A healthy diet is simply a diet which helps sustain or enhance general health. A healthy diet supplies the body with vital nutrients: macronutrients, fluid, micronutrient, and sufficient food energy. The most common food components required for a balanced diet are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients. Many vegetables contain the substances called micronutrients that are important to human nutrition. The vegetable vitamin E is particularly important for healthy eyesight, and certain vegetables such as carrots, spinach, beets, cucumbers, peppers, squash, tomatoes, and eggplants are rich in vitamin K, which protects the colon against colon cancer.
Besides eating healthy diet foods, regular physical activity is also a very important part of a healthy living. Regular physical activity keeps the body’s metabolism in balance and helps to reduce weight. The recommended amount of physical activity is 30 minutes daily. A physically active lifestyle includes walking, jogging, bicycling, hiking, fishing, swimming, playing games, and other activities that require locomotion.
Another important aspect of a healthy diet is limiting the intake of calories. A healthy diet should not contain high calorie foods because they will be converted into body fat. Foods that are high in calories include; candies, fried foods, cookies, cakes, ice cream, chocolates, sodas, chips, and fast foods. Also, foods that are high in sodium such as; canned foods, chips, pretzels, breads, meats, processed foods, and snack foods should be avoided at all costs. In addition, alcoholic beverages should be consumed in moderation because they contain calories and they can cause weight gain.
