A good starting point for achieving better health is to learn about proper nutrition. Being educated about nourishment is a foundation for maintaining excellent health. It helps you make good food, drink and supplement decisions. And eating a balanced diet that’s nutritious offers numerous health benefits.
Many people confuse proper nutrition with fasting; but that’s somewhat misguided. Proper nutrition means eating a balanced diet that has the right amounts of fats, lean proteins and carbs. MayoClinic.com recommends eating 45-65% of calories from carbohydrates, 10-35% of calories from proteins and 20-35% of calories from fats every day.
You don’t have to engage a professional nutritionist and measure everything you eat to get the major health benefits from a good diet. For example, you can get these seven benefits just from knowing key principles and facts.
1. Reduced Chance of Heart Disease
Eating a balanced diet with low fat content, sodium and cholesterol will reduce the risk of heart disease. Learning about nutrition will help you to know the right amounts of fats to include in your meal and types of fats that should be avoided. Tran’s fats and red meat increase the risk of heart disease. Foods that reduce heart disease risks include fruits, whole grains, vegetables and low-fat dairy. Make it your ambition to eat more vegetables and fruits every day.
2. Strong Teeth and Bones
Nutrition knowledge helps you appreciate the importance of calcium in your diet, which is essential in keeping your teeth and bones strong. Good amounts of calcium help you to reduce the risk of diseases such osteoporosis.
Knowing sources of calcium will help you to choose the right foods in your meal. Foods rich in calcium include milk, dark green vegetables such as broccoli, cereals and fruit juices. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults of age 19 to 50 should take 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day.
In addition, Vitamin D helps you to absorb calcium and its main source is the sunlight. Everyone needs rays from the sun to provide vitamin D. Today, many people apply sunscreen when going out and that can prevent efficient absorption of vitamin D. A little sun is good for you.
3. Greater Energy Levels
Knowing what to eat and how to eat prevents blood sugar fluctuations, helping you to maintain good energy. Eating excessive amounts of fat can make you add extra body weight, which makes you sluggish. Therefore, it’s important to eat foods such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Eating a balanced breakfast will help you remain energized during the day.
4. Stronger Mental Health
Eating a balanced diet benefits your brain health. Proper nutrition increases the free flow of blood, which reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Foods that help to maintain the brain health include broccoli, blueberries, almonds, plums, and pecans. Your health is a direct reflection of what you eat. Having nutrition knowledge will help you choose foods that reduce risks of diseases.
5. Better Managed Weight
Knowing which foods are heavy in calories, and which are not, empowers you to make food choices that lessen the risk of excessive weight gain. To lose weight, you need to reduce the calorie intake in your daily food.
Shedding extra weight reduces the risk of many obesity-related diseases, such as clogged arteries, type diabetes and thyroid dysfunction. In addition to eating the right amount of calories, exercising is still part of proper nutrition. Simple exercises are highly recommended, such as walking, to help in controlling weight.
6. Benefits from Omega-3 Fats
Most people do not get enough of Omega-3 fats because of lack knowledge on what foods are rich in Omega-3. Omega-3 is an important component in strengthening your brain, to reduce depression, prevent heart disease and reduce the risks of mental disorders. Omega-3 is mainly found in animal products such as fish, pastured eggs, grass-fed meat and fish oil. You can also get refined Omega-3 from supplements.
7. Benefits from Avoiding Processed Carbohydrates
One of the factors leading to chronic disease is eating process carbohydrates. Unrefined carbohydrates are better for your health. When grains are processed, most of the nutrients are removed making the food less nutritious. Also, refined carbs can increase blood sugar, increasing risks of sugar-related diseases. As people who know their nutrition facts are aware, it’s highly beneficial to eat unprocessed carbohydrates like whole grains.
8. Improving Your Nutrition Knowledge
You can learn more about these health benefits and nutrition principles through research or by enrolling in a nutrition course, many of which are conveniently available online. Nutrition is a subject that everyone should know about and use to achieve better health.