What Exactly is Good Nutrition?
By Beverley Brooke
Secretly we all want just a few things in life — none
the least of which is to live a life that is healthy and energetic.
One way to accomplish this is to eat a well balanced diet that
fuels the body to take on life's challenges.
Did you know that one of the best things you can do to improve
your overall health and well being is to eat a diet that is well
rounded and nutritious? Diet can make the difference between
feeling great and feeling just ok. But how do you know which
foods will propel you to health and well-being?
Proper nutrition is easy. In fact, all you need to do to ensure
your health and well being is follow five simple steps, outlined
below.
Top Five Tips for Maintaining Optimal Nutrition
• Eat a well balanced diet. Incorporate
foods from each of the four food groups.
•
Adopt the phrase “moderation.” At no time should
you consider some foods “'bad” and other foods “good” — rather,
all foods can be nourishing if they are eaten in moderation.
Chocolate cake will not make you fat if you don't eat it every
day for dinner!
• Take a multi-vitamin. Even the healthiest dieter may not get
all of the vitamins and nutrients they need from diet alone.
Why? Our bodies aren't always able to absorb nutrients efficiently
from the foods we eat. Thus it is important to take a multi-vitamin
and mineral supplement daily.
• Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on your diet
and even contribute to weight gain.
• Exercise daily. Even 10 minutes of routine exercise can help
your body maintain its peak fitness level.
What else can you do to protect your diet and your health? Excessive
consumption of alcohol can also wreak havoc on your diet. Alcohol
inhibits the body's ability to absorb vital nutrients such
as calcium. In addition, alcohol in the evening can interfere
with your sleep cycle.
Other things you can do to improve you nutrition include incorporating
lean proteins and fish into your diet. Fatty fishes including
salmon provide key nutrients called essential fatty acids, which
help your brains ability to function properly.
Nutrition is a choice. For you to be the healthiest person you
can be, it is vital that you make choices that are good for you
and your well being. Adopting just a couple of the strategies
above will help you tremendously on your journey toward optimal
health.
© Beverley Brooke
Beverley
Brooke is editor of Health & Finesse, a web site and weekly
newsletter covering a range of heath, diet
and fitness topics.
