How Healthy Eating Helps Overall Health

What you eat and drink has an impact on your health, which is why a healthy diet is so important. Following a healthy, balanced diet can help your body receive the nutrition and energy it needs to be active, stay healthy, and repair itself. There are many benefits of eating healthily like building strong bones, protecting the heart, preventing disease, and improving mood.   

What is Healthy Eating?

Different foods contain different nutrients. Healthy eating means you eat a variety of foods in the right proportions and limit the intake of certain types of foods. When there are deficiencies in some key nutrients the immune system can become weakened. Incorporating a wide range of different foods will ensure you receive the variety of nutrients essential for overall health. Making you more likely to maintain good health, a healthy weight, and feel your best.  

Benefits of Healthy Eating

The benefits of a healthy diet are extensive. The food you eat provides the energy and nutrients needed to stay active throughout the day and remain healthy far into the future. Benefits of healthy eating may include: helping you live longer, improving immune function, increasing energy levels, lowering the risk of heart disease, helping digestion, preventing chronic conditions like cancer, helping maintain a healthy weight, supporting muscles, improving mood, and overall quality of life.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. The foods you eat can reduce blood pressure and help keep your heart healthy. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy can help to reduce the risk of heart disease by maintaining blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 80% of premature heart disease and strokes can be altered with lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and healthy eating. Diets rich in calcium keep teeth and bones strong and can help to slow bone loss (osteoporosis) as you age. Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet low in saturated fat and high in fiber like whole grains can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Diets containing antioxidants may help reduce the risk of developing cancer by protecting cells from damage. Free radicals in the body increase the risk of cancer and antioxidants help remove them, which may lower the likelihood of disease developing. Foods high in antioxidants include berries, leafy greens, pumpkin, carrots, nuts, and seeds. Healthy diets may also help maintain brain health and improve memory, as nutrients in food may help protect against cognitive decline and dementia.

The Effects of Poor Nutrition

Poor nutrition can have a big impact on overall health and well-being and can happen when you don’t get enough nutrients needed from your diet. Poor nutrition may occur if your diet does not contain enough variety or nutritional foods, or contains too many saturated fats, salt, and sugar. It is also essential to avoid eating too much or too little. Some effects of poor nutrition include obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer.

Tips for Healthy Eating 

Making small changes and additions to your diet can make a big difference to your health and overall well-being. A healthy diet includes nutrient-dense foods from the major food groups, including proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy eating habits also include replacing foods that contain trans fats and extra salt or sugar with healthier, more nutritious options. If you want to start eating more healthily, there are easy changes you can make to your diet.

Here are some healthy eating tips:

• Eat at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day- these contain many of the nutrients you need to maintain good health and support immunity function
• Eat high-fiber foods like potatoes, rice, or pasta- choose wholegrain or wholemeal versions when possible to increase fiber and vitamins
• Consume protein like beans, eggs, meat, and fish- beans have high fiber and are low in fat, and fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for heart health
• Drink plenty of water and fluids and avoid sugary foods and drinks- sugary drinks can increase obesity and cause tooth decay

Eating a good variety of these foods every day will help you to get a wide range of nutrients from your diet. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for a healthy diet. Healthy eating combined with an active lifestyle can improve your health significantly and add years to your life. Additionally, a link between more healthful diets and better mental health may lead to better overall quality of life. 

PFSP Specialty Pharmacy provides patients and their physicians an exceptionally high standard of care with our growing team of specialized pharmacists and staff.  Our dedicated team of pharmacists focus on improving adherence for patients and work to find an approach that works best for them. Bringing a fresh take on what a Specialty Pharmacy can and should be, we are committed to the care of our patients.  We take pride in being an ethical resource within our community and strive each day to help our patients live enriching and full lives.