Good nutrition is thought to bring about many good effects on the body especially in maintaining and regulating body processes; but on the other hand, bad nutrition is detrimental to health and can destroy the cells and organs. Despite the well established effects of good nutrition, many people still neglect the basic principles of a balanced healthy diet. Food is a basic need and too much or too less of something is bad for the body. In order to achieve a healthy body, we must be mindful of what and how much we eat especially if these foods contain harmful substances like carcinogens and free radicals. Our diet can affect our longevity and likelihood of developing non-life threatening conditions which include hemorrhoids, digestive problems and which can also sometimes lead to life threatening illnesses such as colon and heart diseases
Many people find it challenging to follow the nutritional guidelines especially if they are always busy. However, we should not neglect our health and we should be in control of and have the power to change for the better. Despite our busy schedules, we must try to eat a well balanced meal everyday and this will include the presence of dairy products, meat/protein, fruits/vegetables and breads/cereals. Oftentimes we opt for convenient foods like fast food and junk food but these foods do not provide the nutritional value needed by the body. Your taste preferences can also affect your food choices, however there are many alternatives to foods that have the same nutritional content.
People who want to lose weight have the idea that they should skip meals, but this is actually a fallacy since it is recommended that a person should only eat during the normal times and avoid snacking. The three meals that we should eat every day is breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacks are only optional and it is better if you could avoid snacking to prevent excess weight gain or unwanted calories. This is where discipline comes in because snacks are not really necessary and recommended unless you have a medical condition like hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus that requires the body to have glucose most of the time.
Being health conscious means that we should always be aware of what goes inside our body. A habit to practice is reading the ingredients of the foods you eat. This will inform you of the percentage of fats, calories, sugar, salt and other ingredients in your foods especially if it is pre-packaged. Processed foods contain additives and knowing how much is in your food will help you in choosing the nutritious from non-nutritious foods. Many additives are unhealthy and detrimental to good health. It never hurts to be curious especially with what you consume.