If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is the importance of staying fit and eating healthy food. The most important factor that played a key role in getting infected by the novel coronavirus was our body’s immunity to fight the infection. People with higher levels of immunity, even if they got infected, were seen to have only mild symptoms. While several foods can help you boost your immunity, there is a multitude of benefits of healthy food as well.
Importance of Eating Healthy Food
1. Weight Loss
Obesity was considered one of the diseases which is making millions suffer. Apart from making you lose confidence in your looks, obesity is one of the major causes of many heart-related and other conditions like stroke, hypertension, arthritis, asthma. If you want to lose weight and reach a healthy BMI, eating a healthy food and well-balanced meal boosts your chances of losing weight considerably. Many nutritionists and weight-loss experts believe that a healthy meal contributes towards 70% success rates in the weight loss journey and the rest 30% is contributed by regular exercising sessions.
2. Improves Heart Health
Apart from increasing obesity and hypertension, excessive consumption of alcohol or excessive smoking can create blockages in your blood vessels causing your heart to put more efforts into pumping blood. Including a high amount of junk food increase triglycerides and cholesterols can lead to a similar situation – overworking and then ultimately weak heart. Try including fresh and locally sourced fruits and vegetables and plant-based protein in your diet. Reduce or limit the intake of alcohol, tobacco, junk food, carbonated beverages to decrease your chances of getting heart disease.
3. Helps Manage Diabetes
If you have been suffering from diabetes, then you are not alone. Millions of people around the globe have been dealing with this pandemic-like disease. You must be aware that eating processed foods and sugary drink can cause an immediate spike in your blood sugar levels, thus causing a diabetes attack. You can start feeling dizzy, nauseated; have a stomach ache and many more symptoms. Thus, one of the many benefits of healthy food is that helps in managing type-2 diabetes. Including fresh fruits and vegetables can provide your body with the much-needed nutrients while also helping you balance your blood sugar levels. In fact, there are several home remedies for managing type-2 diabetes that you can try.
4. Reduces Cancer Risk
Another fatal disease that can be regulated by eating healthy food is cancer. Unhealthy lifestyle and genetic factors are responsible for causing cells inside our body to grow exponentially. Many researchers have shown the importance of eating healthy food can also be extended to keep this deadly disease at bay. There are several foods that you can include in your diet that consist of bio compounds that act as cancer inhibition agents. These foods include tomatoes, watermelon, berries, cabbage, broccoli, leafy green vegetables, ginger, garlic and turmeric.
Can eating healthy food help you fight diseases?
During corona virus era, pharmaceutical is one of the major industries that are soaring as people have been taking a lot of supplements to boost their immunity. But, the global pandemic has also forced us to explore newer and organic options that can improve out immunity in fighting many viruses and diseases. Instead of completely depending on the western medicine, people are moving towards imbibing a more holistic approach towards their health, including eating healthy food to create a defensive mechanism of the body to keep the diseases at bay. Read more to know how eating healthy food can also improve your immunity.
5. Boosts Immunity
One of the many benefits of healthy eating food to make this list is that it also boosts immunity! Keeping in mind that we are currently undergoing a global pandemic, we all understand the importance of boosting our immunity to fight the novel coronavirus. When you include unhealthy food in your diet, it doesn’t fulfil the daily requirements of vitamins and minerals needed to make your body strong inside-out. Consuming excessive alcohol and smoking is already connected with weakening your overall immunity. When you understand the importance of eating healthy food start adding healthy alternatives to your plate, it not only provides all the right ingredients for your body that are required for proper functioning but also boosts your immunity to ward off infections. Go ahead and add foods that are high in antioxidants which increase the production of infection-fighting T-cells and helps in keeping flu at bay. Feel free to include berries, citrus fruits like oranges and lemon, grapefruit, green leafy vegetables, carrots and tomatoes, Amla, green tea and more.
6. Improves Digestion
If you are one of those people who suffer from chronic digestion, it is good news that you can manage and get rid of this condition by eating the right food. Include foods that are rich in fibre content. Including non-soluble plant-based fibre helps in regulating the movement of digested food into and then out of the intestines. Eat as many green leafy vegetables as you can, and include other herbs and spices like ginger, Amla, bananas, coffee and more for a smooth bowel movement. Drinking one glass of lukewarm water mixed with 30mL amla juice every morning on an empty stomach can do wonders for constipation.
7. Improves Skin and Hair Health
Did you know that eating unhealthy food can increase wrinkles and other signs of ageing? When you include healthy foods in your diet, they nourish your body from the inside and the benefits can be seen on the outside as well. Including foods rich in antioxidants can fight the free radicals causing fine lines and wrinkles on your skin. When you add more Vitamin C to your diet, you can be sure to see a reduction in hair fall and long, healthy mane. The key to great skin and hair lies in drinking lots of water, green tea and coconut water. Don’t forget to include lemon water, citrus fruits, nuts, whole wheat, berries and fatty fishes in your diet as well.
8. Improved memory and brain health
When you include foods rich in omega fatty acids like olive oil, fish oil, nuts, seeds, fatty fishes, they help in maintaining the cell membrane that is required for fast and quick synapses. These foods can improve brain function and are very helpful in people suffering from dyslexia, anxiety and depression.
9. Strengthens Bones & Teeth
One of the many ways to reduce the risk of teeth and bones related diseases is to make sure that you are eating calcium and vitamin D rich food. Including dairy products along with soy, tofu, green vegetables, soaked beans and nuts can help you overcome any calcium deficiency that you might have.
Eat Better to Help The Planet
10. Healthy Food is Good for the Environment
One of the most important benefits of eating healthy food is that it is good for the environment as well, and going through this pandemic has made sure that we stay in sync with nature as well. When less processed food is consumed, there is lesser pressure and pollution in the environment. Including organic, fresh and locally sourced fruits, vegetables and fish is a great step towards sustainability.
The Bottom Line
The importance of eating healthy food cannot be restricted to these points only. It can not only help you stay in shape but also strengthen your bones, teeth, and help you lead a calmer life.