While
weight loss is the primary reason people choose to eat a healthy, balanced diet
there are other benefits as well. A balanced diet incorporates the right amount
of the right foods, eaten consistently for a properly functioning mind and body
and when you eat this way on a daily basis, it shows both inside and out. Here
are three main reason to eat for health.
1) Energy
Ever been
too exhausted after school or work to fix a healthy dinner for yourself so you
grab fast food instead? Hungry and reaching for that brownie instead of going
over to the fridge to get carrots because you just are too tired to think about
it? Skipped working out again because you needed more sleep? Without energy, it
can be truly difficult to make the right choices regarding your diet, let along
maintain an exercise program.
When you
choose processed, high fat, high sugar foods over fresh, natural foods, you are
going to come up short on energy at the end of the day due to your blood sugar
level fluctuating and also due to the lack of vitamins, minerals, and other
nutrients to keep your body going. Eating healthy makes it easier to have the
energy to have willpower.
2) Cognitive Function
Along with
more energy, eating a balanced diet will also help you think more clearly
throughout the day. Just as a car engine needs a steady supply of quality fuel
to keep running, so does your brain as it processes the demands of every day
life. Protein like chicken and complex carbohydrates like brown rice keep the
fuel in your brain (glucose) running on an even keel, so you don’t experience a
sudden moment of forgetfulness, fuzziness, or spaciness that can be a result
from poor eating habits.
3) Appearance
Dry hair?
Brittle nails? Splotchy skin? All of these are the result of nutritional
deficiencies that occur when poor food choices are made consistently over time.
Sugary foods not only do not supply any nutritional value, they can even block
other nutrients like Vitamin C from being absorbed. Processed foods like white
bread tend to cause the blood sugar level to elevate, causing inflammation
throughout the body, including the skin. A lack of essential fatty acids, like
those found in salmon and walnuts, shows up in dull hair that breaks easily and
nails that split or crack.
When losing
weight, it’s important to remember the goal is not just in the numbers. It’s in
the way you feel, how you look and how you think, too.