Good nutrition, physical activity and a good feeling of well-being will give you the best chance of a healthy life.
Diet is vitally important. Every part of what you are made of is fed by the food you eat and the water you drink. By feeding your body with good fuel it can work and function in the best possible way.
There are a number of links between components of diet and health. For example, it is apparent a diet containing optimum levels of fruit and vegetables can lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. There are also some links which suggest a diet containing high levels of meat, particularly red meat, can actually increase the risk of the same diseases. For example, the consumption of red meat has been directly related to stomach and colon cancer.
Of course we can never guarantee preventing life’s diseases, but we can decrease the likelihood of many of them by adopting a healthy diet.
What is categorically true is that good nutrition is crucial to allow the body to perform all of the daily processes which keep us functioning and healthy. We need carbohydrates for energy and fibre for food processing and gut health. We need a range vitamins including C for tissue health and iron absorption. We need iron for healthy blood cells and zinc for tissue repair and growth. We need proteins for growth and repair and calcium for bone development. These are just the basics!
Our diet needs to be balanced. These five food groups need to be represented in the diet in different amounts to each other. Groups 1 and 2, the starchy fibrous foods and the fruit and vegetables need to represent 60% of our daily intake. When it comes to fruit and vegetables variety is also key. The remaining 40% is meant to include groups 4 (dairy), 5 (non-dairy proteins), with as little as possible coming from group 6 (fats and sugars). Also of great importance is that vitamins and minerals are at an optimum level in our daily diets.
Finally, we have the right fuel so now it is important to carry out regular physical exercise, not only for physical health but for mental well-being too. As a minimum, it is suggested that we take 30 minutes of exercise five times a week. If needing to lose weight, exercise of around an hour a day will help. Good exercise is key to a healthy life, but it is also important to take care and not over-do it, particularly if there are other health issues.
For more information about health and nutrition, why not start with: www.nutrition.org.uk
If you have health concerns or need professional nutritional advice, visit your doctor or seek help from qualified nutritionists. Only basic information is shown here and RhiNOremedy is not able to give medical advice.
