What kind of diet contributes to optimal health

If your favorite recipe calls for frying fish or breaded chicken, try healthier variations by baking or grilling. Maybe even try dry beans in place of meats.

Healthy eating is all about balance. You can enjoy your favorite foods, even if they are high in calories, fat or added sugars. The key is eating them only once in a while and balancing them with healthier foods and more physical activity. Healthy Eating Tips Start eating healthier with these simple tips. Good Nutrition Starts Early Introduce kids to healthy foods with these ideas. Improving Your Eating Habits Learn more about how to start changing your eating habits.

Planning Meals Stock up on healthier foods that contain fewer calories to help prepare you for weight-loss success! Cutting Calories Find out how to cut calories for your meals, snacks, and even beverages.

Healthy Recipes Links to healthy recipes with calorie counts and nutritional information. Eat More Weigh Less Manage your weight without being hungry. Get Enough Sleep Regulate your appetite with adequate sleep. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity. A person can achieve this by limiting their salt intake to no more than 1, milligrams per day. Food manufacturers add salt to many processed and fast foods, and a person who wishes to lower their blood pressure should avoid these products. Learn more about the DASH diet here. The presence of free radicals in the body increases the risk of cancer, but antioxidants help remove them to lower the likelihood of this disease.

Many phytochemicals found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes act as antioxidants, including beta-carotene , lycopene, and vitamins A, C, and E. According to the National Cancer Institute , though humans trials are inconclusive, there are laboratory and animal studies that link certain antioxidants to a reduced incidence of free radical damage due to cancer.

Foods high in antioxidants include:. Maintaining a moderate weight may reduce these risks. In a study , researchers found that a diet rich in fruits reduced the risk of upper gastrointestinal tract cancers.

They also found that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and fiber lowered the risk of colorectal cancer , while a diet rich in fiber reduces the risk of liver cancer.

Read more about cancer-fighting foods here. In , researchers found that diets with a high glycemic load may trigger increased symptoms of depression and fatigue. A diet with a high glycemic load includes many refined carbohydrates , such as those found in soft drinks, cakes, white bread, and biscuits.

Vegetables, whole fruit, and whole grains have a lower glycemic load. If a person suspects they have symptoms of depression, talking to a doctor or mental health professional can help. The colon is full of naturally occurring bacteria, which play important roles in metabolism and digestion. Certain strains of bacteria also produce vitamins K and B, which benefit the colon.

These strains also help fight harmful bacteria and viruses. A diet low in fiber and high in sugar and fat alters the gut microbiome, increasing inflammation in the area. However, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains provides a combination of prebiotics and probiotics that help good bacteria thrive in the colon. Fiber is an easily accessible prebiotic and is abundant in legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

It also promotes regular bowel movements, which can help prevent bowel cancer and diverticulitis. A study identified nutrients and foods that protect against cognitive decline and dementia. The researchers found the following to be beneficial:.

Among other diets, the Mediterranean diet incorporates many of these nutrients. Read more about foods to boost brain function here. Maintaining a moderate weight can help reduce the risk of chronic health issues. Having overweight or obesity are risk factors for several conditions, including:. Many healthful foods, including vegetables, fruits, and beans, are lower in calories than most processed foods. A person can determine their calorie requirements using guidance from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans — Maintaining a healthful diet free from processed foods can help a person stay within their daily limit without monitoring calorie intake.

The strongest evidence to date shows that calories matter, but focusing on food quality is an equally important part of preventing weight gain and promoting weight loss.

Focus on eating high-quality foods in appropriately sized portions. High-quality foods include unrefined, minimally processed foods such as vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and healthy sources of protein — the foods recommended in the Healthy Eating Plate.

Lower-quality foods include highly processed snack foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined white grains, refined sugar, fried foods, foods high in saturated and trans fats, and high-glycemic foods such as potatoes.

Quality counts One study analyzed whether certain foods were more or less likely to promote weight gain. In a study of over , healthy women and men spanning 20 years, researchers determined that weight change was most strongly associated with the intake of potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and both processed and unprocessed red meats.

The researchers concluded that consumption of processed foods higher in starches, refined grains, fats, and sugars can increase weight gain. Foods shown to be associated with weight loss were vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and yogurt. Researchers did not discount the importance of calories, instead suggesting that choosing high-quality foods and decreasing consumption of lower-quality foods is an important factor in helping individuals consume fewer calories.

After one year, weight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups. This study also examined secondary outcomes focused on metabolic effects such as cholesterol, body fat percentage, glucose levels and blood pressure , and found that those for the Atkins group were comparable with or more favorable than the other diet groups. This study does raise questions about about long-term effects and mechanisms, but the researchers concluded that a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible recommendation for weight loss.

The study followed people over 2 years, assigning subjects to one of four diets: Low-fat and average-protein, low-fat and high-protein, high-fat and average-protein, and high-fat and high protein. Researchers concluded that all of the diets resulted in meaningful weight loss, despite the differences in macronutrient composition. The study also found that the more group counseling sessions participants attended, the more weight they lost, and the less weight they regained.

This supports the idea that not only is what you eat important, but behavioral, psychological, and social factors are important for weight loss as well.