Healthy Eating means choosing foods and drinks that are close to their natural state. It can help prevent illness and reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
This includes eating more vegetables and fruit, whole grains, lean meats and fish and limiting foods and drinks high in saturated fat, sugar and salt. It also means changing your cooking methods so that they are less fattening.
Vegetables
All vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, iron, folate and potassium. Some, such as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale, contain cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
Even if you’ve always avoided salad and view piles of veggies on your plate as childhood punishment, a diet rich in vegetables is important. There are many ways to get more in your daily diet, from starting the day with a veggie scramble to using vegetables to add flavour to meals.
Fruits
Fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium and calories. They provide important nutrients such as potassium, fiber and vitamin C.
Aim for 2 cups of fruits a day – choose whole, frozen and canned varieties without added sugars. Limit 100% fruit juice, as it offers less fibre than whole fruit.
Nutrients in fruits may help reduce the risk for some chronic diseases, such as heart disease and high blood pressure.
Dairy
Dairy is a nutrient-dense food that most healthy people can incorporate into their diets. Dairy foods are fortified with important vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin D, potassium and protein.
Consistent evidence shows that dairy provides a package of nutrients needed to meet international dietary guidelines for health, like calcium, vitamin D and potassium intakes. Choose fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese. Dairy foods can be added to other meals and snacks as well, such as soups, sauces, dips and baked goods.
Meat
Eating a variety of proteins from meat and poultry can be part of a healthy diet. Proteins are essential for building muscles and repairing tissues. They also provide iron, zinc, vitamins and other nutrients.
Limiting red and processed meat can help reduce your risk for heart disease. Experts recommend choosing lean cuts of meat and avoiding fat.
Broiling or baking instead of frying and roasting can help you cut down on the amount of fat in your meal. Grass-fed meat may have more beneficial fatty acids and antioxidants than grain-fed meat.
Fish
Scientists have found that regularly consuming fish, especially oily fish, can significantly boost health. Eating fish reduces cardiovascular disease (including heart attacks), improves thyroid homeostasis, lowers blood pressure, helps prevent diabetes and metabolic syndrome, eases symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and can help maintain eyesight as we age.
However, most Americans fail to reach the recommended weekly intake of 8 ounces of fish. When eating fish it is important to choose options low in mercury and that are not heavily breaded or deep fried.
Grains
Cereal grains like wheat, corn and rice are a good source of carbohydrates (sugar) that provide energy. They also contain fiber and other nutrients.
Eating whole grains may lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure. They are a good source of B vitamins, especially thiamin, riboflavin and niacin which help the body metabolize protein, fat and carbohydrates.
Grains are also an important source of iron and folic acid, which helps prevent neural tube defects in babies. When choosing grains look for the word “whole” first on the ingredient list.
Nuts
Nuts are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, fibre and plant sterols that lower cholesterol levels. They are also a source of protein, vitamin E and a variety of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc and iron.
The evidence from epidemiologic and clinical studies shows that regular nut consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CHD). This benefit is independent of calorie intake, weight gain, adiposity measures and other dietary factors.
Seeds
Seeds are nutrient-dense foods that can be used as toppings, thickeners or additions. Trendy seeds like chia, basil and hemp are packed with protein as well as heart-healthy omega-3 fats.
Most of them contain calcium and are also a good source of iron, which is important for women’s health. Toasting seeds, like sesame, offers even more nutritional benefits compared to their raw counterparts.
Many seeds have fleshy appendages to entice animal dispersers or have hooks, barbs or sticky hairs to catch on fur or feathers for wind dispersal.
Other Foods
There’s a lot of nutrition and diet advice out there. It can be confusing, especially when different experts give conflicting suggestions and rules.
Eating a healthy diet means choosing a wide variety of foods from the five major groups. This provides the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and feel energised.
Limiting sodium and added sugars (sweeteners) can also help to keep you healthy. This includes reading food labels, and limiting packaged and fast foods that are high in added sugars. Emnahrungskompass