importance of healthy eating habits and a fitness regime essay

Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

The necessity of healthy eating.

Healthy eating is crucial for growing bodies. Consuming a balanced diet gives our bodies the nutrients needed to function correctly.

Benefits of Healthy Eating

Eating healthy foods reduces the risk of chronic diseases. It also helps maintain a healthy weight, boosts energy, and improves brain function.

Healthy Eating Habits

Incorporate fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins into your meals. Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks. Remember, moderation is key.

Healthy eating habits are essential for a healthy life. Start today and reap the benefits tomorrow.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

The vitality of healthy eating habits.

The significance of healthy eating habits cannot be underestimated, especially in our current fast-paced world where convenience often trumps nutritional value. Adopting a balanced diet is paramount to maintaining optimal health and enhancing cognitive function.

Nutrition and Physical Health

A diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients fuels our bodies, supporting vital functions. It aids in maintaining a healthy weight, reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Consuming fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can significantly improve physical health.

Nutrition and Mental Health

Moreover, our diet directly affects our mental health. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish and nuts, can enhance brain function, improving memory and mood. Simultaneously, a deficiency in certain nutrients can lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

Establishing Healthy Eating Habits

Establishing healthy eating habits involves more than just choosing the right food. It also includes regular meal times, appropriate portion sizes, and mindful eating. It’s about creating a sustainable lifestyle rather than a temporary diet.

In conclusion, healthy eating habits are a cornerstone of overall well-being. They contribute to physical health, mental health, and quality of life. As college students, it is crucial to prioritize these habits to ensure not only academic success but lifelong health. Let’s remember, our food choices today will shape our health tomorrow.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits

Introduction.

The importance of healthy eating habits cannot be overstated, particularly in a world where fast food and processed meals have become the norm. Healthy eating habits are not just about maintaining an ideal weight or avoiding obesity; they are also about ensuring optimal physical and mental health, and enhancing overall quality of life.

The Role of Nutrition in Human Health

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in human health. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats provides the essential nutrients that our bodies need to function properly. These nutrients are vital for maintaining energy levels, supporting brain function, aiding in cellular repair, strengthening the immune system, and preventing chronic diseases.

The Impact of Unhealthy Eating Habits

On the contrary, unhealthy eating habits such as consuming high amounts of processed foods, sugary snacks, and fatty meals can lead to numerous health issues. These include obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Moreover, poor nutrition can also affect mental health, contributing to conditions like depression and anxiety.

Healthy Eating and Cognitive Function

Healthy eating habits are also crucial for cognitive function. Nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and B vitamins, which are found in foods like fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, are essential for brain health. They enhance memory, improve mood, and protect against cognitive decline.

Importance of Healthy Eating Habits in College Students

For college students, maintaining healthy eating habits is particularly important. The rigors of academic life, coupled with the challenges of living independently, can lead to poor nutrition. This can result in decreased academic performance, poor concentration, and increased stress levels. By adopting healthy eating habits, students can improve their academic performance, boost their mood, and better manage stress.

In conclusion, healthy eating habits are a cornerstone of good health and well-being. They play a critical role in maintaining physical health, supporting mental well-being, and enhancing cognitive function. For college students, they are particularly important for academic success and stress management. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize healthy eating and make it a part of our daily routine. By doing so, we can improve our health, enhance our quality of life, and set ourselves up for long-term success.

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Obesity levels remain worryingly high, with nearly 30% of the global population being overweight or obese. This figure is set to rise to almost half of the world’s adult population by 2030, according to the McKinsey Global Institute

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Why Are Healthy Eating Habits Important?

Whole foods including fruits, veggies, and whole grains can have benefits for your body and mind.

If you’ve ever asked someone how to be healthy, you’ve probably heard this advice: Eat a healthy diet. Really, though, what does that even mean? If you ask many followers of the trendy ketogenic diet , it means shunning sweet potatoes and quinoa in favor of cheese and coconut oil. For another person, it might mean avoiding sugary foods like ice cream and candy at all costs. And someone else may tell you to avoid all dairy and nix gluten.

The problem is that this back-and-forth about what’s truly healthy can cause a whole lot of confusion, not to mention prompt people to try unsustainable and unnecessarily restrictive diets in the name of health. If that’s you, there’s no need for embarrassment: Just be relieved to learn that healthy eating is far simpler than you may think.

RELATED: A Complete Guide to MyPlate

Healthy Versus Unhealthy Eating Habits: What’s the Difference?

“What I promote to clients is a whole-foods diet, meaning, eat foods as close to their original form as possible,” says Alicia Galvin, RD , a nutritionist based in Dallas. When food is processed or refined, it’s stripped of most of its fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and often preservatives are added in their place, she explains.

A plant-based eating pattern is the way to go. “Studies show that people who consume a more plant-based diet have a lower risk of all the chronic diseases,” says Samantha Heller, RD , a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.

Case in point: One study found that people who stick with plant-based eating patterns have a 16 percent lower risk of developing heart disease, possibly because these diets tend to include more heart-healthy fiber and nutrients like potassium while limiting intake of saturated fat and cholesterol. The definition of plant-based eating can vary, but it includes vegan (no animal products), raw vegan (no animal products and only raw foods), vegetarian (no meat), or even flexitarian (eating vegetarian most of the time).

Also key: cultivating a happy relationship with food. “Food is not the enemy,” says Galvin. Rather than focus on what you shouldn’t be eating, think about what you can add to your plate that will improve your health, like nuts for heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids or raspberries for their fiber and antioxidants.

RELATED: 9 Scientific Benefits of Following a Plant-Based Diet

Why Should I Make Healthy Food Choices?

Food is one of the most important tools for a life lived well — and long, says Galvin.

A Healthy Diet Can Help Prevent Disease

“In the United States, the top leading causes of death are related to chronic disease, which comes from having an unhealthy lifestyle,” she says. Smoking, poor nutrition, lack of exercise , and excessive alcohol use are the top causes of chronic disease, which includes heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .

Food Choices Affect Your Mental Health

It’s not just our physical health that can see a boost when you prioritize a healthy diet. Research shows that food choices also affect mental health. In one review , study authors report that a diet rich in vitamins and minerals is associated with a lower risk for mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Eat a Healthy Diet and You May Lose Weight

Being overweight or having obesity is associated with an increased risk of these health conditions, per the CDC , so weight loss can be important if you have a high body mass index (BMI) . Fortunately, following a high-quality diet in which you pay attention to portion sizes can also help you reach a healthy weight, according to the Mayo Clinic . Another piece of the puzzle: eating mindfully. Turn off the TV or any other distractions while eating, and don’t eat too fast or for emotional reasons, notes the Mayo Clinic .

RELATED: How to Do a ‘Dry January’ Any Month of the Year

Why Should I Strive for a Healthy Lifestyle?

In sum, the payoff of a healthy lifestyle is huge. “Over time, when you make healthy decisions about food, you are at a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even anxiety and depression. You will have more energy, feel better, and may even be in a better mood on a daily basis,” says Heller.

Again, it comes down to the length and quality of your life. In one review , a healthy diet was found to decrease the risk of early death from any cause by 56 percent. Researchers defined a healthy diet as one that focuses on eating whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish. On the other hand, a higher intake of red or processed meats increased the risk of early death by twofold.

RELATED: What Is the Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

How to Improve and Change Your Eating Habits

If your goal is to eat healthier, it can feel overwhelming to think that you have to change up your eating habits all at once. Here are six tips on how to start.

1. Make a Plan for Your New Healthy Diet

The first step is to develop a concrete and specific plan of action, says Heller. For instance, tomorrow morning when it’s time to eat breakfast, plan to skip the fast-food breakfast sandwich and eat a piece of whole-grain toast with peanut butter at home.

2. Save Your Lunch Money

Bringing your lunch to school or work has more than one perk. It’s a good way to save money and use up what you have in the house, and it will likely be more nutritious. One easy way to do that, suggests Heller: Pack leftovers from last night’s dinner.

3. Keep Unhealthy Foods Out of Sight

Purge your pantry and fridge of any unhealthy food, and start thinking about getting only the good stuff into your kitchen. That way you’ll have more of a chance of eating healthy and much less of a chance of eating junk. Make a shopping list so that you can pick up all the vegetables, fruit, and other plant-based foods that you need for the next three days, says Heller.

RELATED: The Ultimate Diet Guide for a Healthier, Less-Stressed You

5. Take Baby Steps

Set small, doable goals, says Galvin. For instance, you want to eat three more servings of vegetables this week: How can you make that happen? Maybe that’s by adding one extra serving of veggies to dinner just three nights this week. Or, you’re going to make one meal that’s bean-based, like chili for lunch just one day this week.

6. Start a Journal to Monitor Food Choices

A food diary is one way to eat healthier, says Heller. It’s not to track calories or carbohydrates — instead, writing down your food habits will help you better understand the why behind what you ate. Getting to this root reason is a critical step toward behavioral change. For instance, you came home after work and binged on chips and salsa while preparing dinner. Revisiting your food diary can help you understand that it was because you skipped breakfast and ate a small, rushed lunch — you were really hungry when you got home and couldn’t wait!

RELATED: Best Diets to Try (and Which to Skip)

Establishing Healthy Eating Habits in Children

If you’re perplexed by the fact that Junior has declared he hates broccoli after liking it last week, or that he finds anything but chicken nuggets or boxed mac ’n’ cheese offensive, you’ll be happy to know you don’t have to force healthy eating habits on your child. What works better? Modeling those healthy habits yourself.

“Home is where we can make the most impact on what our children are eating,” says Heller. That means getting them involved in food shopping and preparation in age-appropriate ways. Make good-for-them food accessible by putting apples and oranges in a bowl on the kitchen counter; give them a variety of foods to snack on when they get home from school and they’re naturally ravenous (baby carrots, edamame); and make an effort to have family dinner together. The last point is especially important. Families who eat together generally consume healthier diets, including more fruits and veggies, and less takeout and fast-food, according to research .

RELATED: What Does Your Child’s BMI Mean for Their Health?

What Are Some Healthy Foods to Eat Every Day?

There are so many healthy foods, and you can choose the ones you like, without worrying about the latest “superfood.” Remember: “There is no bad fruit, vegetable, nut, seed, legume, or whole grain. They’re all good, and there’s no single one that’s magical,” says Heller. Here are a few indisputably healthy foods to incorporate into your meals and snacks:

Fruits Berries, bananas, citrus, mango, kiwi, apples, melons
Vegetables Leafy greens (like kale, arugula, and collard greens), peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushroom, squash
Legumes Beans, lentils, dried peas, hummus
Whole grains Brown rice, wild rice, whole-grain bread, quinoa, amaranth, millet , bulgur
Nuts and seeds Almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin seeds

RELATED: 10 of the Best Plant-Based Sources of Protein

What Are Some Diets That Promote Balanced Eating?

Following a diet that promotes balanced eating rather than a trendy diet that lays out several rules and restrictions, and possibly cuts entire food groups, is a more sustainable approach, says Heller. These include the Mediterranean diet , the DASH diet , the MIND diet (a combination of DASH and Mediterranean that’s focused on brain-friendly foods to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease), as well as a vegetarian diet (if you choose to avoid meat).

RELATED: U.S. News & World Report’s Best and Worst Diets

One Last Thing on the Importance of Healthy Eating

Filling your plate with plant foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains will help protect your body against chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Avoid fad diets, which are short-lived and unsustainable.

“Our body’s mission is to keep us alive,” says Heller. “We can help our body do that by supplying it with the nutrients it needs to keep it healthy, so you can feel great every day.”

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Kim H et al. Plant-Based Diets Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle-Aged Adults. Journal of the American Heart Association . August 20, 2019.
About Chronic Diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . July 21, 2022.
Lim SY et al. Nutritional Factors Affecting Mental Health. Clinical Nutrition Research . July 2016.
Causes of Obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . March 21, 2022.
Portion Control for Weight Loss. Mayo Clinic . September 1, 2023.
Balzer D. Mayo Clinic Minute: Mindfulness While Eating. Mayo Clinic . December 6, 2019.
Schwingshackl L et al. Food Groups and Risk of All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . June 2017.
Walton K et al. Exploring the Role of Family Functioning in the Association Between Frequency of Family Dinners and Dietary Intake Among Adolescents and Young Adults. JAMA Network Open . November 21, 2018.

Healthy Living Guide 2020/2021

A digest on healthy eating and healthy living.

Cover image of the Healthy Living Guide downloadable PDF

As we transition from 2020 into 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect nearly every aspect of our lives. For many, this health crisis has created a range of unique and individual impacts—including food access issues, income disruptions, and emotional distress.

Although we do not have concrete evidence regarding specific dietary factors that can reduce risk of COVID-19, we do know that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is critical to keeping our immune system strong. Beyond immunity, research has shown that individuals following five key habits—eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, keeping a healthy body weight, not drinking too much alcohol, and not smoking— live more than a decade longer than those who don’t. Plus, maintaining these practices may not only help us live longer, but also better. Adults following these five key habits at middle-age were found to live more years free of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

While sticking to healthy habits is often easier said than done, we created this guide with the goal of providing some tips and strategies that may help. During these particularly uncertain times, we invite you to do what you can to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and hopefully (if you’re able to try out a new recipe or exercise, or pick up a fulfilling hobby) find some enjoyment along the way.

Download a copy of the Healthy Living Guide (PDF) featuring printable tip sheets and summaries, or access the full online articles through the links below.

In this issue:

Understanding the body’s immune system
Does an immune-boosting diet exist?
The role of the microbiome
A closer look at vitamin and herbal supplements
8 tips to support a healthy immune system
A blueprint for building healthy meals
Food feature: lentils
Strategies for eating well on a budget
Practicing mindful eating
What is precision nutrition?
Ketogenic diet
Intermittent fasting
Gluten-free
10 tips to keep moving
Exercise safety
Spotlight on walking for exercise
How does chronic stress affect eating patterns?
Ways to help control stress
How much sleep do we need?
Why do we dream?
Sleep deficiency and health
Tips for getting a good night’s rest

Printable bingo card for the Healthy Living Bingo Challenge

Healthy Lifestyle and Eating Essay

Healthy eating is the process of keeping the body clean, strong, and healthy at all times (Allen, 1926). Healthy living, on the other hand, means that one should be able to eat the right food, get enough exercise, and maintain cleanliness (James, 1907). Unfortunately, many people do not keep track of these requirements. Thus, they end up with serious health problems, which can be difficult to treat. Prevention of these problems can be accomplished through maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Such a lifestyle is achievable by eating the right food and adhering to all the requirements of healthy living.

The human body needs a balanced diet, which includes enough minerals, fats, vitamins, fiber, and carbohydrates (Albrecht, 1932). These substances are required by the body to facilitate the growth and functioning of body tissues. Low energy foods such as vegetables and fruits have small amounts of calories per unit volume of food. Therefore, it is advisable to eat this combination of foods in large volumes as it contains fewer calories, but has nutrients that are essential for optimal body functionality. Incidentally, one should take food that is free from unhealthy fats, but should ensure that whole grains and proteins go alongside fruits and vegetables.

Apart from choosing the best foods for the body, it is also advisable that people should maintain moderate quantities of food intake. For instance, it is prudent to eat less of unhealthy foods such as refined sugar and saturated fats and more of healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits. This pattern of eating has massive health benefits to its adherents. As such, people should strive to develop good eating habits that can sustain them throughout their lives.

Further, it is recommended that one should eat a heavy breakfast an hour after waking up. The breakfast needs to consist of carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins in balanced proportions. It should then be followed by light meals throughout the day. This requirement is important since breakfast helps to initiate the body’s metabolism. The light and healthy meals thereafter help maintain a high body energy level that keeps one active throughout the day (Allen, 1926). People should avoid eating late at night. Early dinners are advisable followed by an average of 15 hours of no food until breakfast time the next morning. Past studies show that this pattern helps regulate body weight (James, 1907).

People who are diagnosed with lifestyle diseases such as anemia, high blood pressure, and diabetes among others are advised to follow diets that are rich in fruits and vegetable content (Allen, 1926). Depending on the stage of illness, such people should strictly watch what they eat. For example, high blood pressure patients should cut down on sodium, which is mainly found in salt. They should also avoid foods that have high cholesterol and saturated fats since diets of this sort prompt a high risk of artery clogging. Consequently, it increases the risk of heart attacks and blood vessel diseases (Albrecht, 1932). Further, they need to control the amount of carbohydrates they take.

Carbohydrates should only account for 50% of their daily calories (Allen, 1926). Finally, they are discouraged from foods with a high phosphorous content since they may lead to bone diseases (Allen, 1926). Overweight people constitute another special needs group. They should reduce weight to be healthy. Consequently, they need at least 30 minutes of rigorous physical exercise everyday and a lean diet.

In conclusion, all these groups of people should increase their water intake. Water is essential in the human body since it facilitates the regulation of all body functions. As such, it enhances body health. In this regard, people should strive to take at least eight glasses per day. Apparently, healthy living calls for discipline and commitment. If people foster these two values in the lifestyles, the world will be full of healthy people.

Albrecht, Arthur E. (1932). About foods and markets : A teachers’ handbook and consumers’ guide . New York City, NY: Columbia University. Web.

Allen, Ida C. (1926). Your foods and you or the role of diet . Garden City, NY: Doubleday Page & Company. Web.

James F. (1907). How we are fed: A geographical reader . New York, NY: Macmillan. Web.

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Saturated Fatty Acids and Coronary or Cardiovascular Disease
Dietary Consumption: Strategies for Healthy Eating
Carbohydrates: A Dietary Perspective
Nutrition: A Day’s Dietary Intake of Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats
Fats and Proteins in Relation to Type 2 Diabetes
Analyzing Personal Diet and Intake Pattern
School Breakfast Program for Children's Health
The Concept of Carbohydrates
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Health and Fitness Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on health and fitness.

We have always heard the word ‘health’ and ‘fitness’. We use it ourselves when we say phrases like ‘health is wealth’ and ‘fitness is the key’. What does the word health really mean? It implies the idea of ‘being well’. We call a person healthy and fit when he/she function well physically as well as mentally.

Factors Affecting our Health and Fitness

Good health and fitness is not something which one can achieve entirely on our own. It depends on their physical environment and the quality of food intake. We live in villages, towns, and cities.

In such places, even our physical environment affects our health. Therefore, our social responsibility of pollution-free environment directly affects our health. Our day-to-day habits also determine our fitness level. The quality of food, air, water all helps in building our fitness level.

Role of Nutritious Diet on our Health and Fitness

The first thing about where fitness starts is food. We should take nutritious food. Food rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates is very essential. Protein is necessary for body growth. Carbohydrates provide the required energy in performing various tasks. Vitamin and minerals help in building bones and boosting our immune system.

However, taking food in uneven quantity is not good for the body. Taking essential nutrients in adequate amount is called a balanced diet. Taking a balanced diet keep body and mind strong and healthy. Good food helps in better sleep, proper brain functioning and healthy body weight.

Include vegetables, fruits, and pulses in daily diet. One must have a three-course meal. Having roughage helps in cleaning inner body organs. Healthy food habit prevents various diseases. Reducing the amount of fat in the diet prevents cholesterol and heart diseases.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Impact of Exercise on our Health

Routine exercise helps improve our muscle power. Exercise helps in good oxygen supply and blood flow throughout the body. Heart and lungs work efficiently. Our bones get strong and joints have the pain free movement.

We should daily spend at least twenty minutes in our exercise. Daily morning walk improves our fitness level. We should avoid strenuous Gym activities. Exercise burns our fat and controls the cholesterol level in the body. Various outdoor games like cricket, football, volleyball, etc keeps our body fit. Regular exercise maintains our body shape.

Meditation, Yoga, and Health

Meditation and yoga are part of our life from ancient time. They not only make us physically fit but mentally strong as well. Meditation improves our concentration level. Our mind gets relaxed and thinking becomes positive.

A healthy mind is key for a healthy body. Yoga makes us stressfree and improves the endurance power of the mind. Yoga controls our blood pressure. With yoga, a strong bond with nature is established. Meditation is considered the best way to fight depression.

A person stays happier when he/she is fit and healthy. A fit and healthy person is less prone to chronic diseases. The healthy mind reacts better in a pressure situation. The self-confidence of a person is increased. Risk of heart failure is reduced drastically. With the increased immunity power body could fight cancerous cells. The intensity of the fracture is decreased with regular exercise.

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Healthy Eating Habits

Introduction, nutrition and healthy eating, healthy living strategies, works cited.

Proper nutrition and physical activity are important aspects of healthy livings as their contribution to reducing the rates of chronic diseases is a well-established fact. On the other hand, unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical exercise lead to diseases such as diabetes, obesity, stroke, heart diseases, and osteoporosis, which can sometimes be fatal.

The findings of a study conducted in 1990 established that 14% of all deaths in the U.S. could be attributed to poor eating habits and physical inactivity with sedentary lifestyles, a contributor to 23% of disease-related deaths[1]. Healthy eating habits involve the inclusion of fruits, vegetables, and important minerals in the diet and the reduction of saturated fat intake.

Regular physical activity is essential for healthy living as it reduces the chances of developing coronary heart disease. The reduced physical activity and the changes in eating and dieting habits have long-lasting health consequences on the general health of the public, particularly the children and adolescents.

Developing good eating habits for children and adolescents is important for their long-term nutritional well-being. Proper nutrition, together with regular physical activity, enhances proper physical growth, promotes positive self-esteem, and promotes the children’s capacity to learn. In addition, good nutrition and physical activity also prevent diseases such as obesity.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a rapid increase in the rate of children becoming overweight over the past twenty years, attributed to poor nutrition and exercise habits[2]. Proper nutrition and physical exercise habits are important in maintaining a healthy living, and this can be started at an early age.

The parents eating habits influence the children’s feeding practices, and therefore, teaching children healthy eating habits in schools would make them practice healthy behaviors throughout their lives[3]. Increased consumption of vegetables and fruits with a reduction in fat intake coupled with physical activity are among the healthy habits to curb the overweight problems in children.

The consequences of physical inactivity and poor dietary habits in children and adults alike are obesity, which is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30k/m2.

The prevalence of obesity increased among the population between 1991 and 2000, affecting all the segments of the population in the U.S[4]. Obesity is the major cause of health complications, including diabetes (type II), hypertension, heart diseases, stroke, osteoarthritis, respiratory complications, and some cancers.

The socio-economic consequences of obesity, now an epidemic, are overwhelming. The intervention strategies usually focus on promoting good eating habits, including a reduction in calorie intake and helping people increase their physical activity. In children, breastfeeding prevents excessive weight gain and obesity in early childhood and adolescence and, thus, a good strategy of reducing childhood obesity[5].

For adults and young people, poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity increase the risk of developing health-related complications. These segments of the population have an increased risk for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels.

By establishing healthier eating habits combined with physical activity, the onset of these diseases would be prevented[6]. Additionally, active lifestyles and healthy eating behaviors help people with chronic diseases to cope with or control the effects of the diseases and prevent deterioration of their physical condition.

In order to promote healthy living and prevent complications arising from poor eating habits such as obesity, various healthy living strategies involving behavior change are important[7]. To reduce health-related complications in the elderly, regular physical exercises and sporting, including jogging and regular visits to the gym, can be very helpful.

Given the immense benefits of physical exercises, social support is one way of motivating people to remain physically fit and live healthy lifestyles. This can be achieved by providing programs that help people incorporate exercises into their daily routines.

Furthermore, increasing community-based programs and facilities would encourage people to exercise and in the process, live healthy lifestyles. Increased consumption of vegetables and fruits with lower calorie intake lowers the incidences of diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and some cancers[8].

Excessive intake of saturated fats is the major cause of cardiovascular diseases and cancers[9]. Therefore, to achieve healthy living, the diet should constitute plenty of fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat. Daily consumption of at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables is recommended for healthy living; however, less than 25% of the U.S. population consumes this[10].

For young children and adolescents, school-based physical education (PE) enables students to engage in physical activities to promote their physical well-being and learning. Prolonged television watching among children and adolescents increases overweight incidences among children[11].

This may be because television watching leads to a decline in calorie-burning physical activity and reduces the children’s metabolic rate. Furthermore, television watching may influence the children’s eating habits contributing to an increased risk of obesity.

Physical inactivity and poor eating habits cause health-related complications such as obesity and heart diseases. The intervention methods usually focus on promoting physical exercises and healthier eating habits. Given the current increase in health-related diseases, it is evident that reduced physical activity and unhealthy eating habits have adverse impacts on the general health of the public, more especially the young people.

CDC. Healthy Youth! Childhood Overweight , 2006.

DHHS. Healthy People 2010 . Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2000.

McGinnis, John, and Foege, Wrights. “Actual causes of death in the United States.” JAMA 37.2 (1993): 2207-12.

Ness, Amie, and Powles, Jacobs. “Fruit and vegetables and cardiovascular disease: a Review”. Int. J Epidemiol 26.4 (1997): 7-13.

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StudyCorgi . "Healthy Eating Habits." January 8, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/healthy-eating-habits/.

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On Teens, Nutrition, and Exercise: How to Encourage Healthy Habits

Experts across Tufts outline the challenges for today’s teens when it comes to healthy eating and physical activity, and how parents and caregivers can help

Ask a teenager whether they’re eating healthy or getting enough exercise, and you might get a blank look.

With school getting more demanding, extracurricular activities multiplying, and college applications looming, teens have a lot going on. Many are also starting to work jobs, care for younger siblings, and take on other family duties–even amid drastic changes to their hormone levels and bodies, as well as their sense of who they are and their relationships with family and peers.

woman with dark hair and pink blouse smiling at camera

Dietitian Venus Kalami, N20

“It all comes together in a way that can be really wonderful, but also really overwhelming,” said Venus Kalami, N20, director of pediatric nutrition at the company Solid Starts, who has worked heavily with teens in her seven years of experience as a clinical dietitian.

Erin Hennessy , dean for research strategy and associate professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts and director of the project ChildObesity180 , agreed. “In the order of things that teens have to be concerned about, nutrition and exercise are low,” she said.

But as a public health concern, they’re high on the list. Whether they know it or not, most teens are not meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in major ways, according to Christina Economos , dean of the Friedman School and founder of ChildObesity180.

Christina Economos

They’re eating fewer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and more added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium than the guidelines advise. And only one in five adolescents are meeting the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities (60 minutes of physical activity a day, 30 of them “vigorous”).

Due to demanding schedules and other factors, many teens find it difficult to eat regular meals and stay hydrated, Kalami said, which leads to lower energy levels and worse moods.

If not addressed, it can affect their health in the long run, too. Not building enough muscle and bone can lead to lower bone density in adulthood. Obesity in adolescence makes adult obesity almost 18 times more likely–and almost 30% of teens today have overweight or obesity, compared to 15% 60 years ago. On top of that, a record high 10% of U.S. households with children are food insecure, and rates of eating disorders among teens are on the rise. All this only got worse over the pandemic, with many parents out of work, teens stuck at home, and high levels of stress across the board.

But there are things that teens and the adults around them can do to promote healthier eating and more exercise, Tufts experts agreed–and there is reason for optimism, Hennessy added.

Erin Hennessy

“Over the past few decades as we’ve seen an increase in obesity rates, we have also seen a shift in interest among children, teens, and young adults who are becoming much more interested in food, food justice, agriculture, the environment, and how those pieces are interconnected,” Hennessy said. “They’re coming to us at the Friedman School with far more understanding and knowledge about the field than I’ve ever seen, and it’s great to see that kind of shift and personal engagement with those topics.”

Tips for vegetarian and vegan teens

Contrary to popular belief, kids and teenagers can be vegetarians or vegans and still eat a healthy, complete diet that meets all their nutrient needs.
Eating vegetarian or vegan does not automatically make for a healthy diet.
Cow’s milk is not less healthy than plant-based milks, and can play an important role in a healthy diet if you’re vegetarian but not vegan.
If you’re vegan, drink plant-based milks for calcium and vitamin D—particularly soy milk, which has high bioavailability of these nutrients.
Eat high-protein plant-based foods, such as nuts, beans, and seeds—quinoa is a great high-protein alternative to rice or pasta. Read the ingredients before buying meat substitutes, which can be high in added sugars and sodium.
Eat plant-based foods high in iron, such as beans and leafy greens. Try to consume vitamin C-rich foods (such as citrus fruits) at the same time to increase your iron absorption.
If you’re vegetarian, consume eggs and dairy to meet your vitamin B12 needs. If you’re vegan, consume nutritional yeast or B12-fortified products such as plant-based milks or yogurts.

Source: Christina Economos, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Challenges for Teen Nutrition and Exercise

As children become teens, their energy and nutrient needs shoot up to an all-time high, because their bodies are growing. Particularly important for this growth are protein (for new tissue of all kinds), calcium and vitamin D (for bones), and iron, especially for those who are beginning to menstruate.

At the same time, teens’ schedules are getting busier, and their sleeping hours are shifting, leading to more barriers with eating regular meals and instead, leaning more on snacking. They are eating less at home, where parents might offer a healthy menu, and more with their friends or on their own–which leads to more fast food, processed snacks, soda, and sports drinks, especially at high schools with nearby convenience stores. “There’s a whole system that pushes the production, distribution, access, marketing, and palatability of unhealthy processed and ultra-processed foods ,” Economos said.

Teens’ higher order executive functions such as impulse control and long-term thinking are still developing, making it tougher to make nutritious choices in a landscape already skewed toward unhealthy options. And with adolescence comes greater self-consciousness about one’s body and eating, more scrutiny and comparison on social media, and increasing levels of judgment from a society with unrealistic expectations about body size and weight–adding an extra level of stress, which drives emotional eating.

“There are growth spurts that cause their height and weight to shift in ways they haven’t experience before,” Hennessy said. “They can feel like their bodies are no longer in their control, which can cause stress and anxiety.”

More teenagers are also struggling with food allergies or intolerances, or medical conditions requiring dietary limitations–and the stress that comes along with them. “We can see a lot of over-restriction out of fear of accidentally ingesting something,” Kalami said. “And this may affect social life, hanging out with friends, participating in team sport events, and many domains of life.”

On the exercise side of things, Hennessy pointed out that research shows teens—particularly those who identify as girls—are less physically active than younger children. It helps to have access to team sports, exercise programs, or any physical activity opportunity and the support for engaging in these opportunities. But it also takes an environment—like having green space and neighborhoods safe to walk in—to also be physically active. Many teens from marginalized communities don’t have this type of access, she said.

And even parents’ most well-meaning efforts to improve teens’ eating and exercise can backfire. Studies show that an authoritarian parenting style, or one that’s high in control (lots of rules, restriction and controlling parental behaviors) and low in responsiveness (a lack of openness, warmth, support), is correlated with disordered eating symptoms in youths up to 18 years old, and high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse.

“Some younger adolescents are more comfortable with the rules and structure that their parents create and lay down,” Hennessy said, referring to the developmental psychology concept of the legitimacy of parental authority. “But older teens especially feel there are particular domain areas that their parents should not be making rules about, like who their friends are, or the ways they move their bodies, or what they ingest.” This can cause tension between parents and their teens.

Tips for teens with food allergies and intolerances

Get the facts. If you suspect you have a food allergy or intolerance, visit an allergist for a blood test, skin prick test, or oral food challenge to determine what foods cause what reactions. If you were diagnosed a long time ago, visit an allergist again and see what treatment options may be available to you.
Don’t unnecessarily cut out foods. Over-restriction can also be problematic. If you can comfortably consume a food without having difficulties, keep doing so. Try not to cut out foods you don’t have reactions to.
With food allergies, take precautions . Read food labels and learn to properly interpret them. Ask about ingredients and cross-contamination potential at restaurants. Get an EpiPen prescription and always carry one in your purse or backpack, in addition to any other allergy medications; make sure your family or friends know how to administer it if you can’t (and what you’re allergic to).

Source: Dietitian Venus Kalami, N20

Tips to Promote Better Nutrition in Teens

In light of these many factors, what can parents do to supporting teens in nourishing their bodies and finding forms of exercise that make sense for them? Tufts experts offered guidance ranging from being aware of specific nutrients, to including teens in food-related decision-making in the family.

Margie Skeer , interim chair of the public health and community medicine department at Tufts University School of Medicine , advised having regular family meals. Besides being linked to higher fruit and vegetable consumption and lower rates of disordered eating among adolescents, family meals have a protective effect against other high-risk behaviors, such as substance abuse.

It’s also essential to recognize the many forces in play beyond individual choice, and to approach nutrition and exercise as not solely the teen’s problem, but a function of the overall health of the teen’s family and the broader environmental context in which the family is situated, Hennessy said.

Margie Skeer. Photo: Anna Miller

It’s essential to recognize the many forces in play beyond individual choice, and to approach nutrition and exercise as not the teen’s problem, but a function of the overall health of the teen’s family and environment, Hennessy said.

“How can we help teens develop a healthy relationship with food and movement, and create preferences that will carry them forward?” she asked. “How do we help create that foundation to return to throughout life for those who don’t have it, and how do we maintain it for those who do?”

Start with yourself. “How do I get my teen to go on a diet / exercise?” is a common online search phrase around teens and nutrition. But Hennessy suggested first stepping back and asking, “How am I role modeling healthy behaviors for my child?” and to shift the thinking from focusing on one child to thinking about the whole family and how the whole family can support and adopt healthy eating and movement behaviors.

Provide structure without being intrusive. Structure refers to the way parents organize their child’s environment to facilitate their child’s competence. What does that look like in practice? Setting rules and limits, providing limited or guiding choices, setting routines, role modeling, involving teens in food preparation and meal selection, and making healthy food available and accessible.

Know your teen’s nutritional needs. Consult a pediatrician or dietitian, Economos said, as well as resources such as the USDA’s MyPlate Nutrition Information for Teens . Pay special attention to whether your teen is getting enough dairy or plant-based dairy alternatives (for calcium and vitamin D), and iron sources such as red meat, beans, leafy greens, and fortified cereals.

Watch for changes and patterns. Rather than focusing on your teen’s size or weight, watch for new behaviors such as skipping meals, starting to eat much more or less, as well as higher stress levels around food, Hennessy said. Observe how often these behaviors repeat and provide support for your teen, and if there is ever a concern about certain behaviors, consult your healthcare provider.

Connect with your teen. Kalami has often asked about teenage clients’ passions and interests, which can provide the will and the ways to improve health. Skeer emphasized not just spending mealtimes with teens (ideally at least half of all meals), but making sure it’s quality time—meaning a relaxed, supportive environment with open communication and no distractions (such as phones). “Parents eating meals with teens conveys that spending time together is important to them,” Skeer said.

Empower your teen. Instead of prescribing healthy habits, learn your teen’s goals around eating–for example, being a vegetarian–and help them accomplish them in a healthy way, Hennessy said. Economos highlighted the importance of including kids in meal planning and preparation from a young age, teaching them culinary skills and healthy approaches to eating.

Look to local resources. Organizations like Girls on the Run can bring teenage girls together with supportive adults to walk, jog, and run in their neighborhoods, while local dance classes could introduce elements of culture and fun, Economos said. Teens can also get together to walk or train for a 5K, or take free online classes on yoga or strength training. “Goal setting as a group, and a structure where people care if you’re coming, can be really helpful,” Economos said.

Find one small change that works. Whether it’s swapping in nuts for potato chips, setting phone alarms to drink water, dancing to Zumba videos, or going to the park with a friend or family member, it’s the small, realistic changes that make a difference, Kalami said–and you can start with just one.

Support balance and variety. Encourage not just physical health, but overall “food-related quality of life,” said Kalami–especially among teens anxious about eating the wrong thing. “One of the main things I advocate for is minimizing unnecessary restriction, and loosening it up so we can get some flexibility, freedom, and variety back in our lives,” Kalami said.

An illustration of a teenager skateboarding in a city area

Teen Behavior, Explained by a Neuroscientist

An illustration of a sad-looking teenage girl sitting in front of a row of lockers with a backpack next to her

Advice for Parents and Caregivers on Teens and Mental Health

Got a Sleepy Teenager? Here’s What You Should Know

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Health Capsule

How Your Eating Habits Affect Your Health

Young woman in grocery store looking at apples.

A new study shows how the things you eat can influence your risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes. The findings suggest ways to change your eating habits to improve your health.

Experts already know that a healthy eating plan includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. A healthy diet also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. It limits saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars.

NIH-funded scientists analyzed how these 10 dietary factors affect your risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These are known as cardiometabolic diseases. The team relied on data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and national mortality data.

The scientists found that risk of death from the 3 diseases was higher for those who consumed too much sodium, processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and unprocessed red meat. Risk of death was also higher among those who didn’t eat enough nuts and seeds, seafood omega-3 fats, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, or polyunsaturated fats. According to the analysis, nearly half (45%) of deaths in 2012 from the 3 diseases was associated with too much or too little of these 10 dietary factors.

“This study establishes the number of cardiometabolic deaths that can be linked to Americans’ eating habits, and the number is large,” explains Dr. David Goff, a heart disease and public health expert at NIH. “Second, it shows how recent reductions in those deaths relate to improvements in diet, and this relationship is strong. There is much work to be done in preventing heart disease, but we also know that better dietary habits can improve our health quickly, and we can act on that knowledge by making and building on small changes that add up over time.”

Importance of Healthy Eating and Regular Exercise in Preventing Obesity

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The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine

One of the greatest challenges to lifestyle medicine is patient adherence. Lifestyle diseases inherently require lifetime prevention and treatment. Therefore, adherence to lifestyle medicine recommendations must also be long-term. Long-term adherence implies that a routine incorporating health recommendations has been developed. Instead of focusing on the immediacy of adherence in lifestyle changes, health care providers could consider helping patients develop a routine to slowly incorporate those changes. This perspective may enable greater long-term adherence to lifestyle change recommendations.

‘Implementation of a lifestyle change implies that a routine is followed and habits are formed.’

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This popular expression indicates that apples are good for one’s health, and highlights the importance of routinely eating them. Often the message individuals take away from the apple-a-day health advice is to eat more apples. However, perhaps the more important take away message is to eat nutritious foods regularly . The term lifestyle change inherently means that changes are made such that they can be followed for the lifetime of an individual. Implementation of a lifestyle change implies that a routine is followed and habits are formed. A healthy lifestyle includes habitual consumption of nutritious foods, regular physical activity, and consistent sleep. In this issue, Weaver and colleagues 1 discuss the structured day hypothesis as an explanation for the trend in children gaining weight over the summer. When days are less structured, such as the summer months when school is out of session, children are more prone to engage in obesogenic behaviors. 2 As a result, most children—irrespective of their weight status—gain weight over the summer. 3

Routine is consistently found to be important for children. A bedtime routine is associated with increased family functioning and improved sleep habits. 4 , 5 Family routines have been linked to the development of social skills and academic success, 6 and adherence to family routines has been identified as important for family resilience during times of crisis. 7 However, the importance of routine is not unique to children. Observational research indicates that individuals in good health engage in highly routine health behaviors. For example, those successful at maintaining weight loss often eat the same foods, engage in consistent exercise, and do not skip meals. 8 - 10 While the preponderance of observational-level research points to the importance of routine, little attention has been paid to the role routine may have in lifestyle medicine. Instead, health behavior research often focuses on patient adherence.

According to the World Health Organization, adherence refers to “the extent to which a person’s behavior—taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes—corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider.” 11 Patient adherence is one of the greatest challenges in lifestyle medicine. In the short term, many patients are able to adhere to recommendations. However, it has been estimated that only about 50% of patients adhere to their long-term treatment plan. 11 Nonadherence to medication, for example, can lead to poor management of chronic disease and a higher health care burden. 12 This is a critical issue for lifestyle medicine as chronic disease is, by definition, long term.

It is evident from low adherence rates that adherence does not always lead to routine. A routine can be defined as a repeated behavior involving a momentary time commitment task that requires little conscious thought. 7 , 13 If health recommendations were to become routine, adherence would likely occur. A novel way to approach the issue of patient adherence is to assist patients in creating a routine around the health recommendation. However, there are many challenges to the creation of routine.

Forming a Routine

Forming a routine can take a long time and is highly variable between individuals. Experimental research regarding routines is scant. One reason for this is that conducting a randomized control trial to isolate routine as a variable of interest would be challenging. The formation of habits is more often studied. 14 - 16 As the formation of a habit and routine is more similar than different, some implications of habit formation research will be discussed. However, it is important to note the difference between a routine and a habit. Habits are associated with a cue. 16 For example, washing one’s hands after using the restroom is a habit because hand washing is associated with the event of using the restroom. Like a routine, a habit requires little conscious thought. However, after prolonged absence of the cue, an individual’s habit may subside. A routine is not dependent on a cue.

A study conducted in the United Kingdom examined how long it takes for adults to form a health habit. 15 Participants were asked to choose a simple dietary or physical activity behavior they did not currently practice to turn into a habit. Behaviors were cued by a single event during the day (e.g., eating a piece of fruit with lunch, drinking a glass of water after breakfast, doing 50 sit-ups after morning coffee, and walking for 10 minutes after breakfast). On average it took 66 days before habits became automatic for participants. 15 Although not significant, physical activity behaviors, which are arguably more complicated than eating or drinking around a meal time, took 1.5 times longer to become automatic than eating or drinking. This illustrates that more complex combinations of behaviors required to prevent disease (routines) are likely to take considerably longer than the 66-day average found for the simple, single behaviors in this study. In addition to the potential differences between the types of behavior, the time to form a habit varied considerably across individuals. In the same study, habit formation ranged from 18 to 254 days. 15 Such variability makes it difficult to form expectations for how long it would take a patient to adopt a simple health behavior. This reinforces the importance of tailoring health advice and treatment expectations to each patient. 17 , 18

Part of forming a habit is the consistent repetition of the behavior. In the study discussed above, consistent performance of the behaviors varied by behavior type. Participants who chose a physical activity or eating behavior were significantly less likely to complete the behavior daily than those who chose to drink water. 15 Importantly, not performing the behavior one day did not have lasting effects on the time to forming the habit. This indicates that turning adherence into routine is likely not a dichotomous process. Occasional nonadherence to a behavior will not derail progress made to creating the routine, and perfect adherence does not need to be a goal or expectation for a patient.

Turning Adherence Into Routine

Routines do not require conscious effort or thought. 7 , 13 Although there are multiple strategies to form a routine, an important one is to help patients develop a structure to their day such that fewer decisions need to be made. When presented with a choice, individuals typically pick the option that is the easiest, quickest, and most enjoyable. 19 Unfortunately, these choices often counter most health recommendations. The success of meal replacements as a weight loss aid exemplifies how reducing the number of decisions an individual makes can lead to improved health. 20 , 21 Another approach is to train patients to plan out decisions prior to being faced with the decision. Strategies such as preparing meals (or parts of meals) ahead of time, looking at the menu on the way to the restaurant to decide on a healthy choice before sitting at the table, packing a lunch instead of purchasing one, scheduling an exercise class or time to workout with a friend, and so on, all can help remove decisions from an individual’s day. When helping a patient plan how to fit health recommendations into their day, it is important for health care providers and patients to be realistic. For most of lifestyle medicine, the establishment of a routine for long-term adherence is more important than perfect adherence in the short term. Health care providers can include situations into the plan when patients have disruptions in routines and can troubleshoot solutions to barriers. For example, a vacation may completely disrupt someone’s routine, making it less likely for him or her to maintain certain lifestyle behaviors. In this case, it is important to determine how one’s routine will be reestablished on their return.

Establishing a routine—of eating an apple every day—will keep the doctor away. To reduce the health care burden and improve patients’ chronic disease management, health care providers can consider shifting toward helping patients build a routine around the lifestyle changes that they need to make. In other words, instead of asking a patient to change his or her lifestyle to adhere to specific recommendations, health care providers can help patients find ways to fit recommendations into their lifestyle. This different perspective for both the health care provider and patient could be what is necessary to increase long-term adherence. However, routines take time to establish. Adding in too many changes to a day will likely be difficult for the patient to sustain and may result in “behavior relapse.” Research consistently demonstrates that “too much change, too fast” is likely to end without positive results. 22 , 23 Health care providers can aim to add in one or two changes at a time, slowing building a routine for health that truly does keep the doctor away.

Authors’ Note: This work is a publication of the Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston (Houston, TX).

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical Approval: This research protocol was approved by the Ohio University Institutional Research Board.

Informed Consent: Not applicable, because this article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects.

Trial Registration: Not applicable, because this article does not contain any clinical trials.

Benefits of Healthy Eating

Benefits of Healthy Eating for Adults

Picture of body identifying benefits of healthy eating for adults.

May help you live longer
Keeps skin, teeth, and eyes healthy
Supports muscles
Boosts immunity
Strengthens bones
Lowers risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers
Supports healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding
Helps the digestive system function
Helps achieve and maintain a healthy weight

Download: Benefits of Healthy Eating for Adults pdf icon [PDF-631KB]

Benefits of Healthy Eating for Children

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Supports brain development
Supports healthy growth

Download: Benefits of Healthy Eating for Children pdf icon [PDF-684KB]

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How can I plan what to eat or drink when I have diabetes?

How can physical activity help manage my diabetes, what can i do to reach or maintain a healthy weight, should i quit smoking, how can i take care of my mental health, clinical trials for healthy living with diabetes.

Healthy living is a way to manage diabetes . To have a healthy lifestyle, take steps now to plan healthy meals and snacks, do physical activities, get enough sleep, and quit smoking or using tobacco products.

Healthy living may help keep your body’s blood pressure , cholesterol , and blood glucose level, also called blood sugar level, in the range your primary health care professional recommends. Your primary health care professional may be a doctor, a physician assistant, or a nurse practitioner. Healthy living may also help prevent or delay health problems from diabetes that can affect your heart, kidneys, eyes, brain, and other parts of your body.

Making lifestyle changes can be hard, but starting with small changes and building from there may benefit your health. You may want to get help from family, loved ones, friends, and other trusted people in your community. You can also get information from your health care professionals.

What you choose to eat, how much you eat, and when you eat are parts of a meal plan. Having healthy foods and drinks can help keep your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels in the ranges your health care professional recommends. If you have overweight or obesity, a healthy meal plan—along with regular physical activity, getting enough sleep, and other healthy behaviors—may help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. In some cases, health care professionals may also recommend diabetes medicines that may help you lose weight, or weight-loss surgery, also called metabolic and bariatric surgery.

Choose healthy foods and drinks

There is no right or wrong way to choose healthy foods and drinks that may help manage your diabetes. Healthy meal plans for people who have diabetes may include

dairy or plant-based dairy products
nonstarchy vegetables
protein foods
whole grains

Try to choose foods that include nutrients such as vitamins, calcium , fiber , and healthy fats . Also try to choose drinks with little or no added sugar , such as tap or bottled water, low-fat or non-fat milk, and unsweetened tea, coffee, or sparkling water.

Try to plan meals and snacks that have fewer

foods high in saturated fat
foods high in sodium, a mineral found in salt
sugary foods , such as cookies and cakes, and sweet drinks, such as soda, juice, flavored coffee, and sports drinks

Your body turns carbohydrates , or carbs, from food into glucose, which can raise your blood glucose level. Some fruits, beans, and starchy vegetables—such as potatoes and corn—have more carbs than other foods. Keep carbs in mind when planning your meals.

You should also limit how much alcohol you drink. If you take insulin or certain diabetes medicines , drinking alcohol can make your blood glucose level drop too low, which is called hypoglycemia . If you do drink alcohol, be sure to eat food when you drink and remember to check your blood glucose level after drinking. Talk with your health care team about your alcohol-drinking habits.

A woman in a wheelchair, chopping vegetables at a kitchen table.

Find the best times to eat or drink

Talk with your health care professional or health care team about when you should eat or drink. The best time to have meals and snacks may depend on

what medicines you take for diabetes
what your level of physical activity or your work schedule is
whether you have other health conditions or diseases

Ask your health care team if you should eat before, during, or after physical activity. Some diabetes medicines, such as sulfonylureas or insulin, may make your blood glucose level drop too low during exercise or if you skip or delay a meal.

Plan how much to eat or drink

You may worry that having diabetes means giving up foods and drinks you enjoy. The good news is you can still have your favorite foods and drinks, but you might need to have them in smaller portions or enjoy them less often.

For people who have diabetes, carb counting and the plate method are two common ways to plan how much to eat or drink. Talk with your health care professional or health care team to find a method that works for you.

Carb counting

Carbohydrate counting , or carb counting, means planning and keeping track of the amount of carbs you eat and drink in each meal or snack. Not all people with diabetes need to count carbs. However, if you take insulin, counting carbs can help you know how much insulin to take.

Plate method

The plate method helps you control portion sizes without counting and measuring. This method divides a 9-inch plate into the following three sections to help you choose the types and amounts of foods to eat for each meal.

Nonstarchy vegetables—such as leafy greens, peppers, carrots, or green beans—should make up half of your plate.
Carb foods that are high in fiber—such as brown rice, whole grains, beans, or fruits—should make up one-quarter of your plate.
Protein foods—such as lean meats, fish, dairy, or tofu or other soy products—should make up one quarter of your plate.

If you are not taking insulin, you may not need to count carbs when using the plate method.

Plate method, with half of the circular plate filled with nonstarchy vegetables; one fourth of the plate showing carbohydrate foods, including fruits; and one fourth of the plate showing protein foods. A glass filled with water, or another zero-calorie drink, is on the side.

Work with your health care team to create a meal plan that works for you. You may want to have a diabetes educator or a registered dietitian on your team. A registered dietitian can provide medical nutrition therapy , which includes counseling to help you create and follow a meal plan. Your health care team may be able to recommend other resources, such as a healthy lifestyle coach, to help you with making changes. Ask your health care team or your insurance company if your benefits include medical nutrition therapy or other diabetes care resources.

Talk with your health care professional before taking dietary supplements

There is no clear proof that specific foods, herbs, spices, or dietary supplements —such as vitamins or minerals—can help manage diabetes. Your health care professional may ask you to take vitamins or minerals if you can’t get enough from foods. Talk with your health care professional before you take any supplements, because some may cause side effects or affect how well your diabetes medicines work.

Research shows that regular physical activity helps people manage their diabetes and stay healthy. Benefits of physical activity may include

lower blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels
better heart health
healthier weight
better mood and sleep
better balance and memory

Talk with your health care professional before starting a new physical activity or changing how much physical activity you do. They may suggest types of activities based on your ability, schedule, meal plan, interests, and diabetes medicines. Your health care professional may also tell you the best times of day to be active or what to do if your blood glucose level goes out of the range recommended for you.

Do different types of physical activity

People with diabetes can be active, even if they take insulin or use technology such as insulin pumps .

Try to do different kinds of activities . While being more active may have more health benefits, any physical activity is better than none. Start slowly with activities you enjoy. You may be able to change your level of effort and try other activities over time. Having a friend or family member join you may help you stick to your routine.

The physical activities you do may need to be different if you are age 65 or older , are pregnant , or have a disability or health condition . Physical activities may also need to be different for children and teens . Ask your health care professional or health care team about activities that are safe for you.

Aerobic activities

Aerobic activities make you breathe harder and make your heart beat faster. You can try walking, dancing, wheelchair rolling, or swimming. Most adults should try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Aim to do 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. You don’t have to do all 30 minutes at one time. You can break up physical activity into small amounts during your day and still get the benefit. 1

Strength training or resistance training

Strength training or resistance training may make your muscles and bones stronger. You can try lifting weights or doing other exercises such as wall pushups or arm raises. Try to do this kind of training two times a week. 1

Balance and stretching activities

Balance and stretching activities may help you move better and have stronger muscles and bones. You may want to try standing on one leg or stretching your legs when sitting on the floor. Try to do these kinds of activities two or three times a week. 1

Some activities that need balance may be unsafe for people with nerve damage or vision problems caused by diabetes. Ask your health care professional or health care team about activities that are safe for you.

Group of people doing stretching exercises outdoors.

Stay safe during physical activity

Staying safe during physical activity is important. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Drink liquids

Drinking liquids helps prevent dehydration , or the loss of too much water in your body. Drinking water is a way to stay hydrated. Sports drinks often have a lot of sugar and calories , and you don’t need them for most moderate physical activities.

Avoid low blood glucose

Check your blood glucose level before, during, and right after physical activity. Physical activity often lowers the level of glucose in your blood. Low blood glucose levels may last for hours or days after physical activity. You are most likely to have low blood glucose if you take insulin or some other diabetes medicines, such as sulfonylureas.

Ask your health care professional if you should take less insulin or eat carbs before, during, or after physical activity. Low blood glucose can be a serious medical emergency that must be treated right away. Take steps to protect yourself. You can learn how to treat low blood glucose , let other people know what to do if you need help, and use a medical alert bracelet.

Avoid high blood glucose and ketoacidosis

Taking less insulin before physical activity may help prevent low blood glucose, but it may also make you more likely to have high blood glucose. If your body does not have enough insulin, it can’t use glucose as a source of energy and will use fat instead. When your body uses fat for energy, your body makes chemicals called ketones .

High levels of ketones in your blood can lead to a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) . DKA is a medical emergency that should be treated right away. DKA is most common in people with type 1 diabetes . Occasionally, DKA may affect people with type 2 diabetes who have lost their ability to produce insulin. Ask your health care professional how much insulin you should take before physical activity, whether you need to test your urine for ketones, and what level of ketones is dangerous for you.

Take care of your feet

People with diabetes may have problems with their feet because high blood glucose levels can damage blood vessels and nerves. To help prevent foot problems, wear comfortable and supportive shoes and take care of your feet before, during, and after physical activity.

A man checks his foot while a woman watches over his shoulder.

If you have diabetes, managing your weight may bring you several health benefits. Ask your health care professional or health care team if you are at a healthy weight or if you should try to lose weight.

If you are an adult with overweight or obesity, work with your health care team to create a weight-loss plan. Losing 5% to 7% of your current weight may help you prevent or improve some health problems and manage your blood glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. 2 If you are worried about your child’s weight and they have diabetes, talk with their health care professional before your child starts a new weight-loss plan.

You may be able to reach and maintain a healthy weight by

following a healthy meal plan
consuming fewer calories
being physically active
getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night 3

If you have type 2 diabetes, your health care professional may recommend diabetes medicines that may help you lose weight.

Online tools such as the Body Weight Planner may help you create eating and physical activity plans. You may want to talk with your health care professional about other options for managing your weight, including joining a weight-loss program that can provide helpful information, support, and behavioral or lifestyle counseling. These options may have a cost, so make sure to check the details of the programs.

Your health care professional may recommend weight-loss surgery if you aren’t able to reach a healthy weight with meal planning, physical activity, and taking diabetes medicines that help with weight loss.

If you are pregnant , trying to lose weight may not be healthy. However, you should ask your health care professional whether it makes sense to monitor or limit your weight gain during pregnancy.

Both diabetes and smoking —including using tobacco products and e-cigarettes—cause your blood vessels to narrow. Both diabetes and smoking increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke , nerve damage , kidney disease , eye disease , or amputation . Secondhand smoke can also affect the health of your family or others who live with you.

If you smoke or use other tobacco products, stop. Ask for help . You don’t have to do it alone.

Feeling stressed, sad, or angry can be common for people with diabetes. Managing diabetes or learning to cope with new information about your health can be hard. People with chronic illnesses such as diabetes may develop anxiety or other mental health conditions .

Learn healthy ways to lower your stress , and ask for help from your health care team or a mental health professional. While it may be uncomfortable to talk about your feelings, finding a health care professional whom you trust and want to talk with may help you

lower your feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety
manage problems sleeping or remembering things
see how diabetes affects your family, school, work, or financial situation

Ask your health care team for mental health resources for people with diabetes.

Sleeping too much or too little may raise your blood glucose levels. Your sleep habits may also affect your mental health and vice versa. People with diabetes and overweight or obesity can also have other health conditions that affect sleep, such as sleep apnea , which can raise your blood pressure and risk of heart disease.

Man with obesity looking distressed talking with a health care professional.

NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and conditions, including diabetes. The trials look to find new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease and improve quality of life.

What are clinical trials for healthy living with diabetes?

Clinical trials—and other types of clinical studies —are part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help health care professionals and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the future.

Researchers are studying many aspects of healthy living for people with diabetes, such as

how changing when you eat may affect body weight and metabolism
how less access to healthy foods may affect diabetes management, other health problems, and risk of dying
whether low-carbohydrate meal plans can help lower blood glucose levels
which diabetes medicines are more likely to help people lose weight

Find out if clinical trials are right for you .

Watch a video of NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers explaining the importance of participating in clinical trials.

What clinical trials for healthy living with diabetes are looking for participants?

You can view a filtered list of clinical studies on healthy living with diabetes that are federally funded, open, and recruiting at www.ClinicalTrials.gov . You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals; however, the National Institutes of Health does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe for you. Always talk with your primary health care professional before you participate in a clinical study.

This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

NIDDK would like to thank: Elizabeth M. Venditti, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

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Essay on Importance of Healthy Eating Habits for Students
Healthy Eating and Cognitive Function. Healthy eating habits are also crucial for cognitive function. Nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and B vitamins, which are found in foods like fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, are essential for brain health. They enhance memory, improve mood, and protect against cognitive decline.
The Importance of Exercise and Eating Healthy Essay
4 Pages. Open Document. Exercise and eating healthy are two of the most important things you need to do to take care of your body properly. Both exercise, and eating healthy, have many advantages and benefits. They help with multiple things needed throughout your life. These things include growing physically, mentally, and if you are religious ...
The importance of a healthy diet and exercise
Eating a healthy balanced diet accompanied by regular exercise is essential in maintaining physical and mental health and well-being. Not only are these effective in preventing excess weight gain or in maintaining weight loss, but healthier lifestyles are also associated with improved sleep and mood. Physical activity particularly improves ...
Why Are Healthy Eating Habits Important?
In one review, a healthy diet was found to decrease the risk of early death from any cause by 56 percent. Researchers defined a healthy diet as one that focuses on eating whole grains, vegetables ...
Integrated Role of Nutrition and Physical Activity for Lifelong Health
Two studies [4,5] examine the role of diet and PA on health-related parameters in youth. Drenowatz et al. show that healthy dietary choices and sports participation are independently associated with motor competence, which is an important contributor to an active and healthy lifestyle [6,7]. Meng et al. report beneficial effects of an education ...
Healthy Living Guide 2020/2021
A Digest on Healthy Eating and Healthy Living. Download the printable Healthy Living Guide (PDF) As we transition from 2020 into 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect nearly every aspect of our lives. For many, this health crisis has created a range of unique and individual impacts—including food access issues, income disruptions ...
Defining a Healthy Diet: Evidence for the Role of Contemporary Dietary
2. Components of a Healthy Diet and Their Benefits. A healthy diet is one in which macronutrients are consumed in appropriate proportions to support energetic and physiologic needs without excess intake while also providing sufficient micronutrients and hydration to meet the physiologic needs of the body [].Macronutrients (i.e., carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) provide the energy necessary ...
Why is physical activity so important for health and well-being?
Here are some other benefits you may get with regular physical activity: Helps you quit smoking and stay tobacco-free. Boosts your energy level so you can get more done. Helps you manage stress and tension. Promotes a positive attitude and outlook. Helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
Healthy Lifestyle and Eating
Healthy Lifestyle and Eating Essay. Healthy eating is the process of keeping the body clean, strong, and healthy at all times (Allen, 1926). Healthy living, on the other hand, means that one should be able to eat the right food, get enough exercise, and maintain cleanliness (James, 1907). Unfortunately, many people do not keep track of these ...
Health and Fitness Essay for Students and Children
The first thing about where fitness starts is food. We should take nutritious food. Food rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates is very essential. Protein is necessary for body growth. Carbohydrates provide the required energy in performing various tasks. Vitamin and minerals help in building bones and boosting our immune system.
Healthy Eating Habits
The findings of a study conducted in 1990 established that 14% of all deaths in the U.S. could be attributed to poor eating habits and physical inactivity with sedentary lifestyles, a contributor to 23% of disease-related deaths [1]. Healthy eating habits involve the inclusion of fruits, vegetables, and important minerals in the diet and the ...
Benefits of eating healthy: Heart health, better mood, and more
Summary. Healthy eating has many benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. A person may also boost their mood and gain more energy by maintaining ...
Keep Active & Eat Healthy to Improve Well-being & Feel Great
For best results, spread out your physical activity throughout the week. Even 10 or 15 minutes at a time counts. And any amount of physical activity is better than none at all. To lose weight and keep it off, you may need to be even more active. Shoot for 300 minutes per week, or an hour a day 5 days a week.
Essentials of Healthy Eating: A Guide
Essentials of Healthy Eating: A Guide is a comprehensive and evidence-based article that covers the basics of nutrition, dietary patterns, food groups, and dietary recommendations. It also provides practical tips and examples on how to plan, prepare, and enjoy healthy meals and snacks. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this article will help you improve your eating habits and health ...
Importance of a Healthy Lifestyle and Adopting Nutritious Eating Habits
Introduction. Many college students tend to take their health for granted due to the demanding nature of their coursework and busy schedules. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and adopting nutritious eating habits is crucial for overall well-being. This essay will explore the significance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and adopting nutritious eating habits in order to improve ...
The importance of healthy lifestyle in modern society: a medical
The establishment of healthy lifestyle habits and maintenance of psychosocial well-being during early adolescence can prevent the morbidity and mortality caused by unhealthy practices. A cross ...
On Teens, Nutrition, and Exercise: How to Encourage Healthy Habits
Instead of prescribing healthy habits, learn your teen's goals around eating-for example, being a vegetarian-and help them accomplish them in a healthy way, Hennessy said. Economos highlighted the importance of including kids in meal planning and preparation from a young age, teaching them culinary skills and healthy approaches to eating.
Evaluation of Eating Habits and Their Impact on Health among
3.2. Eating Habits. The analysis of eating habits showed that the students usually consumed 3-4 meals a day . The males ate meals at fixed times more often than the females (p = 0.012). Most of the students (approximately 83%) ate between meals, usually from several times a week to several times a day.
How Your Eating Habits Affect Your Health
A healthy diet also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. It limits saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars. NIH-funded scientists analyzed how these 10 dietary factors affect your risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These are known as cardiometabolic diseases.
The Importance of Healthy Eating for Optimal Health
On the other hand, a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and fats is essential for the proper functioning of the body. Consuming the right nutrients in the right quantities can prevent diseases such as hypertension, cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Additionally, fats should not be completely eliminated from ...
Importance of Healthy Eating And Regular Exercise in ...
In conclusion to this paper if you eat healthy foods and exercise a lot then you can avoid obesity and other health issues. Obesity and being overweight are the second leading cause of preventable death in the US close behind smoking. ... Importance of Healthy Eating And Regular Exercise in Preventing Obesity. [online]. Available at: <https ...
The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine
A bedtime routine is associated with increased family functioning and improved sleep habits. 4, 5 Family routines have been linked to the development of social skills and academic success, 6 and adherence to family routines has been identified as important for family resilience during times of crisis. 7 However, the importance of routine is not ...
Benefits of Healthy Eating
Benefits of Healthy Eating for Adults. Picture of body identifying benefits of healthy eating for adults. May help you live longer. Keeps skin, teeth, and eyes healthy. Supports muscles. Boosts immunity. Strengthens bones. Lowers risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Supports healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding.
Healthy Living with Diabetes
Healthy living is a way to manage diabetes. To have a healthy lifestyle, take steps now to plan healthy meals and snacks, do physical activities, get enough sleep, and quit smoking or using tobacco products. Healthy living may help keep your body's blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose level, also called blood sugar level, in the ...

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