Healthy Eating

Are there benefits to healthy eating?

There are certain benefits and important reasons for eating healthy. Eating healthy allows the body to feel better so that the number of visits to the doctor’s office or far and few between and a better quality of life can be enjoyed. Eating healthy can also prevent certain diseases and illnesses. This paper will discuss the benefits of healthy eating, controlling diabetes and prevention of diseases and illnesses.

What are the some of the benefits feeling better? Feeling better promotes a healthy lifestyle that can be enjoyed by exercising and taking advantage of activities not regularly participated in because of the way the body feels. Feeling better will boost your energy level. This means the body does not feel tried and could encourage a daily exercise plan. Exercising will get the cardiovascular, lungs and stigma pumping. This exercise plan could aid in the prevention of trips to the doctor’s office and unwanted medication due to fatigue, being over weigh and not feeling well. Just moving about and being active can work certain parts of the body. When the body feels good it releases adrenaline. Adrenaline helps with daily activities. Walking or running on a daily basis will provide the body with some kind of physical activity. Feeling better alone with healthy eating is a key essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle that improves overall health.

Eating healthy foods provides the body with nutrients from the food the body needs to maintain a level of energy that could last throughout the day. You feel better and have energy that could last until evening or when it is time to retire for the day. Here are some suggestions that should be used to start eating healthy. It is recommended to develop a routine meal plan for daily meals and snacks. First, learn to not skip meals especially breakfast; a balanced breakfast is recommended every morning. Providing the body with breakfast in the morning is like starting the motor of a car with a full tank of gas. If there is no gas in the tank, the car will not run. With a full tank of gas, the car came run for days. By providing the body with fuel in the morning, the body is started for the day. When planning a routine meal plan for eating healthy, think about if the body weigh is normal. If the body weigh is normal, three meals a day and two snacks between meals can be enjoyed everyday. Snacks can be enjoyed between meals if hunger is felt between meals. Some suggestions for eating healthy without piling on calories are to eat raw foods like salads combined with low fat dressings. Also, drink plenty of water to dilute toxins the body stores, which could leave a sluggish feeling. If drinking water is boring, natural fruit juices low in sugars can be substituted.

More than a decade ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a powerful and enduring icon - the Food Guide Pyramid. This simple illustration conveyed in a flash what the USDA said were the elements of a healthy diet. The Pyramid was taught in schools, appeared in countless media articles and brochures, and was plastered on cereal boxes and food labels. ( Willett, 2000, 2005).

Food Pyramid

From EAT, DRINK, AND BE HEALTHY by Walter C. Willett, M.D. Copyright Ð'© 2001, 2005 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Reprinted by permission of Free Press/Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid sits on a foundation of daily exercise and weight control. Why? These two related elements strongly influence your chances of staying healthy. They also affect what and how you eat and how your food affects you. (Willett, 2001, 2005)

What does the body need?

Does the body need three meals and two snacks between meals daily? Well listen to your body. One way to listen to the body is to stop eating when the stomach feels full. When the stomach feels full, don’t continue to eat. Feeling stuffed will cause fatigue, a sluggish and tried feeling accompanied with feeling uncomfortable. Do not over eat; this could result in stretching your abdomen. "Eating healthy foods provides your body with energy, strengthen your immune system and improve your ability to stay fit" (Segal, 2000).

Show is a Body Mass Index Chart to serve as a guide for weigh control:

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body mass index, or BMI, is a new term to most people. However, it is the measurement of choice for many physicians and researchers studying obesity. BMI uses a mathematical formula that takes into account both a person's height and weight. BMI equals a person's weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. (BMI=kg/m2). (Bray& Gray, 1988)

Risk of Associated Disease According to BMI and Waist Size

BMI Waist less than or equal to

40 in. (men) or

35 in. (women) Waist greater than

40 in. (men) or

35 in. (women)

18.5 or less Underweight -- N/A

18.5 - 24.9 Normal -- N/A

25.0 - 29.9 Overweight Increased High

30.0 - 34.9 Obese High Very High

35.0 - 39.9 Obese Very High Very High

40 or greater Extremely Obese Extremely High Extremely High

Determining Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

The table below has already done the math and metric conversions. To use the table, find the appropriate height in the left-hand column. Move across the row to the given weight. The number at the top of the column is the BMI for that height and weight. Or, use our BMI calculator. (Bray & Gray, 1988)

BMI

(kg/m2) 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 35 40

Height

(in.) Weight (lb.)

58 91 96 100 105 110 115 119 124 129 134 138 143 167 191

59 94 99 104 109 114 119 124 128 133 138 143 148 173 198

60 97 102 107 112 118 123 128 133 138 143 148 153 179 204

61 100 106 111 116 122 127 132 137 143 148 153 158 185 211

62 104 109 115 120 126 131 136 142 147 153 158 164 191 218

63 107 113 118 124 130 135 141 146 152 158 163 169 197 225