Many phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes act as antioxidants, including beta-carotene , lycopene, and vitamins A, C, and E. According to the National Cancer Institute , though humans trials are inconclusive, there are laboratory and animal studies that link certain antioxidants to a reduced incidence of free radical damage due to cancer. Foods high in antioxidants include:. Maintaining a moderate weight may reduce these risks.
In a study , researchers found that a diet rich in fruits reduced the risk of upper gastrointestinal tract cancers. They also found that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and fiber lowered the risk of colorectal cancer , while a diet rich in fiber reduces the risk of liver cancer.
Read more about cancer-fighting foods here. In , researchers found that diets with a high glycemic load may trigger increased symptoms of depression and fatigue. A diet with a high glycemic load includes many refined carbohydrates , such as those found in soft drinks, cakes, white bread, and biscuits.
Vegetables, whole fruit, and whole grains have a lower glycemic load. If a person suspects they have symptoms of depression, talking to a doctor or mental health professional can help. The colon is full of naturally occurring bacteria, which play important roles in metabolism and digestion. Certain strains of bacteria also produce vitamins K and B, which benefit the colon. These strains also help fight harmful bacteria and viruses. A diet low in fiber and high in sugar and fat alters the gut microbiome, increasing inflammation in the area.
However, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains provides a combination of prebiotics and probiotics that help good bacteria thrive in the colon. Fiber is an easily accessible prebiotic and is abundant in legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables. It also promotes regular bowel movements, which can help prevent bowel cancer and diverticulitis. A study identified nutrients and foods that protect against cognitive decline and dementia. The researchers found the following to be beneficial:.
Among other diets, the Mediterranean diet incorporates many of these nutrients. Read more about foods to boost brain function here. Maintaining a moderate weight can help reduce the risk of chronic health issues. Having overweight or obesity are risk factors for several conditions, including:.
Many healthful foods, including vegetables, fruits, and beans, are lower in calories than most processed foods. A person can determine their calorie requirements using guidance from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans — Maintaining a healthful diet free from processed foods can help a person stay within their daily limit without monitoring calorie intake.
Dietary fiber is particularly important for managing weight. Plant-based foods contain plenty of dietary fiber, which helps regulate hunger by making people feel fuller for longer. In , researchers found that a diet rich in fiber and lean proteins resulted in weight loss without the need for monitoring calorie intake. It is vital for people with diabetes to limit their intake of foods with added sugar and salt.
This leaflet explains the principles of a healthy diet. It is general advice for most people. The advice may be different for certain groups of people, including pregnant women, people with certain health problems or those with special dietary requirements. Your body needs energy to work normally and keep you alive.
You obtain this energy from nutrients in the food that you eat - mostly, carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Minerals and vitamins are other nutrients that are also important in your diet to help your body stay healthy. It is important to find the right balance between these different nutrients to achieve maximum health benefits see below. A balanced diet generally contains food from each of the following food groups:.
Fatty and sugary foods are the fifth food group that you eat. However, only a small amount of what you eat should be made up from fatty and sugary foods. In addition to the above, having plenty of fibre and water in your diet is also important for your health. It's one thing to feel a bit peckish before dinner, but another to feel so famished that it affe Find a range of services to suit you, from medication through to managed programs.
A healthy diet may help to prevent certain serious diseases such as heart disease , stroke and type 2 diabetes. It may also help to reduce your risk of developing some cancers. If you become sick, eating a healthy diet may help you to recover more quickly. Also, a main way of preventing obesity and overweight is to eat a healthy diet. If you are overweight or obese, eating a healthy diet can help you lose weight. As well as healthy eating, regular physical exercise is also very important for health and to avoid or reduce obesity.
See also the separate leaflet called Exercise and Physical Activity. As a general rule, vegetables, fruits and starchy foods should provide the bulk of most of your meals. The remaining part of your diet should be made up from milk and dairy foods and protein foods.
As mentioned above, you should limit the amount of foods and drinks that are high in fat or sugar. The dietary guidance to reduce your risk of heart disease is as follows:. Below, the principles of a healthy diet are explained. If you have a specific health problem, or specific dietary requirements, this advice may not apply to you. If in doubt, you should check with your doctor. There are also some changes that pregnant women need to make to their diet. See the separate leaflet called Planning to Become Pregnant for more details.
Much of the energy calories in what we eat comes from carbohydrate. These are divided into two carbohydrate types:. There is a lot being written about how much of our food should be made up of carbohydrates but most of the guidelines recommend about one third. This should be mostly starchy carbohydrates, preferably higher-fibre options such as wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals and brown rice.
Glycaemic index The glycaemic index of a food is the rate at which the food raises blood sugar levels after it has been eaten.
If a food has a low glycaemic index, it is processed by the body in a way which means it is less likely to lead to problems such as diabetes and obesity. You can find out more about the role of food on your blood sugar from our leaflet on Type 2 Diabetes Diet. Higher-fibre carbohydrates, such as wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread, tend to have a lower glycaemic index than more refined starches such as white bread, snack foods and sugary drinks.
This means they are a healthier option for this reason as well as for the fibre they contain. New research suggests that eating two portions of fruit and at least five portions of vegetables daily reduces the risks of many illnesses, such as stroke, heart disease and some cancers. Ideally there should be more vegetables than fruit in your diet. In addition to these benefits, fruit and vegetables:. An average portion of vegetables may be about a handful, or about 80 g.
Alternatively, one portion of fruit or vegetables is roughly equivalent to one of the following:. Starchy foods and fruit and vegetables contain the most fibre. So the tips above on starchy foods and fruit and vegetables will also increase fibre. If you switch to wholemeal rice and pasta, and wholemeal bread, this can significantly increase your fibre intake. Pulses like lentils and beans are also full of fibre. Eating higher-fibre foods can make you feel full for longer, which can help if you are trying to watch your weight.
See the separate leaflet called Fibre and Fibre Supplements for more details. Milk and other dairy foods such as cheese and yoghurt are important in your diet, as they provide calcium which is needed for healthy teeth and bones. They are also a source of protein and can provide other vitamins and minerals important for your health.
Calcium-enriched soya milk and fromage frais also come under 'milk and dairy foods'. However, other foods such as butter and cream are not considered as dairy foods here, as they are also high in fat, so they come under the fatty foods group. To make sure that you have enough calcium in your diet, you need three servings a day from this food group.
One serving is:. In scientific terms, nutrition is the supply of food that we need as an organism to feed our cells and keep them alive. We can get nutrients from products such as vitamin supplements, however when we talk about nutrition we mostly mean the nutrients we get from food. The secret to why nutrition is essential for people is in the word itself — nutrition comes from nutrients. Without nutrition, we grow weak, sick and at the very worst can even die.
Nutrients are the fuel we need to enable the body to break down food and then put this to use in the body to repair and build cells and tissue, which is basically our metabolism. The healthy human body needs seven different kinds of nutrients to thrive; proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water.
Macronutrients are the ones we need lots of, while with micronutrients the vitamins and minerals we can get by with a bit less. The minerals we need include magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, chloride, sodium, manganese, copper, and several more.
There are 16 different minerals that we need to thrive. A nutritional imbalance happens when you are not getting the right amounts of all of the nutrients you need. You can have too much of something, but it is generally more serious to have too little of a nutrient. To help maintain your body and keep it strong you need to have a balanced diet as well as a nutritional one. Different nutrients have very different jobs in the body and show up as different kinds of deficiency when they are lacking.
If you are missing all of the nutrients in general, such as being completely deprived of food and water then you can become malnourished.
0コメント