The Benefits of a Balanced and Nutritious Diet with Briana

Greetings DreamKit readers

My name is Briana Williams I am an Americorps Public Ally.

Serving as a content creator for the DreamKit app. I hope this article serves as a resource for the beginning of a nutritious lifestyle or a continuation of your nutritious lifestyle. This article will reveal some of the numerous health benefits of eating a balanced diet..

I will disclose that I am not a nutritionist. All of the content below will be from research I’ve gathered from the blessing that is the internet! Things my parents taught me as a child that went in one ear and out of the other and the lessons i’ve learned ( mostly.. the hard way) as a 20 something, living on my own with a low budget and minimal access to Organic/ health food grocery stores . Please consult your doctor with any concerns regarding your personal everyday diet.

Nutrition is the process of making sure you eat the right foods that provide you with nourishment needed for growth and health. Nutrients are the individual substances that provide nourishment to improve your everyday physical and mental health. A Nutrient based diet has many positive benefits such as boosting your immune system, increasing your energy, sustaining focus, maintaining and losing weight and lengthening your life!

The 7 Classes of nutrients

A healthy balanced diet consists of foods from these classes of nutrients. .

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Minerals
• Water
• Fats
• Dietary fiber
• Vitamins

These 7 classes can be broken down into two sectors ,the macronutrients and the micronutrients. Macronutrients should be consumed regularly in large amounts and micronutrients can be consumed in smaller quantities. Macronutrients consist of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibers & water. Micronutrients consist of minerals and vitamins. Aside from fiber and water, macronutrients provide the structural material needed to generate internal energy.

Micronutrients are used to protect systems in your body. The combination of macro and micronutrients in your diet can assist in living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

What are the physical health benefits of eating a balanced diet?

A balanced diet not only improves your mental health but it also increases your physical health in many ways.One health benefit of a nutritious diet is that it can boost your energy and allow you to be more active during your day. This will allow you to perform everyday tasks with ease and interest such as household chores, commuting to work, or cooking dinner. A balanced diet also decreases your risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. If these diseases run in your family, it may behoove you to maintain a healthy diet. These nutrients save lives. Another health benefit of a balanced diet is stronger bones and teeth. A healthy diet can prevent your bones from breaking down with older age. Calcium is what keeps your bones and teeth strong! There are several ways to get calcium in your diet

• with dairy products,
• sardines, pilchards or tinned salmon
• dark greens — such as broccoli, collard greens, kale
• fruit juices and cereals

Vitamin D — a micronutrient — helps your body to absorb calcium. You can get vitamin D by taking the vitamin in pill form or organically by making sure you get some sunshine in your life. Another method for consuming vitamin D is directly through your diet — such as oily fish and fortified cereals.Eating a healthy diet macronutrients, micronutrients can help you maintain your weight. Having a good variety of these foods every day can additionally lower your cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Since I began my nutritious lifestyle I have found that I have more energy and endurance for physical activity. Before eating healthy, i spent most of my free time in my bed, scrolling on instagram, thinking negative thoughts about myself and my body and my life. Now that i’ve began eating healthier i’ve managed to shed 40 pounds, I began a yoga and workout practice 3x per week, I’ve found that my overall perspective on life has dramatically shifted for the better and yours can too!

How does eating a balanced nutritious diet impact your mental health?

Folks, I cannot stress this enough… your mental health is everything.

The World Health Organization defines mental health as the state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.

Your mental health is the key player in your functioning, processing and decision making.

That being said, we should all be doing our very best to take care of it.One simple way to take care of your mental health is eating a balanced and nutritious diet.

The correlation between your food and your mood begin with your gut. Depending on what you eat, your GI tract can house good bacteria or bad bacteria that can greatly ease your everyday enjoyment, or hault it. Good bacteria sends signals to your brain that allow your body to easily assist in the production of neurotransmitters.Neurotransmitters are chemical signals that move throughout your body to ensure it is functioning properly. Bad bacteria causes inflammation that slows down the production of the necessary signals needed to influence the production of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is the chemical messenger that sends messages between the nervous system and the nerve cells. Dopamine impacts how we feel pleasure, our ability to think, plan, focus and find things interesting. Serotonin is a chemical your nerve cells produce in order to help regulate your moods, social behavior, appetite, digestion, sleep, memory, and functioning. I really was not joking when I said your mental health is everything folks. By eating a healthy diet filled with macronutrients and micronutrients you are sending a message to your brain that allows your brain and body to function with ease. A healthy diet is the difference between having a productive day at work filled with focus, laughter, rigor and joy. And calling out of work to stay in bed with little motivation to do much else without feeling irritable, angry, or anxious.

In my personal experience I have noticed tremendous impacts on my mental health since I began eating a nutritious diet. I’ve found that I have more energy, more positive thoughts ,my focus has increased as well as my productivity. Formerly, I’ve struggled with paying attention, getting easily exhausted and irritable. Now I am learning ways to avoid feeling this way. I began paying attention to the ways my body responds to both junk food and health foods. By listening to my body and doing some brief research I learned that eating an unbalanced diet impacted my emotions, cognitive functioning, physical abilities and overall well being. I started to intentionally seek out the nutrients my diet was missing. I am now able to sustain my focus, finish tasks, hold down a decent job and I’ve noticed a boost in my self esteem. Having a balanced diet is not easy, it will take a little extra work, dedication, and a willingness to learn! You’ve got this

A balanced diet is the key to a longer and happier life. I hope this article can help to inspire your next trip to the grocery store and even your next meal!