Foods Your Body Needs for a Healthy Diet
There are many reasons you should eat a balanced diet, but the key is to stick to a meal plan that is nutritious and consistent. By giving your body what it needs, you are fueling your internal systems to function properly and perform essential daily tasks. We’ve put together meal plan examples that you can choose from, so let’s dig in and learn more about balanced diets and which foods you need to keep your body in prime shape.
Add Whole Foods to Your Healthy Diet
Make a point to include whole foods into your healthy recipes. “Whole foods” are basically any food that has not been modified by people. Great examples include fruits, vegetables, meats, most dairy products, eggs, nuts and unprocessed grains. Before you buy anything, ask yourself if anything has been added or removed to this product. If the answer is yes, it’s not considered a whole food.
Buying organic options will reassure you that you are buying clean, whole foods that are good for your body. Many people tend to shy away from spending the extra cash on organic foods because it can get expense, but don’t you think your health is worth the money? If you think about it, the money you spend on giving your body the healthy diet it needs to function properly will save you from paying more medical bills in the future when your processed food gives you diseases and medical complications.
The Facts Behind a Balanced Diet and Making Healthy Choices
For each meal you’ll want to focus on your primary proteins, fats and carbohydrates. These are the building blocks to a healthy meal plan and a healthier you! These fundamental food sources should be the main ingredients of your meal, and the rest of the course should be planned around them.
Make Protein a Priority
Protein is one of the most important nutrients for your body and has many added benefits. Protein helps our bodies build muscle, burn calories, produce strong bones and nice skin and keep our blood healthy. Protein from animals contains all nine amino acids our body requires. Vegetables are also a great source of protein, but cannot give us all nine essential amino acids. You cannot overload your body with too much protein, so take advantage of all the benefits this superfood provides!
Know the Difference Between Good Fats and Bad Fats
We want you to understand that not all fat is bad fat. In fact, essential fatty acids (EFAs) allow your body to give you energy, strengthen your immune system, clean your skin, hair and nails healthy and so much more. EFAs cannot be produced by our bodies, so it’s important that our food provides these fatty acids to our bodies. Unfortunately, they are usually removed to lengthen a product's shelf life.
Fats from plants and animals are considered good fats because they are natural. These types of fats are called saturated fats and can be found in meat, nuts and seeds. Saturated fats store energy, produce hormones and keep your vital organs functioning.
Trans-fats are bad fats. These are typically included in processed vegetable and grain oils, which can be used in many foods. Check the trans-fat on the labels of foods that claim to be “low-fat” since they are usually highly processed and contain higher levels of the bad fat you don’t want in your body. Trans-fats have been linked to skin cancer, heart disease, nerve problems, poor cellular structure, inhibited hormone production, reduced oxygen in cells and fatigue.
Cut Back on Unnecessary Carbs
Basically, anything that is not meat, eggs or cheese will contain carbohydrates. Carbs are in foods like grain, pasta, rice, beans, bread, cereal, sugar, vegetables, juice and fruit. Carbohydrates are necessary for a balanced diet and are good for you as long as you know which ones to avoid, like refined carbs. We’ll explain which ones you’ll want to include in your healthy recipes in our meal plan charts below.
Carbohydrates can provide us with energy, but they can also do a lot of harmful things to our body when they’re processed like many carb-based foods these days. Diets high in processed carbohydrates can increase insulin and blood sugar levels, cause weight gain, raise blood pressure and cause serious diseases like diabetes.
A Balanced Diet Means Sticking to a Meal Plan
If you’re wondering what all of this diet language means, don’t worry, we will teach you! Healthy for Life wants you to achieve your goals and feel your best. We help by providing mini-lessons in our eBook about caring for your health and maintaining a balanced diet. Starting a healthy meal plan can be intimidating, but we make it easy for you with a resource library full of healthy recipes. Let Healthy for Life guide you through your health journey, and soon you’ll be amazed at how great you feel from making healthy eating choices.
Start Your Day With a Healthy Breakfast
To get you ready for a great day and get your metabolism going, you need to take time for a nice breakfast. Choose your meal plan from the breakfast chart below:
Choose Nutritious Options for Lunch and Dinner
Preparing a healthy lunch and dinner gives you the fuel you need to get through your day. Our lunch and dinner chart has plenty of options to choose from, so you have have a variety of healthy meals:
Pick a Snack That Energizes You For Rest of the Day
When one meal isn’t enough to hold you until the next, grab a healthy snack. We can provide you with choices that are good for you and will keep you feeling full. For an extra kick, take a look at our snack chart:
Start Your Healthy Journey With Healthy for Life
Consider taking your health to the next level! By using our meal plan charts, nutritious recipes, various health products and Healthy for Life program, you won’t have to guess about your health.
Get started, download our free eBook!
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2 comments
Brian
Pork is a secondary protein. It’s not as good as beef, chicken or fish.
Llewellyn Brown
Where does pork figure in on protein content ?