5 Key Benefits of Healthy Eating

Everybody tells us all that we should change our eating habits to “become healthier” but it’s not always easy to do that; we need incentives and / or threats to actually do something about our eating habits. So the question that many people might ask is “Why should I bother with healthy eating? I’m quite happy as I am, and I’ve never had any / many problems of health up to now”. Well, this article is going to show you 5 benefits of healthy eating, but we’ll leave the threats out!

1. Promotes more Energy

People who are inactive, face greater risks of premature death, heart disease, depression, obesity, high blood pressure and / or a stroke, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, and colon cancer. Lack of regular exercise and tobacco use are two of the major preventable risk factors for a variety of diseases.

The right balance of foods will increase your energy and then you are more capable of doing some form of exercise, which in turn will burn off more calories.

2. Cooking

It is all too easy to get a take-away or buy a ready-made meal that you just stick in the microwave and 10 minutes later it is ready to eat, but what does this achieve, apart from satisfying your hunger as quickly as possible? If you start to do more cooking, it can give you the following benefits:

* Cooking fresh, healthy meals can be an enjoyable way to spend time, either on your own or with others.
* By occupying your time, you are less likely to become bored and hence eat some snack that you don’t really want.
* Cooking gives you a chance to reflect on your inner state.
* Healthy cooking is more nutritious and makes food more tantalizing.

Some good cooking tips are:

* Cook food rapidly with a small amount of oil in a hot pan.
* Cook by stirring small pieces of food in a hot pan (often a wok) with a small amount of oil.
* Experiment with cooking exotic fruits and vegetables.
* The look of the food is very important so use green vegetables to decorate your plate with. They will also fill you up and cost you very few calories.

3. A better variety of foods

Healthy eating gives you an opportunity to expand your range of foods that you wouldn’t normally eat, such as vegetables, grains, and fruits, and which will help you to achieve good health. This can relieve the boredom of having the same foods each day. Boredom is one of the factors that cause us to eat to excess and become tired and lethargic.

4. Milk Products

Milk Products are important because they contain calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, and other nutrients to help build strong bones, and Vitamins A, B12, and often Vitamin D is added to milk we buy. Milk and dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt are also rich in protein. However milk products are high in fat content, so the USDA recommends choosing fat-free or low-fat dairy products such as skimmed milk rather than whole milk and yoghurt rather than cream.

If you must eat chocolate, (who doesn’t!), then choose dark chocolate, as milk chocolate and white chocolate have more sugar and fat than dark chocolate.

5. You become more Healthy!

Healthy eating habits established in childhood can remain with an adult all their life and make the difference between a life racked with pain and discomfort, or a life full of energy and zip. Healthy eating that includes variety, balance and moderation, has proven to be the key to longevity and helps raise the quality of life. Healthy eating is demonstrably linked to reduced risk for mortality and the prevention of developing many chronic diseases in adults.

Scott Whiskeye is a retired programmer who has now turned his skills towards website design. His website at http://www.weightloss-fast.co.uk has another article on the benefits of healthy eating

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