Introduction:
Eating healthy foods is important for everyone. The nutrients in what we eat give our bodies the energy they need to function properly. When we don’t have enough of these nutrients, our bodies don’t work as well as they should.
A healthy diet also can lower your risk for some chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. And it can help keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check. A healthy diet also can lower your risk for some types of cancer.
The best way to lower your risk of these diseases is to:
Choose nutrient-rich foods most often. These are foods that have vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients but not a lot of calories or unhealthy fats. Make sure to include vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, fat-free or low fat milk and milk products, lean meats and poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts in your diet each day.
Limit the amount of saturated fat you eat each day. Too much saturated fat can raise your cholesterol level. Try to replace some of the foods that have saturated fat with foods that have polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats instead. These fats actually can help lower your cholesterol level if used in place of saturated fats. Good sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are vegetable oils such as safflower oil and olive oil , nuts , and seeds . But remember to use them in moderation because all fats are high in calories . You also need to limit the amount of trans fat you eat each day since this type of fat raises your bad (LDL) cholesterol level more than any other type of fat. You will find trans fat listed on food nutrition labels as “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.” Avoid eating foods that contain this ingredient .
Eat less salt (sodium) . Too much salt can raise your blood pressure level , especially if you already have high blood pressure . Use herbs , spices , or salt-free seasonings on food instead of salt . When eating out , ask how food is prepared so you can make healthier choices . Also , limit processed foods such as lunch meats , hot dogs , baked goods , pizza dough , muffins , waffles , cookies , crackers , tortillas , chips , French fries , onion rings , and pretzels since these foods contain lots of hidden salt . Be sure to read food nutrition labels since some foods that don’t taste salty may still be high in sodium
Conclusion:
In conclusion, following a healthy diet is important for everyone because it gives our bodies the nutrients we need to function properly. A healthy diet also can lower our risk for some chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some types cancers. To have a healthy diet we should choose nutrient-rich foods most often, limit the amount of saturated fat we eat each day by replacing it with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats, and eat less salt (sodium) by using herbs, spices or salt-free seasonings on food instead of salt and limit processed foods.
