“You are what you eat” -The quote from Victor Lindlahr started to become popular in the early 1930s and is well known since then. Many nutritionists and diet experts refer to the idea of Lindlahr that food controls the wellbeing of humans. Specialists all over the world have plans and experiences on what individuals should eat to be healthy. Dr. Ryan Shelton, Zenith Labs Medical Research Director, is an expert on how a balanced diet impacts human health. Good nutrition with fresh vegetables and fruits, enough proteins and carbohydrates impacts and strengthens body & mind immensely and can prevent serious health issues.
Nutrition and its importance
Food is the main way to give energy to our body. This simply means that we need to make sure what we eat, so our body can perform at its optimum. There are seven classifications of nutrition that are important for the human body: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. These nutrients have physical and mental effects and benefits when consumed regularly.
- Physical effects
Eating nutritious food helps our body to grow normally and healthy and maintains a good body weight. It also prevents chronic physical health issues and diseases. The risk of diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer can be reduced.
- Mental effects
The brain benefits from a balanced diet with increased brain function, efficiency, and resilience. Eating healthy and nutritious meals helps your brain balance and handle emotions better and reduces the risk of mental health issues.
A Selection of 3 dishes
Going back to the quote: you are what you eat, here is a close-up and specified view on the benefits of 3 dishes for a better understanding of how important a healthy diet is.
- Smoothies
The most nutritious and healthy smoothies contain whole foods and no or a small amount of sugar. Because smoothies contain a lot of vegetables and fruits they give a high intake of fiber and various vitamins that cannot be covered with most other meals. Most smoothies are mixed with a lot of green leafy vegetables which means that nutrients like Vitamin K and beta carotene keep our brain active. It furthermore provides carbs, protein, and healthy fats and hydrates the human body. The simple preparation, mixing variety, and great taste is another bonus besides being healthy and nutritious.
- Fruit salads
Fruit salads are one of the healthiest meals a human can consume. Mixing a variety of fresh fruits, the meal can provide a high dose of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Including berries in the fruit salad, it can improve brain memory because of flavonoids. Eating a mix of fresh fruits ensures a high intake of vitamins that are beneficial for good health. With a lot of fiber, fruit salads are easy to digest. Fruits like bananas can help to improve bone quality and control blood pressure. Apples can reduce the risk of heart diseases and diabetes. Oranges contain a lot of vitamin B1, C that can prevent high blood pressure and heart diseases. These are just some options for mixing a healthy fruit salad. Any other fruit will bring an extra health benefit!
- Mixed Salad
Mixed salads are mostly prepared with leafy vegetables that contain a low amount of cholesterol, calories, and sodium. They have a lot of Vitamin A, C, beta carotene, calcium, and fiber. The mix of those nutrients ensures healthy bones, supports your eye function, strengthens muscles, and protects the heart from diseases. Furthermore, it can help to get a healthy skin tone. Taking mixed salads to the next level of healthy food, baby greens, super sprouts (extra nutritious), and nuts for omega 3 fatty acids (improves memory) can be added.
These three dishes are just a small selection of nutritious and healthy meals, but they are a great example of the saying that we are what we eat because the fresh and nutritious ingredients keep our mind and body fresh, healthy, and strong.