Article on Eating Healthy from - http://www.eatinghealthytips.net/

You Are What You Eat, Right?

Our eating habit determines the outcome of our health and makes us who we are. But the important role that our eating habit plays in our overall well-being does not end there. Every person’s daily eating habit helps one to know the quality and length of one’s life. It can also have a bearing on the quality of our children’s lives.

Most probably, your mother has told you this many times: “You are what you eat, right?” Have you ever given this a careful thought? You are the outcome of the food that you take into your body. Food is one of the major contributors to your overall health, so you have to eat right. Genetics also affects your health. But even if you have poor genetics, you can reverse the situation by maintaining a healthy diet.

Diet becomes all the more important as people age. As we age, our diet and physical activities determine whether we can still enjoy a high-quality, healthy life, or we suffer from deadly diseases. Advances in medicine have been successful in extending life span of people by nearly 15 years. Aside from that, improved living conditions and public awareness of various food options have also helped increase life span of people. Consumers have become conscious about their health more than ever. However, it does not mean that we are having healthier eating lifestyles than before. In fact, the number of obese people in the United States has reached alarming levels. Why is the country still struggling with obesity issues if health conditions today are better than before? We are eating healthier, exercising, and getting better medical care, aren’t we?

The answer to these questions has been mentioned earlier: You are what you eat, right? Usually, our daily diet is made up of low fat intake and higher carbohydrate intake. During digestion in the body, carbohydrates are converted into sugar, and excess sugar is stored as fat. Carbohydrates—not fat—make you fat. Even if you are health conscious, you may get deceived by the misleading “low fat” labels in food packages and containers. A low fat food does not exactly mean it is healthy. For optimal health, you must know your body’s energy and nutritional needs and understand food labels properly.

Eating healthy entails taking in what your body needs to keep it working in good condition. A healthy diet includes more servings of vegetables and fruits and less processed or manufactured foods such as canned goods and potato chips. Although they are easier and faster to prepare, processed foods are not always the healthy option.

Are you aware that your metabolism has to do with how much food you need and how often you must eat? Metabolism affects the burn rate of the calories you take into your body. The more effective you digest your food and turn it into energy, the healthier you become. If we are making the most of our daily intake, we usually need less food.

To sum it up, we have to know and understand our individual nutritional needs and what foods keep us healthy so that we can eat healthy for our good health. After all, you are what you eat, right?

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