By Tye Jayrel
Eating well does not have to be too hard to follow.
In fact, if we follow the advice of professionals and eat a balanced diet, we are on the way to building a healthy body and a strong immune system.
This is achieved by consuming the full range of vitamins, minerals and many other nutrients that will help us to improve our immune system.
Besides having better immunity against diseases, there are many other benefits if we eat balanced meals. Balanced eating helps us lower the chance of getting disease and infections, such as heart attack, cancer, diabetes and stroke.
It also helps us lose weight. Many people at some point want to lose weight; therefore, having a balanced diet helps us to lower your weight over time. While it is not possible to lose weight all the time, the only sure way to lose weight for a long period of time is by continuing to eat a balanced diet.
A balanced diet also makes us look younger. Eating
well contributes to younger skin and hair and a light “glow” that makes us look younger.
For those who have neglected their health, the good news is that it is never too late to change our diet to help prevent disease, manage our weight, and make us feel better. This is why a balanced diet is good for health reasons.
When we talk about a good and balanced diet, it means choosing a variety of nutrients from different groups.
Vitamins and fibres come from vegetables and fruits; therefore, they need to be consumed more than other food groups. Next is protein, which can be obtained from meat, fish, eggs, and certain soybeans. Dairy products such as low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt are also good sources of protein.
Carbohydrates can be derived from starchy foods such as rice, pasta, potatoes and bread. For bread, the whole grain or whole wheat varieties are very much healthier by comparison. For cooking oil, we highly recommend using olive oil although it may be slightly more expensive.
As children, we love all kinds of sugary drinks and foodstuffs. As these foods are usually added with saturated fats, we should avoid eating too much of it. Processed meat, chips, pastries, and pies are not healthy if we eat them every day.
Lastly, we need to pick up the habit of drinking plenty of water to keep our body hydrated and to help it function better.
Jayrel is 9 years old.