With close to 70% of Americans considered overweight or obese many people diet regularly every season to get that “summer body” that they have always wanted. Many of these individuals' sole purpose for dieting is weight loss, but did you know there are many health benefits that come from dieting?
Not only can dieting help you maintain a healthy weight but it may also help to prevent certain long-term (chronic) diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and reduce your risk of developing some cancers. Three randomized clinical trials have determined that by improving your diet, you can improve cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, along with improving your health and an overall better body.
Dieting shouldn’t be punishment or about strict limitations, starving yourself, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. It's about eating healthy, feeling amazing, having more energy, improving your health, and boosting your mood. Eating healthy along with regular physical exercise is also very important for health and to avoid or reduce obesity.
Healthy Diet
With all of the information floating around you may have to wonder, what exactly is a healthy diet? As a general rule, most of your daily meals should be composed of vegetables, fruits and starchy foods. Milk, dairy, and protein foods should make up the bulk of your remaining meals. With that being said, your overall dietary pattern is most important. You want to get as close to real food as possible. By replacing processed foods with real food you are half way on your journey to your healthiest self. The cornerstone of any diet should be trying to get as close to all natural unprocessed foods as possible.
Opting for a natural, balanced, adequate and varied diet is the first step towards a happy and healthy lifestyle. Healthy diets not only contribute to an adequate body weight but can also help heal your body from many of its ailments and disease. You really are what you eat and a healthier diet will not only help you look better but feel better, inside and out.