Regardless of your age, sex, or fitness level, good eating habits are the single best thing you can do to improve your health. Regular exercise and taking vitamins are very helpful, but what you put into your body will have a huge effect on what kind of condition it is in.
The best kind of eating habits you can develop are the ones that allow you to enjoy what you eat. This isn’t a complete feel good diet, but a balanced and good diet that doesn’t leave you getting too much of one thing and not enough of another.
One nutrient that is commonly out of proportion is carbohydrates. Typically people in modernized western cultures have feel good diets that lead to a higher than necessary carb intake. This leads to those carbs being broken down and stored as fat.
Carbs are essentially complex sugars, which are burned for energy, unless they are unneeded. Unfortunately most of the foods that taste the best are loaded with carbs. They are not altogether bad, but eating too many carbs can cause you to gain weight.
Good eating habits and a good diet plan cause your carb intake to be balanced. The excess carbs are not being stored as fat and you actually feel good.
Although too many carbs can be a problem, fat and cholesterol are two other nutrients that are often out of proportion. Like carbs, your body needs a certain amount of fat and cholesterol. Good eating habits will provide you with a normal quantity of fat and cholesterol as well. An excess of fat and cholesterol in your diet commonly leads to high blood pressure and can clog your arteries.
Although a good diet plan is going to be a little different for everyone, good eating habits should incorporate foods from all the food groups: grains, meats, dairy, and fruits/vegetables.
The classic food pyramid says that you should get about six servings of grains, about three servings of fruit, three servings of vegetables, two servings of meat, and two servings from the dairy group. There is also a designated “other” group that consists of junk food and beverages, like soda, that have little positive nutritional value.
The food pyramid indicates that foods from this “other” group should be used sparingly, and perhaps should not be part of your good diet plan. However, your intake of food from the “other” group will depend largely on your metabolism and your health goals.
Although it can be tough to stay disciplined, good eating habits will repay you with improved health and energy. If you develop an exercise routine, your metabolism will speed up. This will let you eat more without consequences and make it easier to maintain a balanced diet.
After all, good eating habits do not mean being a diet monk that avoids any pleasure from food. It simply means taking care of yourself by watching what you put in your body.
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