Good nutrition is one of the keys to a healthy life.  Many of us understand healthy meals promote good health, it helps keep chronic conditions at bay and promote mental health wellness.

Nutrition is an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle and its importance cannot be overstated – let’s begin by reviewing how good nutrition boosts your health.

Builds a healthy immune system

Our immune system requires essential vitamins and minerals in order to function optimally. Eating a wholesome and varied diet ensures your immune system functions at peak performance and guards against illnesses and immunodeficiency problems.    

Reduce the Risk of Chronic Diseases

The risk of developing long-term chronic diseases can be directly linked to poor nutrition and limited exercise  The adoption of a healthy diet can help prevent or reduce the risk of common lifestyle diseases such as:

• High blood pressure: Eating the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, comprising vegetables, fat-free foods, and fewer added sugars, can help reduce the risk of HBP.

• Heart disease: Ensuring eating vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and fiber helps reduce the risk of heart attack and other fatal heart conditions.

• Diabetes: A diet with balanced nutrition promotes and manages blood glucose levels, and maintains blood pressure and cholesterol in normal ranges.

• Stroke: Food rich in potassium, including tomatoes, bananas, soybean, and melons, may help maintain optimal blood pressure levels, reducing the risk of stroke.  

• Some cancers: Foods containing antioxidants that may help fight free radicals and reduce the risk of developing some types of cancers.

• Osteoporosis: Calcium and magnesium-rich foods can help maintain healthy and strong bones and teeth, reducing the risk of osteoporosis

Ability to Fight off Illness

Food rich in minerals and vitamins promotes white blood cell production in the body, which helps fight infections and diseases. Vitamins and minerals are also powerful natural antioxidants that help fight against infections.

Ability to Recover from Injury

Good nutrition helps reduce inflammation, promote healing, and boost immunity.

Promote mental health well-being

Eating the right foods is an energy booster – nutrients such as iron and omega-3 fatty acids found in protein-rich food are proven to boost your mood. This contributes to better overall mental well-being and protects you against mental health issues.

Promotes Good Sleep and Energy

If you find yourself feeling sluggish, ensuring you consume the right balance of nutrients and calories will help you stay energized and will support its ability to promote restful sleep.

Three simple habits to maintain in order to keep your nutrition plan on point.

1. Manage meal and snack portion size.  Over-eating or under-eating deprives you of nutrients and can affect your weight, so always regulate your meal portions. When buying food, review serving sizes on the nutrition labels for serving size and nutritional ingredients.

2. Prioritize Fresh Food. Fresh, whole foods are the ones you will maximize nutritional benefits from. Always go for foods that are unprocessed forms such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat when possible. Also, carefully review the ingredients list to help you limit additives intake.

3. Choosing fresh herbs and spices to liven up your meal. Limit salt and spring in fresh herbs and spices to add a new dimension of flavor to your food. For example, basil, garlic, paprika, and cayenne can turn an ordinary chicken breast dish into a real delight! 

For more blog articles on wellness or how LifeSpring Community can support a loved one who may be in need of long-term or short-term care, we invite you to contact us.

Resource:: American Academy of Family Physicians