Unhealthy eating habits can sometimes be easy to fall into despite our best efforts to maintain a healthy diet. There is an abundance of fast food and chain restaurants all over the country, colorful packaging and advertising in and around grocery stores.
Unhealthy food is convenient and cheap. Nearly 90% of all Americans do not get the recommended daily intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other essential foods required to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
In this article, we’re going to focus on what is in a healthy diet and the advantages of eating a healthy diet.
Table of Content
What does a healthy diet consist of?
A well-balanced healthy diet will consist of low carb fruits, low carb vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products. A healthy diet will also include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and water.
One of the leading causes of sickness and disease in the modern world today comes from nutritional deficiencies. When we do not get the right amount of the right foods our bodies will have trouble functioning properly.
So you might be asking, How much of this healthy diet stuff should I be eating?
According to data from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute these are the recommended serving sizes you should be consuming based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet.
- Grains (mainly whole grains) 6 – 8 servings a day
- Vegetables 4 -5 servings a day
- Fruits 4 – 5 servings a day
- Low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products 2 – 3 servings a day
- Lean meats, poultry, and fish 6 one-ounce serving or fewer a day
- Nuts, seeds, and legumes 4 – 5 servings a week
- Fats and oils 2 – 3 servings a day
- Sweets and added sugars 5 or fewer servings a week
The Advantages of Maintaining a Healthy Diet
There are numerous benefits to maintaining a healthy diet, some of which include: increased energy levels, weight loss, and overall better health.
For example:
- A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help prevent certain types of cancers, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
- Consuming whole grains helps reduce the risk of some chronic diseases
Other advantages of eating a healthy diet.
Weight Loss – fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. The fiber in whole grains, fruits and vegetables help fill you up faster and keep you full longer.
Blood Sugar Control – Eating complex carbohydrates such as peas, beans, whole grains, and vegetables release a slow sugar into the bloodstream, which helps control blood sugar.
Support Brain Health – a healthy diet is just as good for your brain as it is for the rest of your body. Unhealthy foods have been linked to a range of neurological problems, even depression. Healthy brain = healthy body and a healthy body = a healthy brain.
We’re confident that by sticking to a healthy diet you can avoid many of the health issues that arise from eating unhealthy.
