Poor food habits can not only lead to stress but can also lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases. We can control our weight and prevent chronic diseases through our dietary decisions. Mindful eating and a balanced nutrition strategy are crucial for overall health. Therefore, if you are a picky or poor eater, then it’s time to transform your eating habits and live a healthy life that radiates physical wellness and mental well-being.
According to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, poor eating habits cause more deaths than smoking. At least 11 million people die across the globe annually, either because of certain foods or because of a lack of certain foods. These are the findings of the 2019 study, which was gleaned from three parameters–diet, sales of food products, and household expenditures over the last three decades. The main aim here was to get an approximate estimate of the impact of a poor diet on death caused by non-communicable diseases. One of the most alarming findings of this study was that, cardiovascular diseases had caused deaths globally, and poor eating habits were the main reasons for this.
Poor eating habits
If you think poor eating habits mean consuming junk food or untimely eating, including snacking—there’s a lot more to it. Loosely explained, poor eating habits mean denying the body essential health nutrients and also overeating.
By consuming frozen foods that are low in nutrients, fiber, and vitamins, there is a dependency on high salt consumption, which leads to excess sodium, fats, and sugar in the body. It can also lead to serious diseases like stroke, heart attack, and other related diseases.
Here are a few tips for maintaining a healthier diet:
Hydrate: Say goodbye to sweet drinks and opt for the most easily available and nutritious drink—a glass of water. Consuming 8-10 glasses of water a day not only flushes out toxins from the body, but scales down chances of dry eyes and eye strain. It also helps in the lubrication of joints, digestion, maintains blood pressure, leads to glowing skin, weight loss, and keeps the kidneys healthier.
Portion eating: Besides keeping acid reflux and heartburn at a safe distance, portion eating prevents excessive consumption of food and helps in enhancing sleep, digestion, energy levels. It also helps in controlling the sugar levels in the body.
Prioritising protein intake: Prioritising protein intake offers numerous benefits for overall health and well-being such as muscle growth & repair, weight management, metabolism support, blood sugar regulation, bone health, and immune function among others.
Snacking right: From avocadoes and bananas on toast to munching berries, mixed nuts, smoothies, hummus, low-fat cheese and yogurt, there are a plethora of choices for the discerning eater. You can also opt for baked and whole-grain crisps, corn, sprouts, lotus seeds, protein bars and oats. These food items are packed with energy, vitamins,
fiber and also loaded with nutrients.
Avoid snacking: Eating constantly or snacking too much may cause insulin spikes. This results in constantly high levels of baseline insulin in the blood for most of the time, which eventually bring insulin resistance along with obesity, Type 2 diabetes, Hypertension and PCOD.
Timing meals: The timing of meals is closely related to metabolism, which is why it is important to eat on time. It’s a good idea to keep a gap of at least four hours between two meals as this will prevent acidity and even heartburn. Eating on time also controls the body cycle.
Follow the circadian rhythm: Following your circadian rhythm, which is your body’s natural internal clock that regulates various physiological processes over a roughly 24-hour cycle, can offer numerous benefits for overall health and well-being like enhanced metabolic health, improved sleep quality, improved digestive health optimise hormone balance and better mood regulation.
Good food habits help in brain development, support the growth of bones and muscles, and most importantly provide energy and power to the body keeping stamina levels up and fatigue at bay. Therefore, to ensure that you say goodbye to diseases, changing your food habits and eating healthier will ensure a stress-free and happier life.
(The author, Deepak Pal, is a sports and functional nutritionist, at Sens Clinic.)
