Why is nutrition important? Do you want to feel good physically and emotionally? Do you want to have energy and vitality as you age? Nutrition is a very important part of our lives. The body needs nutrients to prevent disease and promote longevity. Vital nutrients come from the foods we eat. These nutrients sustain our bodies and keep us healthy. And so in that respect, wouldn’t it make sense to choose wisely what foods make up our daily diet?
Why Is Nutrition Important: Eating a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is going to be a diet filled with a variety of health promoting foods. These foods are fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains and legumes. The fruit and vegetable group is important because they contain cancer prevention properties and antioxidants that the body needs for health. Nutritionists recommend eating 5 to 6 servings of vegetables and fruits a day.
The whole grains group is also very important in the diet for fiber and nutrients. It is suggested to eat anywhere between 6 to 11 servings of whole grains a day. Essential nutrients can also be found in legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds. A complete protein would be eating a grain with a legume, such as black beans and rice, or white beans and cornbread.
The diary group of foods is where you can find calcium, but dairy products are not the only food where calcium is abundant. In fact, dark leafy greens, oysters, sesame seeds, almonds, limes and oranges all have good amounts of calcium in them. Don’t be fooled to think that you have to eat meat for protein and diary for calcium because this is just not so.
Why Is Nutrition Important: Choosing The Right Foods
The American food pyramid suggests eating 2 to 3 servings of meat or beans in a day. But it is not healthy to eat 2 or 3 servings of meat a day. It would be wise to replace beans and or fish for two of the meat servings. Red meat is high in fat and not conducive to heart, vein or colon health. Red meat should only be eaten once a week, for some people that may even be too much.
Choosing too much of the wrong foods can cause health complications, such as clogged arteries, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular diseases.
Some foods such as dairy and meat may be included in your diet, but too much of these foods are not healthy. Moderation is the key in everything we do in life, including how and what we eat.
Why Is Nutrition Important: Staying Away From Doctors
Some people unknowingly eat too much of the wrong foods and end up getting sick with disease early in life. They are in and out of doctor’s clinics and have many health ailments that make their life miserable. That’s no way to live!
Bottom line is we have to take care of our body. No one else is going to do that for us-it’s our responsibility! We have the power within ourselves to heal, and to eat the right foods for good health.
Source by Pablo Jones