Diet facts and Figures

You must have heard “you are what you eat”---and this maxim is very true. If your diet is healthy and nutritious it will reflect on your body and face. You will definitely feel healthy, great and full of energy, but if your diet mostly contains junk foods ---you are undoubtedly bound to suffer the effects of not giving your body what it needs to blossom.   It is important to remember that there is a clear connection between your health and your diet. It pays to make better dietary choices. Forget the diet pills, fad diets, foods to eta and the foods to boycott---just follow the basics of healthy eating. Follow the basic good nutrition guidelines of the food pyramid. This will ensure your health and well being.    Your Diet: What Your Body Needs   "Food is essential and all of us eat to satisfy our hunger. But according to experts just eating is not important---you need nutrients. Your diet should contain the recommended vitamins, minerals and proteins to keep all the different parts of your body healthy and functioning — otherwise, you will get sick.   Food just gives us the fuel to think and the energy to function but the micronutrients, the vitamins, the minerals make your body function properly, sustain your health, and make you feel better. This makes it important that you eat a varied diet---this will give your body the many nutrients needed to stay healthy and function appropriately.   Your Diet: The Guidelines   An easy and reliable way to ensure that you get all the nutrients your body needs is to follow the food pyramid. The food pyramid is a guide to good nutrition for an average adult. It shows the various food groups and food choices that you should eat to you’re your diet healthy. If you follow the food pyramid it will help you to get the calories, proteins, minerals and vitamins that you need to stay healthy and fit. The right kind of nutrition not only optimizes health but can lower the disease risk as well.   The recommended nutritional guidelines according to the food pyramid to follow for a healthy diet are:   Plant based foods, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be plenty in your diet. Intake of animal foods should be limited. Animal foods are rich in cholesterol. Use oils sparingly---prefer use of vegetable oils (it contains mono and poly-unsaturated fats) rather than saturated and trans fats. Limit intake of sweets and salt, and alcoholic beverages (if at all). Take the recommended portion sizes---- as even proteins and carbohydrates taken in excess are converted to fats and stored in the body. Physical activity should be a part of your daily routine.   Most importantly try to eat a variety of foods from each major food group. This will ensures that you eat a balanced and nutritious diet which contains all the protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber you need.   Poor Diet---Poor Health   What you eat has a huge impact on heart health and other organs. Several studies have shown that diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low in saturated fats can help to prevent or avert various heart diseases, and high blood pressure.   Diet with adequate calories but deficient in minerals and vitamins also has negative impact on your health. Like if your diet is deficient in iron an essential nutrient for infants, children, and growing teens it can cause anemia. Another example is calcium---it is needed to form and maintain strong ad healthy bones and teeth. If your diet lacks adequate calcium you can develop osteoporosis, or weak and brittle bones. In children deficiency of calcium can lead to osteoma...