5 advantages of a balanced diet
Balance is a critical element to the success of any exercise goal, whether it's building muscle, losing fat, or improving athletic performance. It's a crucial aspect in every part of our lives, between balancing free time to maximize potential additional visits to the gym and balancing our caloric intake. All of this plays a big role in the results we will see.
A balanced diet provides important vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep the body and mind strong and healthy. A good diet can also help ward off numerous diseases and health complications, maintain a healthy body weight, provide energy, allow for better sleep, and improve brain function. A balanced diet provides the body with the right balance of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fluids. It is important not to eliminate essential macronutrients such as fats or carbohydrates, but to be aware of portion control.
1. body weight control
Eating a healthy variety of nutrient-dense foods leaves less room for those high-calorie foods that typically lead to weight gain. These include processed foods and fatty or sugary snacks that have little nutritional value. The body has little use for these foods and will tend to store them rather than use them for energy. Eating carbohydrates such as whole grains, oats, vegetables, fruits, legumes and quinoa that have a low glycemic index (ranking carbohydrates on a scale of 0 to 100 based on how much they raise blood sugar levels after consumption) allows the body to stay fuller for a longer period of time. These complex carbohydrates are broken down and released into the bloodstream over a longer period of time, preventing the brain from craving simple sugary snacks. Along with lean proteins (chicken, most seafood, eggs, lean cuts of pork, etc.), the metabolism can stay elevated longer and limit the feeling of hunger after a short period of time.
2. fight against diseases
With a balanced diet, essential nutrients will produce and maintain important germicidal cells in the immune system and greatly improve vascular function. The immune system is highly dependent on blood flow, so better vascular function helps to quickly deliver disease-fighting cells to areas in need. Deficiencies in certain nutrients can impair immune system function, such as vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and iron. A diet filled with fruits and vegetables also increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and materials that help prevent bacteria and infections from attaching to cells in the body.
Some of the most important aspects of a balanced diet is reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C increases levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers blood pressure, two very important potential stresses on the cardiovascular system that need to be monitored. Vitamin C also helps inhibit the conversion of fat to plaque in the arteries. Essential fatty acids also protect the body from damage caused by overreactions to infections. A balanced diet limits the amount of excess body fat that can develop, which puts additional stress on the cardiovascular system and eventually leads to serious problems.
3. have more energy
The food we eat has a huge impact on the energy we have throughout the day. Nutrient-rich foods are digested and therefore released into the system over a longer period of time. In contrast, easily digested foods (sugary/simple carbohydrates) are digested much more quickly, leaving the body hungry again in a much shorter period of time. This can lead to spikes in energy release into the bloodstream, immediately followed by lows. Ideally, the goal is to maintain energy levels throughout the day without these extreme highs and lows. When we eat well, our energy stays at a relatively balanced level from morning to night. Protein can support satiety much more effectively than processed foods or simple carbohydrates. Consuming a protein source every 3-4 hours can be a very important rule to live by to avoid unnecessary snacking. Also, make sure to increase healthy fats that the body uses more energy compared to unhealthy saturated and trans-saturated fats. These unhealthy fats can make you feel sluggish as the body struggles to break them down and absorb harmful byproducts. Foods that are also high in iron, such as dark leafy greens, can also contribute to an energy boost, as iron provides oxygen for working muscles and the brain to work with.
4. sleep better
There are few things our body needs more than sleep. It allows our muscles to recover and regenerate from the day's activities and workouts. Sleep rejuvenates the brain and its ability to function at a high level for the next day. Without it, we feel sluggish, energy levels remain low, concentration and focus are impaired, and cravings for less useful food are triggered. Poor eating habits often cause stomach and digestive problems due to the toxins that can enter the blood system. Increased acidity can also stress the digestive system, making sleep very difficult. It is important not to overeat at night, which many people are guilty of due to poor eating habits during the day. It again becomes an important rule to make sure that meals are distributed effectively. We don't want our bodies to starve at the end of the day and have to make up for a lack of nutrients with a big dinner. It makes it extremely difficult for the body to prepare for sleep when it is working hard to digest a large number of calories. Plan out the next day so you don't end up in a situation that leads to a sleepless night.
5. more brain power
What could possibly be more important than our brain? We have the opportunity to keep it healthy and functioning based on our dietary habits. Omega-3 fatty acids offer a number of important benefits, such as improved memory and the ability to learn. They also help combat debilitating mental disorders such as depression, dementia and schizophrenia. Foods like salmon, walnuts, avocado and kiwi contain these important fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids may provide long-term benefits to support synaptic plasticity, through which our memory and learning develop and potentially improve. So make sure to make it an essential part of your diet for a clear and well-functioning brain.
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