In today's fast-paced world, where convenience often trumps nutrition, adopting a healthy diet can seem like a daunting task. However, the benefits of embracing a balanced and nutritious eating pattern are far-reaching, impacting not only our physical health but also our mental and emotional well-being. This article delves into the multifaceted advantages of a healthy diet, offering insights and practical tips for incorporating healthier choices into your daily life.
Introduction
The definition of what constitutes a healthy diet is continually shifting to reflect the evolving understanding of the roles that different foods, essential nutrients, and other food components play in health and disease. A large and growing body of evidence supports that intake of certain types of nutrients, specific food groups, or overarching dietary patterns positively influences health and promotes the prevention of common non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The Cornerstone of Good Health and Nutrition
A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition. It protects you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet.
What Constitutes a Healthy Diet?
A healthy diet comprises a combination of different foods. These include:
- Staples like cereals (wheat, barley, rye, maize or rice) or starchy tubers or roots (potato, yam, taro or cassava).
- Legumes (lentils and beans).
- Fruit and vegetables.
- Foods from animal sources (meat, fish, eggs and milk).
A healthy diet is one in which macronutrients are consumed in appropriate proportions to support energetic and physiologic needs without excess intake while also providing sufficient micronutrients and hydration to meet the physiologic needs of the body [10]. Macronutrients (i.e., carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) provide the energy necessary for the cellular processes required for daily functioning [11]. Although required in trace amounts compared with macronutrients, micronutrients are necessary for normal growth, metabolism, physiologic functioning, and cellular integrity [12,13]. Water is the principal component of the body, constituting the majority of lean body mass and total body weight [13].
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Physical Health Benefits
Preventing Cardiovascular Disease
A healthy diet and lifestyle are the keys to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease. Remember, it’s the overall pattern of your choices that counts. It is possible to follow a heart-healthy dietary pattern regardless of whether food is prepared at home, ordered in a restaurant or online, or purchased as a prepared meal.
The foods people eat can reduce their blood pressure and help keep their hearts healthy. The DASH diet, or the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, includes plenty of heart-healthy foods. The program recommends:
- Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
- Choosing fat-free or low fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, and nuts
- Limiting saturated and trans fat intake, such as fatty meats and full-fat dairy products
- Limiting drinks and foods that contain added sugars
- Restricting sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day - ideally 1,500 mg daily - and increasing consumption of potassium, magnesium, and calcium
Limiting certain types of fats can also improve heart health. For instance, eliminating trans fats reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. This type of cholesterol causes plaque to collect within the arteries, increasing the risk of a heart attack and stroke.
Reducing Cancer Risk
The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends a diet rich in the following to support overall health and potentially reduce the risk of developing cancer:
- A variety of fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Beans
Some people believe that antioxidants in these foods play a key role in preventing cancer.
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Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is another key benefit of a better diet. Eating nutrient-dense foods can help you control your calorie intake while providing essential nutrients. Practice portion control by following the recommended portion size on food labels, being selective about having seconds, and eating more slowly.
Maintaining a moderate weight can help reduce the risk of chronic health issues. A person who has more weight or obesity may be at risk of developing certain conditions, including:
- Coronary heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Osteoarthritis
- Stroke
- Hypertension
- Certain mental health conditions
- Some cancers
Many healthy foods, including vegetables, fruits, and beans, are lower in calories than most processed foods. Maintaining a healthy diet can help people stay within their daily limits without monitoring their calorie intake.
Managing Diabetes
A healthy diet may help a person with diabetes:
- Manage their blood glucose levels
- Keep their blood pressure within target ranges
- Keep their cholesterol within target ranges
- Prevent or delay complications of diabetes
- Maintain a moderate weight
People with diabetes must limit their intake of foods with added sugar and salt. They should also consider avoiding fried foods high in saturated and trans fats.
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Strengthening Bones and Teeth
A diet with adequate calcium and magnesium is important for strong bones and teeth. Keeping the bones healthy can minimize the risk of bone issues later in life, such as osteoporosis.
- Dairy products
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Canned fish with bones
Food manufacturers often fortify cereals, tofu, and plant-based milk with calcium.
Magnesium is abundant in many foods, and some of the best sources include:
- Green leafy vegetables
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Whole grains
Boosting the Immune System
Eating all those fruits and vegetables, along with other fiber-rich foods and healthy sources of protein, may help you maintain a healthier immune system. That means you’ll be able to fight off the germs that cause colds and flu. And you’ll likely recover more quickly if you do get sick.
Mental and Emotional Well-being Benefits
Enhancing Mood
Your diet affects much more than your physical health. It also has a profound impact on your mental well-being. More and more studies are showing the link between diet and mood. The thought behind how food affects our mood is based on how serotonin, a feel-good hormone, changes our brain chemistry. Add mood-boosting foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy, and olive oil. Reduce or eliminate your intake of high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, and processed foods.
Some evidence suggests a close relationship between diet and mood. According to a 2020 study, diet can affect several factors which, in turn, may impact a person’s mood. These include:
- Blood glucose levels
- Immune activation
- The gut microbiome
The researchers also found that certain diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, may be linked to better mental health. The opposite is true for diets with high amounts of red meat, processed foods, and high fat foods.
Improving Cognitive Function
A healthy diet may help maintain cognition and brain health. The following diets incorporate many of these elements and are associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia:
- Mediterranean diet
- Nordic diet
- DASH diet
- MIND diet
Stabilizing Energy Levels
Have you ever experienced the midafternoon energy slump? The foods you eat play a crucial role in your energy levels throughout the day. A diet filled with processed foods and excessive sugar can lead to energy spikes and crashes. Eat complex carbohydrates like oats, sweet potatoes, and whole grains to provide your body with a steady source of energy.
Your body and brain need fuel to power you through your day. Sure, a candy bar will give you a quick burst. But you’re more likely to crash once the sugar rush disappears. A better idea? Eat meals and snacks that combine protein and unsaturated fats with unrefined carbs like whole grains. Those foods raise blood sugar slowly, which your body converts into energy.
Promoting Better Sleep
Eating lots of processed foods that are low in fiber and high in saturated fats can interfere with deep sleep. That’s the stage of sleep that allows you to feel your best when you wake up. For a better night’s sleep, get plenty of fiber from vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Choose low-fat protein sources. And go for foods that are high in B vitamins, which may help regulate melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Dietary Patterns to Promote Health
Based on our understanding of nutritional requirements and their likely health impacts as described above, healthy dietary patterns can be generally described as those that are rich in health-promoting foods, including plant-based foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, antioxidants, soya, nuts, and sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and low in saturated fats and trans fats, animal-derived proteins, and added/refined sugars [48]. Patterns such as these are naturally occurring in certain regions of the world and rooted in local/regional tradition and food sources, as is the case for the traditional Mediterranean and Asian diets.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is based on components of the traditional dietary patterns of Euro-Mediterranean countries and encompasses not only the types of foods consumed and their relative contributions to daily nutrient intake, but also an approach to eating that is cognizant of how foods are sourced (e.g., sustainability and eco-friendliness), cooked, and eaten, as well as lifestyle considerations such as engaging in regular physical activity, getting adequate rest, and participating in fellowship when preparing and sharing meals [7]. Within the core framework of the Mediterranean diet, variations based on geography and culture are reflected in the emphasis on the inclusion of traditional and local food products.
The primary basis of daily meals in the Mediterranean diet is cereals such as whole-grain bread, pastas, couscous, and other unrefined grains that are rich in fiber and a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors and textures that are high in micronutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals (Table 1) [7,9,49,50,51,52]. Dairy products, preferably low-fat yogurt, cheese, or other fermented dairy products, are recommended daily in moderation as a source of calcium, which is needed for bone and heart health. Olive oil serves as the primary source of dietary lipids and is supplemented with olives, nuts, and seeds. Water (1.5-2.0 L/day or ~8 glasses) is recommended as the main source of hydration, whereas wine and other fermented alcoholic beverages are generally permitted in moderation, to be consumed with meals. Fish, white meat, and eggs are the primary sources of protein; red meat and processed meats are consumed less frequently and in smaller portions.
The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were first described in 1975 by Ancel Keys, who observed a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk among populations whose nutritional model was consistent with practices of peoples from the Mediterranean Basin [53]. Since that time, research has revealed beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet on a number of NCDs and related health measures, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease [54], cancer [55], glycemic control [56], and cognitive function [57,58].
The DASH Diet
The DASH diet derives its name from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension study, which evaluated the influence of dietary patterns on blood pressure [8]. Patients who consumed a diet that was rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy and that included a reduced amount of saturated and total fat and cholesterol experienced significantly greater reductions in blood pressure than patients who consumed a control diet that was similar in composition to a typical American diet (difference in SBP/DBP, −5.5/−3.0 mmHg; p < 0.001) or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables with a reduced amount of snacks and sweets (−2.7/−1.9 mmHg; p ≤ 0.002).
Practical Tips for a Healthier Diet
- Start with small changes: Remember, starting with a few small changes can make it easier to meet your goals than making lots of changes at once. For example, you could start increasing your physical activity by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking for the first 10 minutes of your lunch break.
- Read food labels: Read the Nutrition Facts and ingredient list on packaged food labels to choose those with less sodium, added sugars and saturated fat.
- Plan your meals: You can use a meal planner to create a basic healthy eating plan or find sample meal plans for certain calorie goals.
- Use technology: There are many apps online that can help you plan menus, purchase foods, store foods safely, create recipes, and incorporate other wellness habits such as exercise, sleep, drinking water, and mindful eating habits.
- Cook at home more often: It is possible to follow a heart-healthy dietary pattern regardless of whether food is prepared at home, ordered in a restaurant or online, or purchased as a prepared meal.
- Increase Physical Activity: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity (or an equal combination of both) each week. Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and reach physical and cardiovascular fitness.
Healthy Diet for Children
A healthy diet starts early in life - breastfeeding fosters healthy growth, and may have longer-term health benefits, like reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing noncommunicable diseases later in life.
Feeding babies exclusively with breast milk from birth to 6 months of life is important for a healthy diet. It is also important to introduce a variety of safe and nutritious complementary foods at 6 months of age, while continuing to breastfeed until your child is two years old and beyond.
- Encourage trying new foods: One way to encourage your child to try new foods is through mealtime activities. For example, you could have them choose a new fruit to try at the store or stir together ingredients for homemade whole grain bread. You could also hide vegetables in meals that they like, such as mixing pumpkin in your mac and cheese or hiding spinach in your afternoon smoothie.
- Make it fun: Nutrition.gov’s Kids’ Corner page is the place to go for games, videos, word searches, crossword puzzles, coloring sheets, and other activities that your kids can do at home. Some activities can be done online. Other activities, like the worksheets, are printable. Whatever method is right for your family, know that your child will learn valuable lessons in making healthy food choices and keeping food safe to eat.