A Healthy Diet Is Essential For Good Health

Author: Michael Jenkins

In order for you to start and maintain a healthy diet you first need to understand the effect that food has on your body so that you can learn how to eat the right balance of healthy and unhealthy foods. You need to achieve this in a way that you are still able to enjoy what you are eating while knowing you are giving your body everything it needs. Remember your food choices can have long-term impacts on your health.

The effect that food should have on your body is it should provide you with all of the nutrients and fibers that you need. If you aren’t getting enough then you are putting your health at risk. There is no single food or food group however that contains all of these nutrients and fibers, which is why it is important that we eat a wide range of foods.

There are five main food groups, which are as follows:

• Starchy foods


• Fruit and vegetables


• Dairy foods


• Meat, fish and other non-dairy sources of protein (such as beans)


• Fats and sugar

You need to include a good mix of the above in order to maintain healthy eating. Also the type of food that you consume contains different types of nutrients and your body will use these in a variety of different ways. For example carbohydrates are your bodies preferred source of energy, which is needed for aspects such as the growth and repair of all tissues within your body. They also power your muscles for movement. Another example of how your body uses a nutrient is through the use of protein; this represents another source of energy and the use of fiber ensures that your digestive system remains healthy and that your cholesterol and blood sugar levels are maintained.

The choices you make when it comes to food can have long term impacts when it comes to your general heath. By eating and sticking to a healthy diet you are dramatically reducing your risk of developing serious disease and illness such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer, particularly bowel cancer.

It should be noted that a healthy diet doesn’t mean you should be starving yourself; take a look at the diet tips below for a more clear definition of what constitutes a healthy diet:

• Eat enough calories


• Drink more water


• Eat more fruit and vegetables


• Cut back on salty and sugary foods


• Eat regular meals


• Reduce, don’t eliminate certain foods


• Make sure you have moderate portions

A lot of us are jeopardizing our healthy eating by eating portions of food that are far too big. You should use moderation as your guide for everything you eat. The reason why this is so important is down to the fact you can still eat what you want to eat if the portion sizes are in moderation.

The most important thing that you need to remember is when you are introducing a healthy eating regime is to make changes to your diet gradually. By doing this you are more likely to stick to your diet as the changes won’t be so dramatic.

So start making these little changes today and start noticing big differences straight away. Not only will you feel better but you will be protecting yourself against major diseases.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/a-healthy-diet-is-essential-for-good-health--774341.html

About the Author:

Michael Jenkins is the owner of Australian Lifestyle & Fitness which provides a complete range of weight loss articles focussing on diet , nutrition, exercise and recipes. Our Weight Loss Program helps take the guess work out of weight loss and diet