How Does Food Affect Your Health

Food affects our health in several ways for the good and bad. For example, if parents fail to offer their children a wide variety of meals, they might not desire healthy foods and it leads to health problems as they become adults. Or if you are not getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals, your body suffers as a result. This is why people should educate themselves on the best foods for their bodies so that they can prolong their lives and feel better each day.

Main Benefits of Eating Right

When you decide to eat healthier, you reduce diverse diseases that would damage your body. The American Cancer Society states that consumption of a balanced diet with focus on plant based foods decreases your chances of developing cancer. Eating well also ensures that you don’t develop other life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition, you have more energy when you eat the right foods.

Food and Your Mood

The online journal PLOS One stated in a study that long term unhealthy dietary habits might contribute to depression. This is particularly the case for those who eat foods that are processed and that contain too many sugars. High consumption of sugar can contribute to a pattern of food addiction according to a 2012 study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. In a 2014 study of teens in New Zealand, researchers found that a healthy diet leads to improved mental health for teens. This study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Fast Food and Your Body

Fast foods affect your body in negative ways and here are a few of them. Fast food hurts your cardiovascular system because as the excess carbs turn to sugar in your bloodstream, your blood sugar levels spike and this leads to the development of diabetes. Fast food contains excess sodium and it causes kidney disease, heart failure and eventually high blood pressure. According to the journal Thorax, kids who consume too much fast food run the risk of getting asthma.

What You Eat Also Affects Your Skin

Did you know that the food you eat affects your skin? Lycopene is a phytochemical that is in tomatoes, and that works well for the skin. Lycopene fights off the harmful free radicals that cause wrinkles and other skin problems. A study in the British Journal of Dermatology showed that those who consumed five tablespoons of tomato paste had more protection against sunburn than those who didn’t. Carrots contain beta-carotene and this gives your skin excellent protection. You can prepare a turmeric face mask with yogurt as turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties thanks to the antioxidant in it, curcumin.

Link Between Food and Oral Health

The American Dental Association states that poor diet affects your mouth in several ways. If you eat foods high in sugar, it causes plaque development on your teeth and if it persists, tooth decay occurs. To keep this from happening, you should cut back on soft drinks and sugary snacks. Gum disease also happens in those who do not eat the right foods. In addition, failure to brush and floss regularly leads to oral health problems. Even your teeth’s appearance suffers from poor diet. Excess consumption of dark colored foods and beverages stain your teeth, causing it to look brown or yellow.

Food And the Sex Drive

The Cleveland Clinic says that proper weight management makes for a healthy sex life. A recent study found that men who have waistlines over 40 are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction. This is why it is important to eat the right foods and exercise regularly. Medical Daily reports that the trans-fats found in most fast foods can reduce libido. Excess alcohol sometimes causes a decrease in a man’s ability to have an erection.

In conclusion, food affects our health in diverse ways as seen from the above mentioned examples. Because of this we need to be proactive in how we choose and prepare foods. We also need to pass along healthy eating habits to our children so that future generations will prolong their lives through diet. Healthy eating gets expensive at times, but with meal planning and buying on sale, it is possible to eat well on a limited budget.