When it comes to eating healthy you’ll hear a lot of different stories from different people, but there are some things that you can absolutely do to protect yourself and get healthy. You just need to know what your body needs and make sure that you’re eating more of those things in your daily diet.
The key is making sure that you eat the things that are going to reduce your risk of certain diseases like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and even certain types of cancer. Not to mention you could find different food sensitivities and nutrient deficiencies if you start paying attention to what you eat.
The key is looking at the nutrients in the food that you eat, and especially the macronutrients that are available, including carbohydrates, protein, and fats.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are extremely important to your body because they’re responsible for giving you the energy that you need. The good news is that they’re available in a range of different products including fruits, vegetables and dairy products. So, no matter what kind of foods you prefer, you’ll be able to find some great options to get carbs.
Protein
We’ve all heard plenty about how protein is important for your diet, but you may have also heard that we generally don’t need as much as we might think. Still, protein is healthy and helps to build up body tissues like organs, skin and muscle. It can also help with energy and you can find it in many different places. You’ll find it in animal proteins that include meat, dairy, and eggs as well as beans and legumes.
Fat
While we hear a lot of negative things about fat, there are some things that you need fats for. In smaller quantities, fat can be stored to serve as an emergency energy source (though you want to keep this down). It also serves as a level of insulation for the body as well as for joints and organs. Plus, it helps to absorb vitamins that your body needs like A, D, E and K. You can find it in just about anything you eat (the healthy kind) including dairy products, animal proteins, coconut, avocados, and nuts.
On top of these macronutrients you need a range of other health products as well, including micronutrients, which consist of vitamins and minerals. Without all of these vitamins and minerals your body can’t do all the things that it needs to do, which means you won’t be able to get as healthy as possible.
By eating healthy fruits, vegetables, animal products and dairy products you’ll be able to get all the nutrients that you need with a range of different vitamins and minerals. But if you don’t eat healthy you could find yourself struggling to get those vitamins and minerals and struggling to get your body functioning the way that it should.
Work on finding what are considered ‘whole foods’ to add into your diet. These foods, like fruits and vegetables and other all-natural products, are crucial to reducing the stress that’s put on your body throughout the day. They make sure that your body can execute all of the functions that it needs to each day.
If you eat too many of what are considered ‘convenience foods’ which are the prepackaged and easy-to-eat options you can find in the freezer section at the grocery store or at fast food restaurants throughout your area, you could be sacrificing your body more than you think. And you could be setting yourself up for minor and even major health conditions, diseases and a whole lot more.