“Go Further With Food.” That’s the theme for National Nutrition Month this year. So what’s the idea behind that phrase? It’s that the foods you eat impact your abilities throughout the day. Of course, you want to be able to do more and do better, so healthy food choices are necessary.
What exactly are healthy food choices, though? After all, that term might seem like it’s up for interpretation. While it’s true that there’s no perfect one-size-fits-all diet, there are some basic nutrition tips that can benefit all. Like what?
Avoid Processed Food
You’ve definitely heard this one before. You’re hearing it again now because it’s true. Processed junk food has very little nutritional value and lots of the things that are bad for you including sugar, artificial trans fat and refined grains.
What’s worse, junk food is deliberately engineered to get you hooked. Inevitably, you eat more of it than you would a healthier choice. This only increases the damage done to your health over time.
Keep Your Gut Healthy With Probiotics and Fiber
When the usually helpful bacteria in your gut do not have the fuel they need (namely, fiber and probiotics), things can go haywire. For example, you could become more prone to infection, be unable to digest your food efficiently or absorb all of the nutrients necessary from what you consume.
To prevent such problems, eat probiotic foods such as yogurt, as well as foods high in fiber. Almonds, pistachios, pecans and other nuts are high in fiber, not to mention magnesium, vitamin E and other essential nutrients.
Consume Plenty of Protein
Protein is a part of every cell in the body. Therefore, it’s not hard to imagine that the body needs a lot of it. This is especially true since the body doesn’t store protein as it does other nutrients.
Therefore, a constant and sufficient supply is needed to keep things in working order.
Without enough protein, your body will struggle to carry out important functions such as building and repairing tissues and making the enzymes, hormones, and chemicals that fuel various functions. Needless to say, a high-protein diet is recommended.
Use Plenty of Herbs and Spices
Among the healthiest things you can enjoy regularly are herbs and spices. Many reduce inflammation and joint pain. Others stabilize blood pressure and promote heart health. Still, others ward off dangerous diseases such as cancer.
The list of health benefits is endless. So if herbs and spices are not currently part of your diet, you’ll want to change that.
Improve Your Diet and “Go Further”
How’s your diet currently? Does it include a lot of the good foods mentioned above? If not and you feel like there’s room for improvement, don’t waste another day. Every day of not-so-great food is another pound gained, a little less energy to get through the day, another step toward an unwanted health problem.
Take steps to overhaul and improve your diet right away and you will notice that you can go a lot further during your day!
