The benefits of good nutrition are multiple. Besides helping you maintain a healthy weight, good nutrition is essential for the body and all its systems to function optimally for a lifetime. In fact, the benefits of good nutrition can be found in physical and mental health because a healthy diet provides energy, promotes good sleep, and gives the body what it needs to stay healthy. When you consider the benefits of good nutrition, it's easier to eat healthy.
The Heart
The heart is the essential core of our bodies. Heart healthy eating involves avoiding foods high in unsaturated fats and cholesterol that can lead to heart disease and possible failure later in life. Medical research has given us solid evidence that certain foods do increase the risk for heart disease and that there is a direct link to unsaturated fats and cholesterol. By avoiding foods that contain these heart unhealthy substances, we can ensure our body that its heart will function properly for years to come.
Bones
While the heart keeps it all running, our bones help keep it all together. Healthy bones are necessary throughout our life and become more important as we age. Consuming enough calcium to maintain and promote bone health is essential for healthy bones. We can avoid many bone conditions that may develop later in life by providing our bodies with enough calcium in our diet. Milk and other dairy products contain calcium and should be consumed every day.
Energy
Though many benefits of good nutrition today may not be realized until later in life, one benefit we can see daily is in our energy level. Foods that are excessively sugary or high in fats can minimize our energy levels from day to day. Fats are slow to digest, and thus don't provide our body with a steady source of energy. Sugary foods can create fluctuations in blood sugar levels, causing us to feel tired very shortly after eating. By eating a healthy diet, we maintain our energy levels at a constant throughout the day and the result is simply feeling better.
Self Confidence
Whether or not you are at your optimum weight or not, the benefits of good nutrition can be felt. Americans have been educated enough over the years to know that junk foods are not the healthiest choice. Yet many of us continue to indulge in them for emotional reasons. When we make the conscious choice to eat better and healthier, we begin to feel better about ourselves – regardless of how quickly the weight comes off. It's also true that the occasional sweet treat tastes better when its consumed guilt free because we eat healthier on a daily basis.
When you examine all the benefits of good nutrition, you quickly realize that eating healthy and making healthy food choices results in a much better lifestyle. Anyone can start enjoying the benefits of good nutrition by changing one eating habit a week. Cut down on foods high in fat and begin replacing them with whole grain foods, low fat foods, and fresh fruit and vegetables. You'll be reaping the benefits of good nutrition before you know it!