Benefits of Healthy Eating Habits

It’s hard to over-emphasis the benefits of healthy eating habits. Habits are something you slip into easily on a daily basis, without thinking. So getting into healthy eating habits is a must if you want to be vibrantly healthy. Only then will you reap the benefits.

There are many foods which really are not foods. So it is possible to consume them, but food isn’t just about consumption. It’s about nutrition and the benefits to your body and to your life.

If you eat well regularly, you have a much higher chance of being healthy. So let’s look at what foods are (and are not) healthy.

Category A – Unhealthy foods are those that

• are advertised, on TV or any other media
• come in packages
• have a list of ingredients, especially unrecognisable ones
• have an indefinite shelf life
• can be addictive
• are processed

These will do nothing for your good health and are more likely to harm you. If you are a regular consumer of such ‘foods’ and also take medication, you are caught in a trap, which really is of your own making. Most GPs are willing partners as they don’t receive any nutritional training, so are as ignorant as most people.

Category B – Healthy foods are those that

• have a short shelf life, sometimes very short (some dried or frozen fresh produce is the exception)
• are rarely advertised
• are generally cheap
• have no ingredients other than what you see

That’s not quite the whole story, but it’s a good start.

Let’s consider some healthy eating habits that you may be able to change.

Breakfast for most people consists of either toast and jam or marmalade or cereal and milk. All four of these items come from category A – the unhealthy foods.

If you changed this to a green smoothie, consisting of green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit, all of which come from category B, the healthy foods, your health could improve exponentially.

Lunch for many people consists of a sandwich or roll, usually white, filled with meat or cheese, with a dash of margarine. Or something from a fast food outlet. Everything here comes from category A.

Suppose instead, you made your own lunch of salad, or leftovers from last night’s (homemade) dinner? That could all come from category B.

The true benefits of healthy eating comes from changing your habits. Making healthy choices a daily routine makes you immune to the sometimes hysterical advertising of unhealthy food.

Another benefit is that since you are supplying your body with nutrition it recognises and needs, you become less hungry. You don’t need to snack every five minutes. Constant hunger mostly means your body is desperately depleted of nutrition and it hoping you will eat something it needs.

It may take you time to get into these habits, but this is well worth the effort.

To recap the benefits of healthy eating:

• your health improves
• you have more energy
• you need less, if any, medication
• you are taking responsibility for yourself
• you (can) spend less on food
• your body is nourished, so you are not constantly hungry
• overweight people lose weight

And all for such little know how. The important thing is to eat a diversity of the healthy foods. Seasonal fresh produce is the best. Certified organic is preferable, although not essential.

Discover a truly balanced and healthy diet that covers all races and cultures.