What are 5 signs of good nutrition? Why proper nutrition is important for everyone?
Nutrition is an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle and the importance of getting it right cannot be overstated – let’s start by going into the benefits of having a nutritious diet.
How good nutrition boosts your health
• Weight management
A lot of us mistakenly associate weight-loss with fad diets, but eating a nutritious diet is really the best way to go about maintaining a healthy weight and at the same time attaining the necessary nutrients for healthy body function. Swapping unhealthy junk food and snacks out for nutritious food is the first step to keeping your weight within a healthy range relative to your body composition, without the need to jump on the fad-diet bandwagon.
How to achieve good nutrition in your diet
Each food group provides different nutrients and benefits, so eating a balanced diet that includes foods from all five groups is essential. These are the different food groups that you should keep in mind.
1. Whole grains
Whole grain foods such as brown rice and bread are forms of carbohydrates, specifically unrefined carbohydrates. They provide you with energy, healthy fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and aid with digestion. For people who are diagnosed coeliacs or those with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, it's important that you include other carbohydrate alternatives to ensure that your abstinence from wheat doesn't cost you in terms of essential nutrients.
● Prioritise fresh food
Fresh, whole foods are the ones you will derive maximum nutritional benefits from. Always go for foods in their purest, unprocessed form such as fresh fruits, vegetables and meat when possible. If you go with processed alternatives, pick those that have undergone simple changes such as dehydration and flash freezing to minimise nutrient-loss. Also, keep an eye on the ingredients list to ensure that you're consuming as little additives with your food as possible.
● Practice healthier seasoning habits
Consider tempering your salt intake with other herbs and spices to add a new dimension of flavour to your food. For example, basil, garlic, paprika and cayenne can turn an ordinary chicken breast dish into a gastronomical delight! Salt is the most common food seasoning used in cooking, but too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure and hypertension, particularly with those who are already susceptible to said conditions.
Maintaining a nutritious eating plan is simple enough; evaluating whether it's nutritious enough can be straightforward as well. Just look out for five simple enough indicators of whether you are getting enough from your food.
• Practice healthier seasoning habits
Consider tempering your salt intake with other herbs and spices to add a new dimension of flavour to your food. For example, basil, garlic, paprika and cayenne can turn an ordinary chicken breast dish into a gastronomical delight! Salt is the most common food seasoning used in cooking, but too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure and hypertension, particularly with those who are already susceptible to said conditions.
Maintaining a nutritious eating plan is simple enough; evaluating whether it’s nutritious enough can be straightforward as well. Just look out for five simple enough indicators of whether you are getting enough from your food.
Indicators of a nutritious diet
1. Body composition
A well-structured nutrition plan should allow an individual to maintain a healthy physique within acceptable body fat levels (18-24% for men and 25-31% for women). This also means that it should support metabolic health through a number of means, such as promoting healthy hormone function, insulin sensitivity and physical recovery.
2. Healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure
Monitoring your cholesterol levels and blood pressure is crucial because having a healthy weight doesn't discount the possibility of issues in these areas. While dietary cholesterol doesn't have as much effect on blood cholesterol levels as we once thought, it can still be influenced by your overall dietary fat intake. On the other end, excessive sodium intake can lead to hyper-extension, of which one of the symptoms happens to be elevated blood pressure levels.
3. Healthy skin and hair
The condition of your skin and hair are good indicators of the quality of your nutrition. If you are getting enough nutrients, your skin should be firm, supple and of a rich hue rather than flaking and pale. Your hair should be smooth and strong rather than dry and brittle; unexplained hair loss is often a sign of malnutrition.
4. Sleep and energy levels
Getting the right amount of nutrients and calories will help you stay energised due to its ability to promote restful sleep. If you find yourself feeling sluggish, It could be a sign of either a distinct lack of calories and/or nutrients, driving your body into “starvation mode” which hampers its restorative capabilities.
5. Regular bowel movements
Your bowel movements reflect whether you are getting sufficient fibre from your diet, so if you find yourself being constipated, load up on more fruits and vegetables to get your digestive system going.
●While these five indicators of a nutritious diet may give your a decent idea on how to go about achieving your nutrition goals, there’s no real need to go about it by your lonesome. Getting the help of a certified nutritionist can help improve your odds of success while avoiding the common pitfalls.
