Nutrition

Eating healthy is a key factor in promoting good health, feeling energized, improved mood, and even adapting good sleeping habits. If you’re not putting good food that contains essential nutrients into your body, you can expect to feel great.

Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of well-being that is often overlooked partially because other not-so-healthy foods can be more convenient or because our lives tend to get too busy to plan for healthy meals. But, why is nutrition so important? When we can come to understand how much of a role nutrition actually plays in our overall well-being on a daily basis, we might find that extra nudge we need to finally improve our eating habits and thus boosting our quality of life in so many ways.

Food gives our body what it needs to function and grow, it gives us energy, vitamins, essential fats, protein, and minerals. We need a good variety of different foods to provide the right amount of nutrition in order to maintain good health.

Here are the major benefits of maintaining a proper nutritional diet:

A Healthy Heart

Foods that are high in cholesterol, fat, and sodium can increase your risk for heart disease. These are the types of fat that if consumed in excess, will lead to an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. Fats to avoid are saturated and trans fats that are found in fried food, red meats, oils such as palm oil or coconut oil, as well as margarine and packaged foods. Aim to replace these unhealthy choices with fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains.

Brain Health

Having proper nutrition increases blood flow to your brain. Have you ever felt kind of “out of it” after you haven’t eaten for a long period of time or you haven’t been eating well? That’s likely your brain lacking blood flow in order to feel alert and energized. Try eating more fruits and vegetables, such as prunes, spinach, broccoli, prunes, raisins, blueberries, raspberries, raisins, and cherries. almonds, walnuts, pecans and other nuts are great sources of vitamin E.

Bone Strength

Consuming foods that are rich in calcium can keep your bones strong and prevent the progression of diseases such as osteoporosis. Try including more low-fat dairy products into your diet such as cheese, yogurt, milk, dark green vegetables, and even some soy products can be very beneficial. Keep in mind that vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb calcium, so be sure to consume fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin D as part of a balanced diet.

Energy

One of the more obvious benefits of healthy eating is increased energy levels. When you are able to eliminate excess sugars, fats, and refined carbohydrates it helps prevent fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. Refined carbohydrates are foods such as white bread and candies. Examples of “healthy carbs” are fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Have a breakfast enriched with nutrition and you will noticeably feel the energy levels that will last you throughout the day.

Controlling Weight

If you’ve been struggling with meeting your weight goals, the general rule of thumb is simple: If you want to maintain your current weight, you must not eat more calories than you burn each day. In order to lose weight, it will require consuming fewer calories in your day-to-day. Also, include nutrient-dense foods like blueberries, kale, quinoa, chicken and whole grain bread. It’s also advised that you curb fast food and soda intake. If you’re looking to beat the hunger without filling up on hundred of calories during a meal, you want to be eating foods that are packed with nutrition.

If you are concerned you are not getting enough nutrients or that your nutritional levels are not well-balanced, speak to a nutritionist at Push Pounds Sports Medicine. Our experienced nutritionist can offer you a full assessment as well as the advice you need to get back on track towards healthy living.