words Alexa Wang
With numerous health and nutrition trends emerging today, it can be overwhelming to find one that suits you best. Many people are jumping into diet trends without proper assessment and research. As each individual has their own health goals and status, budget, health requirements, and lifestyle, you should choose a diet plan that provides the most benefits for your health.
Regardless of your diet choices, it should be able to fulfill your health needs. Before selecting any diet plan, it’s ideal to consult a health professional first, such as your physician and a dietitian, for proper health guidance. Also, if you’re eager to learn more about the benefits of following a healthy and fulfilling diet, here are the top reasons why you need to prioritize it:
To Prevent Dehydration and Malnutrition
Every food group constitutes nutrients helpful for the body’s function. Since your body can’t naturally generate certain nutrients in sufficient amounts, it’s crucial to source them from the right food to avoid dehydration and nutrient deficiencies, leading to several health problems.
Nutritional deficiencies or malnutrition occurs when you don’t get enough nutrients from your diet, so your body can’t absorb enough to perform various functions. According to the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), you need to redesign your diet if it doesn’t provide the required nutrients in daily amounts. Here is the breakdown of the nutrients that the body needs to function optimally:
- Proteins: 0.36 grams per pound of body weight
- Fats: 44 to 77 grams per 2,000-calorie intake
- Carbohydrates: 225 to 325 grams per 2,000-calorie intake
- Vitamins and Minerals: Depends on the kind of vitamin
- Water: 2.7 liters for women and 3.7 liters for men
However, you should take note that excessive consumption of these nutrients is as dangerous as insufficiency. Many people mistake sodium as a culprit for bad health when in fact, sodium imbalance is the one to blame. As a result, one may reduce their sodium intake. Unfortunately, having low sodium levels is the primary reason for dehydration, but you can resolve this problem by taking an oral rehydration solution.
To Avoid or Manage Chronic Medical Conditions
Your diet and nutrition are pillars to good health. Taking care of your diet as early as you can is advantageous for both short-term and long-term effects. This can also reduce your risks of developing chronic medical conditions. While the symptoms may not manifest early, it’ll be too late when you find out that your body has reached its lowest point.
Some people may argue that eating healthy is expensive due to the increasing price of nutritious food, but this isn’t always the case. People only tend to think that healthy foods are expensive because of the ‘organic,’ ‘gluten-free,’ and ‘non-GMO’ labels stamped on these food items.
On the contrary, eating unhealthy becomes more expensive in the long run than observing a healthy diet. Junk foods can cause sickness, thus, urging you to buy medicines and supplements. This could have been prevented if you’ve been consuming healthy food such as fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts that only cost USD$1.50 more than processed foods and refined grains.
Moreover, exposing yourself to health risks can hurt your savings due to costly hospitalization bills. Try to look for more affordable places to buy healthy foods and never neglect your health just to save money.
Along with preventing medical conditions, having a fulfilling diet is even more helpful for people with existing chronic diseases. A consistent supply of nutrients from healthy foods aid in daily nutrition, replacement of lost nutrients, treatment of infections, cell regeneration, and energy improvement.
To Regulate A Healthy Weight
Small food choices such as drinking soda instead of water, or munching on chips than fresh vegetables can make considerable differences in your health. If you frequently find yourself getting hungry after eating, it could be your diet’s fault. Following a well-planned diet can help regulate a healthy weight as it enables you to fulfill your required nutrient intake throughout the day. Take a look at these specific health expert tips to manage your weight efficiently.
Most importantly, healthy eating helps for both ends of the spectrum: losing and gaining weight. Starting a weight loss journey doesn’t mean starving yourself as it’s not an ideal and healthy way to lose weight. Instead, you should still fill your plate with healthy foods but in smaller portions, and ensure that you’re eating regularly.
On the other hand, a healthy diet also contributes to gaining ‘meaningful’ weight. While it’s easier to take the unhealthy path to gain weight by consuming empty calories from added sugars and solid fats, know that they’re not doing anything good to your body other than adding excess weight.
To Stall Signs and Effects of Aging
Everyone’s health inevitably declines as they age. Although proper nutrition is essential for all ages, its importance is even more highlighted as individuals enter their midlife and old age. Following a healthy and well-balanced diet as you age helps your body maintain its best condition, stay energized, and lessen the risks of chronic health conditions common in older adults, like diabetes and heart diseases.
Older adults have to change their diet and food choices as their appetite and nutritional needs change. For instance, older people burn fewer calories due to slower metabolism and low physical activity. Also, some foods may interfere with medications for certain conditions, since they lessen the drug’s absorption and effectiveness.
45% of deaths from type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease were attributed to poor diet and nutrition. If you’re not practicing a healthy diet plan at your age, your chronic health risks are higher than older adults who follow a fulfilling diet.
Take-Home Message
Eating right doesn’t have to be expensive, restrictive, or complicated. Healthy living is one of the basics of survival, yet many individuals are not willing nor given a chance to follow a fulfilling diet plan. By ensuring that your diet is healthy and fulfilling, you can achieve the numerous benefits as discussed in this article.
At the end of the day, the right food choices and plans will significantly reflect on your overall health and well-being. If you’re eating right, sleeping adequately, and participating in physical activities, you’ll feel more energized and motivated to continue the steps in living a better life.
