The Life-Changing Benefits of Healthy Eating Habits

Looking for benefits of eating healthy food? Food is everywhere, and I am sure many of you have heard the phrase “you are what you eat.”

I don’t like this phrase. It makes food the enemy. And the food is your friend. ✓

DRASTIC CHANGES NEVER LAST. 

So this recipe is not meant to make your DIET. Yuck… another word that makes you FEAR food… but the food is NICE, and it’s SWEET and it’s FUEL! FUEL FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL BODY. ✓

I LOVE FOOD… and by the time you finish reading this post. I am sure you will love it too!?

So what is it about food that we should know? First of all, no one can survive without it, but more importantly, it can both prevent disease and reduce disease. Not only that, but it can also improve energy throughout the day, improve cognition, increase attention, and be good for your skin (things like acne and aging) and your oral health. ✓

It’s crucial for muscle growth, bone strength, intestinal health, and heart health, just to name a few. Sure, many people focus on “weight loss” when they become “food conscious.” ✓

However, this should not be the only reason for making changes to your diet. Why? Well, you will, as they say, “fall off the wagon” and go back to your regular eating habits because no one likes to “diet.” I don’t either.

This is all great, but if you’re a teen, you might be thinking, “How does this apply to me?” First of all, your schedules are crazy! Wake up early, be awake and alert for hours, and make that brain work for hours?

If you are part of a sports team, then you need to play your best, train hard, and avoid tiring yourself out. Or perhaps you get home right after school and just play with friends.  Or maybe you arrive back and do your homework right away..meaning.…more brain work even after your brain has worked all day.

Then you probably need to clean your room or do some chores. Maybe you have younger siblings that make you run around, perhaps even a puppy you play with. Your lives are hectic too! Which is why food is essential for you, too! YOU NEED FUEL!?

So you can stay awake and alert in class. ✓ Run from class to class up and downstairs

(if your school has them) and not be exhausted after. Avoid getting tired too quickly after starting your training in a sport. Be able to study and retain info for those exams. You want to do a lot of things and do them without feeling lousy. ✓ Is where FOOD comes in.

You want to do a lot of things and do them without feeling lousy. 

This is where FOOD comes in. 

So let’s talk yummy food, healthy food to make you feel good, and staying healthy so you can enjoy the words “breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time” the way they are supposed to be appreciated… This appreciation should occur 100% of the time. ✓ It is always something to look forward to, rather than something to fear!

Let’s review the benefits of eating healthy food that were mentioned earlier and provide you with some food options to help improve your well-being. No more ,avoid this or that, but rather… Eat more of this or that. I will discuss food groups that you should consider adding to or including in your daily diet so that you can experience the wide variety of benefits associated with eating healthy foods. ✓

Fiber

Where does it come from, and what can it do for you? You can get it from fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.), nuts, and seeds! You are welcome to look back at previous videos to remind yourself what some of those food choices are.

The body does NOT absorb other foods fiber. It stays in your intestines and passes all the way through, which is part of the reason why they are so great for your health.

Benefits for adults and adolescents are the same, and they recommend about 14g per 1000 Calories consumed. But what does it do for you?

Well, if you spend hours on the toilet and still aren’t able to have a bowel movement, fiber has got your back. If at your doctor’s visit, you were told your blood pressure was high, or your cholesterol and even your blood sugar, then fiber can help regulate all that. A little burning sensation at the pit of your stomach when you don’t eat for a while, or even after you eat something, then fiber can help. Lastly, if you like fitting into your pants every day, then texture is your friend! So it protects you from lots of things! It helps you regulate your body and also improves your daily life.

It’s a Win-Win-Win! Food is medicine.

Protein:

Where does it come from, and what can it do for you?

Like I mentioned in one of our first videos, protein can come from animals like meat, chicken, and dairy (milk or cheese) or others OR from plants such as beans, peas, lentils, tofu, and others. But you need protein! You need it for lots of things, like your muscles. Strong muscles are essential, especially when you’re playing sports and running around. It also helps to keep your bones strong and protect you from injuries while doing regular daily activities. This benefit is huge, even for your adolescents! You probably want to play every game!

Not being injured is a sure way to play at each event. In addition to that, you also need protein to grow into healthy adults! You need it for growth and development. If you want to improve your performance in sports, you need protein to help you gain strength and repair your muscles after a long day of training. It also enables you to fight off infections!

Who likes being sick? Yeah, I didn’t think so! Regardless of which type of protein you choose, make sure to include it in your diet as part of your meals every day. As always, though, PORTION CONTROL! It’s about a balanced meal.

Carbohydrates:

Where does it come from, and what can it do for you?

You get it from everything you put in your mouth! Everything from your favorite candy bar to the dinner table contains it. Many people associate carbs with weight gain. The truth is—well, it’s not true.

There are simple carbs, which I mentioned before… this is all the refined stuff like refined sugar, white bread, white pasta, soft drinks frosting, and icing! It’s also found in fruits and veggies, oddly enough. However, complex carbohydrates can be found in whole-wheat products and starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, yucca (cassava), peas, and corn.

like sweet potato, yucca (cassava), peas, and corn.

Healthy Fats:

Everyone is always saying, don’t eat fats! But no, no, no! You need healthy fats to eliminate unhealthy fats! Good fats remove bad fats. It sounds confusing, but it’s true.

Healthy fats come from olive oil, avocado, nuts, sesame oil, peanut butter, fish, and some seeds. Diets higher in healthy fats are a great source of energy… but more than that, they protect your heart! Keep your heart healthy, so it can do whatever you want it to! It helps by lowering cholesterol, prevents plaques from building on your arteries, protects you from high blood pressure, and even keeps your blood sugar within normal levels.

There are also some immediate benefits of eating healthy food! Good fats also help keep your skin clear of acne and keep your immune system strong! Who wants to be sick when you have places to be and people to see?

Fats are friends!

Antioxidants:

Where do antioxidants come from, and what benefits do they provide for you?
You find these in all fruits and veggies! Protects you from many, many health issues down the line. Keeps your heart healthy and disease-free and also reduces your risk of cancer. Antioxidants reduce what’s called oxidative stress.

This is important because oxidative stress promotes the buildup of plaque on your arteries (the highways your blood uses to travel through your body). You want to keep these free and clear so your whole body, including your heart, can get the blood it needs to function best.

So again, for adolescents out there… applies to you too! Exercise creates oxidative stress on your muscles, so a great way to speed up that recovery is to include antioxidants in your diet. I’m sure you also like looking young… oxidative stress is what causes your skin to age and look older. Get those antioxidants, and you can look young longer. Who here wants to get carded well into their 40s? That would be wonderful! Bottom line? This is great for EVERYONE… of ALL AGES!

So give your body the fuel it needs to stay healthy.

Anti-Inflammatories:

Where does it come from, and what can it do for you?

Whole grains like brown rice, lean protein like chicken, spices like ginger and curry, and omega-3s, which come from nuts, salmon, greens, and beans!

Many medical issues are to be connected to chronic (long-term) inflammation. Many pain conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and others like heart disease, diabetes, and even some cancers are linked to long-term inflammation in the body. Sounds great, but how would this apply to your adolescents? If you have asthma or allergies or any of the aforementioned issues, an anti-inflammatory diet will help you! It can help reduce episodes of asthma or allergies and also reduce the severity and reoccurrence. If you have asthma, you know why this would be beneficial for you.

So anti-inflammatory diets are essential. I don’t mean things like Advil, Aleve, or Motrin. I mean FOODs that help decrease inflammation! Did you know certain foods could do this? You must have a deep affection for food!

Vitamin B12:

Where does it come from, and what can it do for you?

It comes from fish, meat, chicken, eggs, dairy, and oils, to name a few. Vitamin B12 itself doesn’t necessarily do much. It’s the lack of B12 that is important. It causes anemia, which means you are low in red blood cells. This isn’t ideal because your red blood cells transport oxygen all over your body, and if you have low levels of red blood cells, then your body isn’t getting the oxygen it needs. As a result, you may feel tired and out of breath, and you could even faint. No Bueno! This is why diets with these foods are essential, so you can stay full of energy and participate in regular physical activity without feeling too tired, short of breath, or light-headed.
Vitamin B12. If you don’t have enough, you get anemia. You can feel tired, out of breath, and light-headed. Might also feel down,