Why Choose Healthy Food
There are many reasons why it is better to choose healthy food over less healthy one but the main reason why your food choices matter is the fact that the food you eat has a dramatic impact on your overall health and well-being. Whereas unhealthy food can ruin your health, healthy food choices can help you improve it and reduce the risk of a number of health problems. |
Healthy foods – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, etc. are all rich in vitamins, minerals, fibres and other essential nutrients which play the key role in human health. For instance, you are at risk of developing scurvy if you do not obtain enough vitamin C, iron deficiency can cause anaemia, inadequate intake of fibres leads to constipation, while calcium and vitamin D deficiency are thought to be the main contributors to osteoporosis and other problems with bones. And these are only a few of many health problems you can develop if your diet does contain all the key nutrients in the right amounts. But in excess amounts, many dietary factors can cause health problems as well. Excess consumption of fatty foods can lead to cardiovascular disease, while a diet high in carbohydrates increases the risk of diabetes. What is more, poor diet has been even associated with some types of cancer.
By choosing healthy food, you can avoid a number of health problems because it is high in the good nutrients and low in the bad ones. Fruits and vegetables for instance are high in vitamins, minerals and fibres and low in fats and calories. As a result, people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables have less problems with overweight, blood vessel problems as well as infectious diseases as a vitamin rich diet boosts immune system which in turn makes you less likely to contract a cold, flu and other diseases which spread from person to person. In addition, many fruits and vegetables are also high in antioxidants. These neutralise the damage cause by the free radicals which according to many health experts helps prevent cancer.
Healthy food choices also promote weight loss and help maintain a healthy body weight. In contrary to processed foods and sweets which are loaded with calories, healthy foods are typically low in calorie content despite the fact that they are high in essential nutrients. Thus they enable you to obtain all the nutrients you need without interfering with your weight goals. And by losing excess pounds, you will not only approve your appearance but health too as overweight has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, heart attack, stroke and even some types of cancer. |
Lastly, healthy foods help reduce the human impact on the environment. Food production has a devastating effect on the environment as it ruins the habitat for wildlife as well as increases carbon dioxide emissions which in turn are the main contributors to the global climate change. By eating less or no meat and choosing organic over non-organic foods, however, you can minimize the damage food production has on the environment.