You know eating healthy is good for you. It’s best to limit processed foods like cookies, chips and cold cuts. Also, you want to be mindful of added sugar, sodium and saturated fat in packaged and frozen foods. But what do you get in return? A bunch of potential health benefits that are good for the whole family.
Disease prevention
Eating healthier - like following the produce-and-fiber-rich Mediterranean diet or DASH diet - may lower your risk of serious disease, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. 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.
The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends a diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans to support overall health and potentially reduce the risk of developing cancer. Some people believe that antioxidants in these foods play a key role in preventing cancer. However, according to the National Cancer Institute, while laboratory and animal studies link certain antioxidants to a reduced incidence of free radical damage due to cancer, human trials remain inconclusive. Indeed, doctors advise against using these dietary supplements without consulting them first.
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Having obesity may increase a person’s risk of developing cancer and result in less favorable outcomes. Maintaining a moderate weight may reduce these risks.
Immune system support
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. Of course, food can’t do that alone.
Sustained 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.
Improved 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. A variety of factors, including sleep apnea, can disrupt sleep patterns. Sleep apnea occurs when a condition repeatedly blocks the airways during sleep.
Brain health
Kids need healthy foods to fuel their growing brains. But older adults need to continue eating healthy foods to keep their brains sharp too. Those foods are highlighted in the MIND diet. They include whole grains, leafy greens, nuts, beans, berries, poultry and fish, with fat mainly coming from olive oil. A healthy diet may help maintain cognition and brain health. However, further conclusive research is necessary.
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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, and MIND diet.
Bone strength
Sure, you need calcium to build strong bones and keep them that way. But you also need many other vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, magnesium and vitamins K, C and A. Food is the best way to get these nutrients. 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. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, kale, broccoli, and 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, and whole grains.
Eye health
Eating foods rich in vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids can be good for your eyes. You can lower your risk of serious eye conditions that can cause blindness, such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Arthritis relief
The Mediterranean diet offers plenty of anti-inflammatory foods. They are rich in antioxidants and vitamins that can help ease joint pain and improve other symptoms of arthritis. Those include fatty fish rich in omega 3s (like salmon), unsalted nuts and seeds, and beans.
Additional benefits
Following a healthy diet has many benefits, including building strong bones, protecting the heart, preventing disease, and boosting mood. A healthy diet typically includes nutrient-dense foods from all the major food groups, including lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables of many colors.
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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, and 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. It is important to note that the researchers highlighted the need for further research into the mechanisms linking food and mental health. If a person suspects they have symptoms of depression, talking with a doctor or mental health professional may help.
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, and 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.
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, and 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.
Practical advice for maintaining a healthy diet
- Fruit and vegetables: Eating at least 400 g, or five portions, of fruit and vegetables per day reduces the risk of NCDs and helps to ensure an adequate daily intake of dietary fibre. Fruit and vegetable intake can be improved by always including vegetables in meals, eating fresh fruit and raw vegetables as snacks, eating fresh fruit and vegetables that are in season, and eating a variety of fruit and vegetables.
- Fats: Reducing the amount of total fat intake to less than 30% of total energy intake helps to prevent unhealthy weight gain in the adult population. Also, the risk of developing NCDs is lowered by reducing saturated fats to less than 10% of total energy intake, reducing trans-fats to less than 1% of total energy intake, and replacing both saturated fats and trans-fats with unsaturated fats - in particular, with polyunsaturated fats. Fat intake, especially saturated fat and industrially-produced trans-fat intake, can be reduced by steaming or boiling instead of frying when cooking, replacing butter, lard and ghee with oils rich in polyunsaturated fats, such as soybean, canola (rapeseed), corn, safflower and sunflower oils, eating reduced-fat dairy foods and lean meats, or trimming visible fat from meat, and limiting the consumption of baked and fried foods, and pre-packaged snacks and foods (e.g. doughnuts, cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits and wafers) that contain industrially-produced trans-fats.
- Salt, sodium and potassium: Most people consume too much sodium through salt (corresponding to consuming an average of 9-12 g of salt per day) and not enough potassium (less than 3.5 g). High sodium intake and insufficient potassium intake contribute to high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Reducing salt intake to the recommended level of less than 5 g per day could prevent 1.7 million deaths each year. People are often unaware of the amount of salt they consume. In many countries, most salt comes from processed foods (e.g. ready meals, processed meats such as bacon, ham and salami, cheese and salty snacks) or from foods that are frequently consumed in large amounts (e.g. bread). Salt is also added to foods during cooking (e.g. bouillon, stock cubes, soy sauce and fish sauce) or at the point of consumption (e.g. table salt). Salt intake can be reduced by limiting the amount of salt and high-sodium condiments (e.g. soy sauce, fish sauce and bouillon) when cooking and preparing foods, not having salt or high-sodium sauces on the table, limiting the consumption of salty snacks, and choosing products with lower sodium content. Some food manufacturers are reformulating recipes to reduce the sodium content of their products, and people should be encouraged to check nutrition labels to see how much sodium is in a product before purchasing or consuming it. Potassium can mitigate the negative effects of elevated sodium consumption on blood pressure. Intake of potassium can be increased by consuming fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Sugars: In both adults and children, the intake of free sugars should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy intake. A reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake would provide additional health benefits. Consuming free sugars increases the risk of dental caries (tooth decay). Excess calories from foods and drinks high in free sugars also contribute to unhealthy weight gain, which can lead to overweight and obesity. free sugars influence blood pressure and serum lipids, and suggests that a reduction in free sugars intake reduces risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Sugars intake can be reduced by limiting the consumption of foods and drinks containing high amounts of sugars, such as sugary snacks, candies and sugar-sweetened beverages (i.e. soft drinks, fruit or vegetable juices and drinks, liquid and powder concentrates, flavoured water, energy and sports drinks, ready‐to-drink tea, ready‐to-drink coffee and flavoured milk drinks), and eating fresh fruit and raw vegetables as snacks instead of sugary snacks.