Nutrition
Americans have flexibility in making nutrition choices to create a healthy eating pattern that meets nutrient needs and stays within calorie limits.
The body requires carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to maintain healthy organs, bones, muscles, nerves, and to produce hormones and chemicals that are necessary for the proper function of organs.
Vitamins and minerals are naturally occurring substances that are essential for the growth and function of the body. Both are necessary (in small amounts) for normal chemical reactions (metabolism) in the body.
To lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it helps to eat more low-energy-dense foods such as vegetables and fruits, which contain fewer calories per unit volume of food so that one can eat a large volume of it (for example, lettuce) without taking in many calories.
You should also eat less of the high-energy-dense foods such as fats, egg yolks, fried foods, sweets, and high-fat salad dressings. Foods with a high energy density also often have high cholesterol and saturated fat content.
The American Heart Association, World Cancer Research Fund, and American Institute for Cancer Research recommends a diet that consists mostly of unprocessed plant foods, with emphasis on a wide range of whole grains, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables and fruits.
Limiting consumption of sugary drinks, alcoholic beverages, energy rich foods, (including “fast foods” and red meat), and avoiding processed meats improves health and longevity.
An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases including: high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal blood lipids, overweight/obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
The World Health Organization estimates that 2.7 million deaths are attributable to a diet low in fruit and vegetables every year. Poor nutrition is estimated to cause about 19% of gastrointestinal cancer, 31% of ischaemic heart disease, and 11% of strokes, making it one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide.
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Calcium prevents recurrence of colon cancer more effectively in people with higher levels of vitamin D than in people with lower levels, reports a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Fruit on a low carbohydrate diet? Well, it all depends – first on the fruit, second on the timing of when you eat it, and finally on how your body reacts to it.
As the very concept of dieting involves restricting your food intake in some manner, it is beneficial for anyone on ANY diet to take a good, balanced multi-vitamin.