Healthy Vrs. Unhealthy Food

366 Words2 Pages
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Diets “You are what you eat”, goes a well-known saying. It’s not quite true but its message really means that if you eat healthy foods, you are most likely to be healthy. If you eat nothing but corn chips, you won’t get to look like a corn cob but you certainly won’t be fit and healthy. This is because your body needs a good mix of foods. Healthy diets are made up mainly of nutrient-rich foods, such as legumes, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean protein and nuts and seeds. Unhealthy diets are high in fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and added sugars. These diets often contain a lot of processed or fast foods that are high in calories but don't contain many nutrients. People following a healthy diet watch their portion sizes so they maintain a healthy weight, since both the quantity and the quality of the food you eat is important for a healthy diet. Nutrient Intake If you eat healthy, you are more likely to get enough of the nutrients, like fiber, calcium, vitamin D and potassium, which many Americans don't consume in sufficient amounts. Whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts provide fiber; low-fat dairy products and green leafy vegetables provide calcium; fruits and vegetables like bananas, apricots, strawberries, avocado and cucumber are good sources of potassium; and fish, eggs and fortified milk and orange juice contain vitamin D. Disease Risk Up to 40 percent of cancers may be due, in part, to following an unhealthy diet, according to BreastCancer.org. Unhealthy diets also increase your risk for Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2.6 million deaths each year are due to obesity-related illnesses. Considerations Planning your meals ahead of time and allowing yourself a small portion of a less-than-healthy treat once in
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