While weight loss is the primary reason people choose to eat a healthy, balanced diet, there are plenty of other benefits as well. A balanced diet includes the right amount of the right foods, eaten consistently for a properly functioning mind and body. When you eat this way daily, it shows both inside and out. Here are three main reasons to eat for health.
1) Energy
Ever been too exhausted after a long day to fix a healthy dinner, so you grab fast food instead? Or perhaps you’re hungry and reach for that brownie instead of carrots because you’re too tired to think about it? Maybe you skipped working out because you needed more sleep? Without energy, it can be truly difficult to make the right dietary choices or maintain an exercise program.
When you choose processed, high-fat, high-sugar foods over fresh, natural options, you end up short on energy due to fluctuating blood sugar levels and a lack of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to keep your body going. Eating healthy makes it easier to have the energy needed for willpower.
2) Cognitive Function
Along with more energy, a balanced diet also helps 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 daily demands. Protein like chicken and complex carbohydrates like brown rice keep the fuel in your brain (glucose) steady, preventing moments of forgetfulness, fuzziness, or spaciness that can result from poor eating habits.
3) Appearance
Dry hair? Brittle nails? Splotchy skin? These are often the result of nutritional deficiencies from poor food choices over time. Sugary foods lack nutritional value and can even block other nutrients like Vitamin C from being absorbed. Processed foods like white bread cause blood sugar levels to spike, leading to inflammation throughout the body, including the skin. A lack of essential fatty acids, like those found in salmon and walnuts, can result in dull hair that breaks easily and nails that split or crack.
When losing weight, remember that the goal isn’t just in the numbers. It’s also about how you feel, how you look, and how you think.