The Importance of Choosing Healthy Foods to Eat

Choosing healthy foods to eat is the foundation of good health and is the key to living a fuller, longer and healthier life. Poor food choices will lead to your immune system not being able to cope with disease, and increase the chances of developing heart disease or diabetes. Eating a healthy diet involves consuming a wide variety of food taken from the following food groups:

1) Starchy foods are a necessary part of your diet because they supply energy. Included in this groups are bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. Breads and pastas made from refined flour are not very healthy as the fiber has been removed during the milling process. It is much healthier to eat brown rice, wholemeal and wholegrain breads and wholewheat pasta.

2) Vegetables and fruit are a vital part of a healthy diet because they provide dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and a certain amount of protein. Cooking often destroys the nutrients and rinsing washes away many of the vitamins and minerals, so they are best eaten raw or steamed. At least five different fruits and vegetables should be eaten every day.

3) Meat is essential for the protein it supplies your body. However red meat often contains a high fat content so should only be eaten once or twice per week. Before cooking red meat all visible fat should be trimmed away. White meat such as chicken or turkey contains far less fat and can be eaten more often. Fish is a good source of Omega3 which is an essential fatty acid often lacking in other food sources. Meat should always be grilled and not fried as frying introduces large quantities of fat.

4) Nuts and legumes are also an essential source of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein. Some nuts such as walnuts, almonds and pecans also contain healthy unsaturated fats which help to control cholesterol.

5) Dairy products are a good source of calcium, however they can also contain large quantities of saturated fat. It is far healthier to eat low fat or no fat dairy products.

When shopping for healthy food to eat choose a wide selection of foods and vary your selection regularly. Pay particular attention to the nutritional value of each food item to make sure you meet your daily vitamin and mineral requirements and don't buy foods with too much fat, preservatives or salt.