If you are asking the question ‘Does healthy eating affect your body in the future’ you need to think of your health as the amount of money in your bank account.
Just as you would like to have more money and keep growing, it’s also wise to have more health in your body and keep that growing as well.
So Does Healthy Eating Affect Your Body In The Future?
Healthy eating pays dividends for now and in the future, and if you want long-term health, you need to have a healthy eating plan for your body.
A healthy diet means you are doing the following regularly:
- Eating a healthy breakfast
- Balancing your intake of lean protein and whole-grain carbohydrates
- Drinking caffeine in moderation
- Eating fish 2 or 3 times a week
- Eating foods rich in folate, such as dark leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes, and bell peppers
- Cutting back on sugar, salt, fats, and alcohol
- Eating 4 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
“I would say that the most important thing to keep your heart healthy is a well-rounded diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber,” says Sally Barclay, a registered dietician at the Nutrition Clinic for Employee Wellness at Iowa State.
A good trick to try is to divide your plate. Mentally visualize your plate divided into 4 quarters. One quarter should be lean protein the size of your palm is ideal; one quarter should be complex carbohydrates like brown rice or pasta and the last 2 quarters should be fruits and/or vegetables.
Keep in mind that the more colorful your plate is, the better it is for your health, provided there are no smarties on the plate.
Here is a great example of a plate you can order online that does just this. It will help you to take the guesswork out of what a healthy meal should look like. Click on the plate pictures to find out more.
Here are some of the ways that your body will benefit from eating healthily.
Enhancing your emotional state for now and in the future:
For a quick pick-me-up, the first thing we normally crave is pastries or some French fries.
In truth, those foods contain refined carbs which even though they may help the brain produce serotonin, also cause a quick crash.
Serotonin is also known as the ‘feel good’ hormone which your brain secretes when you feel pride after hitting a milestone or reaching a goal. On the healthy side of the spectrum, whole-grain carbohydrates produce a more lasting effect on your mood and sustain the levels of serotonin in your body.
Maintaining a healthy weight:
Staying within your recommended daily caloric intake and eating moderately sized meals are two ways you can be in control of your weight. Having a healthy weight means you’re reducing your risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease and diabetes just to name a few.
Boosting your energy levels, especially as you get older:
Eating foods high in iron sustains your energy levels throughout the day since the mineral iron helps carry oxygen throughout the body.
Examples of food sources rich in iron are spinach, Swiss chard, almonds and quinoa. Also, snacking on nuts and fruits, and drinking water helps maintain your energy levels throughout the day.
This is what happens to your body over time when you start eating a healthy, nutritious diet:
After 1 day:
Fewer hunger pangs
Boost in metabolism
Increased focus and clarity
After 1 week:
Increased energy levels
Better sleep
Decreased bloating
Emotional stability
After 1 month:
Youthful skin
Eating healthy becomes a lifestyle choice
You save money on soft drinks, fatty junk food and snacks
After 6 months:
Boost in self-confidence
Better sex
Lower blood pressure
Stronger bones
After 1 year:
You will have reached your goal weight
You will be smarter about your food choices
You will feel stronger and more alive
You will get sick less often
Your concentration and memory have improved
It is amazing how just eating healthy affects your life.
In their book Perspectives in Nutrition (1990) by Gordon M. Wardlaw and Paul M. Insel, they state that “…nutrients are the nourishing substances in food that are essential for the growth, development, and maintenance of body functions. The essential meaning is that if a nutrient is not present, aspects of function and therefore human health decline. When nutrient intake does not regularly meet the nutrient needs dictated by the cell activity, the metabolic processes slow down or even stop.”
If you think about it from that perspective, you will realize that food is much more than just counting calories or reading food labels. It makes us look at food as the sustenance we need to keep going strong for many years to come.
So yes is the answer to ‘Does healthy eating affect your body now and in the future?’
Here are some more tips on slowing down the aging process.