How Eating Habits Affect Your Health

Your body needs fuel in the form of food every day, but the wrong kind of fuel can lead to health problems. A balanced diet consists of fruits, vegetables, low-fat or fat-free dairy, whole grains, protein and fats, but it limits cholesterol, saturated fats, trans fats and sodium. When poor eating habits spiral out of control, it could cause serious health problems down the road.

Physical and Mental Health

Healthy eating habits affect both mental and physical wellness. What you eat affects your immune system, bone health and athletic performance, among other functions. It plays a role in your mental health, too -- healthy eating supports cognition, problem solving, memory, alertness, sleep and information processing, according to the Linus Pauling Institute, which also notes that good nutrition is important for proper brain development and maintenance of normal cognitive function.

Disease Prevention

When combined with regular physical activity, a balanced diet can help prevent such conditions as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and obesity. Columbia University reports that the three leading causes of death in the United States -- coronary heart disease, some types of cancer and stroke -- are directly linked with dietary behavior. To help prevent such conditions as cardiovascular disease, you need to keep your blood cholesterol, blood pressure and weight under control. All of this can be done through healthy eating and exercise.

Source of Macronutrients

While most foods contain more than one nutrient, no one food provides all the nutrients your body requires. It’s important to eat a variety of healthy foods to make sure your diet is nutritionally balanced and providing all the nutrients your body needs to function. The three macronutrients -- carbohydrates, protein and fat -- provide energy to your body in the form of calories, among other key functions. Carbohydrates are the body's main energy source, fats increase vitamin absorption and proteins are vital for growth, maintenance and structural support of muscle tissue.

The Micronutrient Mix

Along with macronutrients, your body also requires micronutrients, or the vitamins and minerals needed to keep the body functioning properly. Some important micronutrients include vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K, iron, calcium, zinc, copper, iodine, manganese and cobalamin. Micronutrients play vital roles in growth, metabolism and affecting enzyme function in cells.

Making Changes

Simple changes in your daily eating behaviors such as eating more slowly and avoiding large serving sizes can result in healthier eating over time. Eating slowly, for example, can reduce overeating, heartburn, indigestion and feeling bloated. The University of Arkansas notes that it takes 15 to 20 minutes for the stomach to send signals to the brain, letting you know you are full. Other ways to support healthy eating habits include recording your eating habits throughout the day and shopping with nutrition in mind by reading food labels and focusing on fresh vs. processed foods.

Advantages & Disadvantages of the Alkaline Diet

The alkaline diet is an alternative diet that attempts to correct the body’s pH by emphasizing foods that have alkalizing reactions in the body. Although few medical studies have linked the alkaline diet to specific health benefits, proponents claim that the diet treats a variety of conditions from digestive problems to cancer. For best results, talk to your dietician before undergoing a drastic change in your eating habits.

Proponents of the alkaline diet claim that certain foods lead the body to become overly acidic. These acidic foods – such as sugar, caffeine, animal protein and processed foods – are kept to a minimum of 25 percent or less of your total caloric intake, while alkalizing foods – including fruits, leafy greens and root vegetables – should make up the remaining majority of your consumption. Despite its claims, the alkaline diet has produced few studies in support of its methodology. The body has multiple mechanisms for correcting your pH to the ideal levels of 7.35 to 7.45, registered dietitian Stephanie Vangsness of The Brigham and Women’s Hospital explains.

Advantages

According to the Wolfe Clinic website, which promotes the diet, when the body is acidic it resorts to leaching minerals such as calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium from vital organs. In this state, your saliva, muscles, bones and teeth may deteriorate, causing a variety of negative symptoms, such as muscle cramps, twitches, electrolyte deficiency and brittle bones. Supporters of the alkaline diet purport that reducing your intake of acidifying foods and increasing your intake of alkalizing foods can help reverse symptoms caused by acidity. Despite the lack of mainstream medical evidence, the alkaline diet may provide many nutritional benefits by supporting the consumption of foods that are generally considered healthy, such as vegetables, root crops, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, green tea and lean proteins such as fish and eggs.

Disadvantages

Vangsness advises against the alkaline diet because it promotes the exclusion of some healthy foods. Certain fats and oils that are restricted from the alkaline diet can provide essential fatty acids, which are required to maintain immunity and make healthy cells. Beans and legumes are also discouraged, limiting your intake of helpful phytonutrients that may boost the immune system and lower your risk of cancer.

Safety Concerns

Talk to your doctor before adopting an alkaline diet to reduce the risk of malnutrition and other negative effects. Because of the lack of scientific evidence, the alkaline diet may not be appropriate or safe for all people, and it is generally suggested that you make necessary concessions as your body requires.

These Small Changes to Your Eating Habits Can Lead to Big Weight Loss

As we age and our metabolisms slow, it's easy to pack on a few pounds without realizing it. But a new study has found that making consistent changes to your eating habits can lead to big weight-loss results over time.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, followed the dietary habits of over 120,000 people for 16 years and found that those who ate foods that had a high glycemic load (which includes refined grains, starches, and sugars) gained more weight than those who ate foods with a low glycemic load (foods such as nuts, dairy, and certain fruits and vegetables). This isn't surprising or new; other research has shown that going lower on the glycemic index (GI) scale will help you lose weight. What is interesting in the new study, however, is that other key habits can mean the difference between pounds on the scale. Check out what else the researchers found about weight gain and loss:
Those who ate more yogurt, seafood, skinless chicken, and nuts lost the most weight; in fact, the more people ate of these foods, the less weight they gained.
The researchers found, however, no difference in weight gain in those who ate low-fat vs full-fat dairy.
Diets with more red and processed meat intake were associated with weight gain, especially when meat was paired with refined grains or starches.
Eating meat paired with low-GI foods, however, (like vegetables) helped reduce weight gain.
Eating foods like eggs and cheese along with high-GI foods was linked to weight gain, while eating these foods with low-GI foods led to weight loss.

In general, the researchers found that the best diets for weight loss were high in protein-rich foods like fish, nuts, and yogurt, which helped prevent weight gain. Avoiding refined grains, starches, and sugars further helped, as did replacing red meat consumption with other protein-rich foods like eggs and cheese. It may seem like common sense, but taking the time to fill your plate with lean proteins and vegetables and other low-GI foods will help you lose or maintain weight throughout the years.