What is a healthy diet?

by Joushua James

A healthy diet is one which has the right balance of nutrients, food, sugar, fat and salt. Dieticians who recommend a healthy diet describe it as one which contains plenty of fruits and vegetables. Ideally, fruits and vegetable should make up a third of the food intake and they are a good source of vitamins and minerals. People who have more of fruits and veggies in their diet are at a lesser risk to develop coronary heart disease and certain types of cancers.

Another important factor in a healthy diet is starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice. Starchy foods should make up one-third of the food we eat. They are a great source of energy and contain less than half of the calories found in fat. They include a range of nutrients, starch, fiber, calcium, iron and B vitamins. Including pulse and eggs in your diet is very good as they are a god source of protein for the body.

The salt, sugar and fat intake must be kept at an optimum level in order to maintain a healthy diet. Any excess in these elements leads to diabetes, blood pressure and obesity. It's found that the intake of salt, sugar and fat tends to occur when people overeat. This should be avoided especially when eating out. In order to keep the level of sugar, salt and fat optimum, eat food which contains more fiber, less oil and cream.

The main reason to opt for a healthy diet is that it strengthens your body to fight against common diseases. If a person has a healthy diet, it means they are less likely to succumb to common minor illnesses. Their healthy food intake will provide necessary nutrients and energy for the body to put off the diseases. Any person recovering from a disease is also advised to go into a healthy diet as it will give their body the capacity to recover from the illness.

Any person who goes in for a healthy diet needs to understand what are the right cooking practices and the correct level of food intake. Unregulated eating habits are the main sources of diseases. Learning to maintain a healthy diet contributes to a healthier and longer life.

Joushua James - Healthy Diet