Improving Health Through Nutrition
Food is the body’s source of energy and of all the necessary nutrients including vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, etc. which play an important role in human health. Your body requires a little bit of everything and you can eat just about everything that is not poisonous. On the other hand, some types of foods have been shown to have a negative impact on health if eaten in larger amounts and should be eaten in limited amounts only. Consequences of unhealthy diet usually do not have an immediate effect but if not modified early enough improper nutrition can lead to a large number of health problems and various diseases which can seriously affect quality of life and even lead to premature death.
Overweight is the most obvious effect of unhealthy diet and a strong signal that a person’s diet requires prompt changes. Excess body weight is typically caused by a combination of high-calorie diet and inadequate physical activity but it is very difficult to lose weight without limiting consumption of foods that are high in calorie content. Healthy nutrition is therefore the key to successful weight loss as well as healthy body weight maintenance which in turn significantly reduces overweight-related health problems including diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, etc.
Type 2 diabetes is one of the best examples of the effect of nutrition on health. The disease which is closely related to unhealthy lifestyle including unhealthy diet cannot be cured but it can be successfully controlled with lifestyle changes alone if detected in its early stages. In fact, many people with prediabetes (blood sugar levels above the normal ranges but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes) have even managed to reverse the progress of the disease by starting to eat a healthier diet and becoming adequately physically active.
High blood pressure (hypertension) that tends to affect virtually everyone at certain point of their life is another good example of the influence of dietary factors on health. Even more, keeping blood pressure levels within safe ranges requires changes of eating habits regardless if taking medications for lowering blood pressure or not because some types of food have been shown to dangerously raise blood pressure levels. Salt is probably the best known dietary factor that is closely linked to high blood pressure. Indeed, it does have a dramatic effect on blood pressure and decrease of salt in diet is crucial for successful management of the condition.
High cholesterol is another example of the effects of diet on human health. Like most health problems, high cholesterol is typically caused by a combination of several factors but people who eat unhealthy diet that is high in saturated fat, trans fats and cholesterol are at increased risk of developing high cholesterol which in turn can lead to heart attack or stroke if left untreated. However, healthy nutrition can both lower blood cholesterol and prevent it from increasing in the first place.
Healthy diet that is high in calcium and vitamin D is believed to promote bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis which affects many postmenopausal women. Although causes of osteoporosis are not fully understood many health experts believe that calcium and vitamin D play an important role in both formation and loss of bone density.
The above mentioned health problems are only few of many that are directly linked to dietary factors. Healthy nutrition helps both prevent and control many diseases and for that reason it is never too early nor too late to start following the guidelines for healthy nutrition. Please keep in mind that your dietary recommendations may be different if having a medical condition.