The amount of nutrients that we put into our bodies is not always the amount that we actually need. Usually, people will have an overly high intake of sugars, fats, sodium, and calories while also having a rather low intake of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients our bodies need to run correctly. By maintaining a healthy plan of diet, an individual can help himself or herself lower the risk of contracting diseases that are nutrient related. Diseases like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
When you find yourself thinking about putting yourself on a healthy diet there are a few things that you will need to remember. Those things would be moderation, balance, and variety. Putting balance into a diet means that all the food groups are represented in your diet. Having variety simply comes down to selecting different foods within a food group. Having moderation, which can be the most important of all means that your portion sizes are under control.
A diet intake that is balanced will have all of the food groups apart of it. The different food groups that exist will give the body different nutrients that it needs to function.
Variety and balance are very closely related when it is concerning a healthy diet. Balance will tell you to eat foods from all of the food groups and variety will say that you need to pick out different foods within each food group.
There is no one single food that can give your body every nutrient it needs to function as well as help protect you from nutrient related diseases. By having a varied healthy diet, you are setting yourself up for success since variety will help ensure you have all the needed nutrients. Broccoli is a terrific source for foliate, although if that is all you eat everyday you will not receive enough vitamin A that can be found in carrots.
Allowing variety to be a part of your diet also helps stave off food boredom. By eating the same food constantly, you are tempting yourself to eat other things that may not be a part of your healthy diet. Shop for some different vegetables and fruits and feel free to make new recipes or add other touches to old ones that will make it more interesting.
Another great reason to have a myriad of different food in your diet is to obtain Phytochemicals. Phytochemicals will only be found within whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and will not be present in any vitamin supplement. Phytochemicals will dramatically improve your chances of not getting heart disease or cancer.
Moderation comes into play in a healthy diet because there are no good or bad foods. As you have already seen, all of the food groups are important because of the different nutrients they provide. In addition, if you deprive yourself of your favorite foods, you will most likely want them even more and end up eating more than you should. The key is to focus on moderating intake instead of eliminating foods.
When it comes to moderation, it is all about the size of the portion. Meat servings should be 3 ounces, a serving of mayonnaise should be at 1 teaspoon, and milk to about 8 ounces or one cup. Many people make the mistake of overestimation their portion sizes. In addition, be wary of restraints and their habit of giving out servings that can actually feed more than one person.
Staying on a healthy diet does not have to be very challenging. You might want to give keeping a food journal a try since this will help monitor your intake of food items. Just remember to eat smart and in moderation and you can be on your way to keeping a healthy diet.
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