BIOLOGY NOTES FOR ADVANCED LEVEL
IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A BALANCED DIET
A
balanced diet is the combination of different food items consumed together to
get a balanced proportion of all the nutrients required by the body. A proper
balanced diet includes all the essential meals of the day. It provides a
different amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, etc.
Here are
some benefits of a Balanced Diet:
1. Improved Physical Health
Eating
a balanced diet can help maintain a healthy weight, lower the risk of chronic
diseases like diabetes, heart
disease, and certain cancers, and improve the immune system’s
function.
2. Lower
Risk of Obesity and Heart Disease
A balanced daily menu along with
portion control and timing of meals eliminates excessive sugar overload in the
bloodstream, reduces insulin spikes, and prevents dangerous levels of
inflammation. Inflammation in our bodies is the cause of so many
illnesses including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune
disorders like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s
disease.
3. Increased Energy Levels
A
balanced diet gives the body the nutrients that are required to function at its
best, leading to increased energy levels and improved productivity.
4. Fight Off Disease
When
eating a balanced diet, essential nutrients will produce and help maintain key
germ-fighting cells in the immune system, and greatly improve vascular
function. The immune system relies heavily on blood flow, so better vascular
function will help provide disease fighting cells to areas of need quickly.
Deficiencies in certain nutrients can impair immune system function, such as
vitamin A, B-vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, Zinc, and Iron. A diet filled with
fruits and vegetables also increases the production of infection-fighting white
blood cells and materials that help prevent bacteria and infections from
attaching themselves to cells in the body.
5. Better Sleep
A
varied, balanced daily menu sends signals to your body that it is in a safe
nourished place which decreases stress and allows for quality sleep at
night. When we don’t fill our bodies with sugar and processed foods with
dangerous and addictive ingredients we allow our bodies to use sleep to do the
housekeeping that our bodies require on a daily basis. When we are
constantly having to process unhealthy foods throughout the whole day we give
our bodies less of a chance to heal at night.
