immunity. Having a balanced diet, which contains a sufficient amount of protein, fat, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, helps for healthy growth and development in children.
And even if you’ve finished growing, getting all the nutrients you need will continue to contribute to positive wellbeing, no matter your age!
Reduces the Risk of Chronic Disease
A diet consisting of processed foods is low in nutrients yet high in sugar, salt, and trans fat. This increases your risk for chronic diseases. So, if you want to lower your chances of heart disease and other chronic diseases, aim for a healthier diet that focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole foods, lots of protein, and low-fat dairy products.
One study indicates the possibility of preventing up to 80% of premature heart diseases and stroke diagnoses by switching to a healthy diet, along with increased physical activity. In another study, researchers found that eating healthy, organic and unprocessed food is the best way to prevent cancer. Moreover, a diet rich in antioxidants can lower your risk of developing cancer by preventing cell damage.
Improved Quality of Life
Quality of life is a bit more complicated to define and measure as it is subjective. WHO (World Health Organisation) links quality of life with a person’s physical health, psychological state, level of independence, personal beliefs, social relationships, as well as the relationship to salient features of their environment.
Because good nutrition helps you live longer and minimises the risk of many diseases, you’re likely to live healthier, staying engaged and capable. Plus, a good diet promotes a healthier brain, helping you prevent and manage many mental issues such as anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As a result, you’re able to maintain a better and healthier mood and disposition.
Helps Maintain Healthy Body Weight
Staying at a healthy weight is vital for reducing your risk of developing many diseases, including heart diseases, diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure, and various cancers. A healthy diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, lean protein, and whole grains lowers your calorie intake, increases satiety, and keeps your BMI at a healthy level.
Protects Against Infection By Boosting Immunity
Do you want better protection against common illnesses, like colds and flue? Then, you’ll need to strengthen your immune system with foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So, munch on oranges, blueberries, strawberries, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, milk, fatty fish, and more to boost your immunity.
Keeps Bones & Teeth Strong
A well-balanced diet that includes fish, milk, soy, green leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, and other high-calcium food sources helps strengthen your bones and teeth. This enables you to prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
Easier to Pass on Healthy Eating Habits to Our Children
Children imitate what they see. So be a good role model and eat plenty of nutritious meals at home. When they see you eating vegetables and fruits instead of junk food, they are more likely to do the same. A study found that children who had meals with their families ate more vegetables and less junk food than those who less frequently ate at home.
Helps Minimise the Risk of Mental Health Conditions
Research has found that people that consume high glycemic load foods, like refined carbohydrates in pastries, soft drinks, white bread, and more, have increased symptoms of depression and fatigue. Conversely, healthy eating boosts your brain health and elevates your mood. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, like fatty fish, fish oil, olive oil, nuts, and seeds, support the cell membrane to promote normal brain function and facilitate synaptic plasticity. Such foods make up the “diet therapy” for dyslexia, attention deficit disorders, schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Keeps You Looking & Feeling Younger
Do you want to know an age-defying secret? A healthy, well-rounded diet! Eating healthy food protects and supports your DNA structure, slowing down the aging process. Eat foods packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids, such as leafy greens, fruits, fatty fish, lean protein, whole grains, green tea, herbs, and spices to help flush out the harmful free oxygen radicals from your body.
Improves Sleep Quality
Good nutrition can also help you get quality sleep, which is vital for your health. Late-night dinners and midnight snacks, especially when it’s oily or heavy junk foods, can disrupt your normal biological cycle. This can lead to poor digestion, putting you at risk for sleep apnea, obesity and metabolic syndrome. This also leaves you feeling uneasy, making it more difficult to sleep. Healthy eating at least 3 hours before bedtime aids your digestion and lowers stress levels, making you comfortable and more relaxed for a good night’s sleep.
Promotes Good Digestion
Eating foods high in fibre and probiotics feeds your good gut bacteria, improving digestion and maintaining good gut health. So increase your intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, yogurt, kefir, and more.
Aim for Top-Notch Nutrition Today
Good nutrition benefits us in more ways than we know. We’ve only listed 10 benefits here, but the impact of being healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally due to healthy eating can help us lead a better life. As they say, health is wealth. So plan your meals with your health in mind, and live a better, richer life!
