“You are what you eat” is the best way to emphasize how crucial good nutrition is for good health and wellness. Most of us understand the basics of good nutrition: more fruits and vegetables, less sugar, and fried food. However, good nutrition is broader than that.
We must ask ourselves: are we aware of how essential good nutrition is for our bodies? And do we really know how to achieve it?
Probably not. According to recent research, about 11 million global deaths a year are linked to poor diet, due to nutrition and obesity-related diseases, such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Unless you maintain balanced nutrition, you won’t only be prone to disease, but you will also notice how unbalanced nutrition affects your mood and your energy.
What is balanced nutrition like?
Your body needs enough macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, water, and micronutrients: vitamins and minerals in order to grow, stay nourished, and healthy.
Balanced nutrition should be around 10-12% from proteins, 60-70% of calories from carbohydrates, 20-25% of total calories from fat, and 10-12% from proteins.
This means including in your diet fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, lean proteins, and legumes.
How good nutrition promotes wellness
- Helps you live longer
A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine shows that people who added wholesome foods to their diets improved their chances of living longer. Making a “clean meal” a day seemed to help, even if they didn’t commit to a fully healthy diet.
A “clean meal” could be swapping out one serving of red or processed meat with healthier nuts or legumes, this helps drop the risk of premature death from 8% to 17%.
- Supports mental health
The same way a car needs fuel to work, your brain needs food to stay in optimal conditions, but we are not talking about any food, but about high-quality foods that contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Certain nutrients like iron and omega-3 fatty acids, boost your mood and help support mental wellbeing. A healthy diet can also protect you against mental health issues.
- Helps maintain a healthy weight
A healthy weight is often mistaken with achieving idealistic body types, but a healthy weight is more about keeping your weight within a healthy range relative to your body composition, in order to support a healthy body function. Good nutrition accompanied by regular exercise can help you regulate and maintain your weight.
- Delays the aging process
Good nutrition that’s rich in antioxidants like tomatoes and berries helps boost vigor, protect your body against the effects of aging, and support cognitive performance.
As you can see, good nutrition is essential for wellness. Certain vitamins and mineral supplements can give you the extra support you need to fulfill your body’s nutritional needs and keep you going throughout the day. Find the nutritional support you need at Nature’s Discount!
