Overview
Why eat right?
You may wonder why eating nutritious foods is important. One reason is to feel at your best. Eating right means you have the energy to do the things you want and need to do. Eating well is also good for the immune system in fighting disease. Some health problems get better with a healthy diet, and some can even be avoided with a healthy diet.
Even if you know all the reasons for eating right, it can still be hard to do. Almost everyone needs help in choosing healthier foods. Just what makes up a healthy diet can be different from one person to another. What to eat and how much of each food to eat is different, depending on: age, height and weight, body type, sex, activity level, medical problems, medications being taken, and even the time of year.
The first step in starting a balanced, nutritious eating plan is finding out what is right for you. Trained nutritionists and dietitians are available to help you do this. They have learned all about the chemistry of food and human bodies. They also learn what foods are best for different medical problems. Most important, they have been trained to help clients plan food choices that will best serve their individual needs.
There are three main reasons people eat:
- To get the energy you need to live and be active
- To get the building blocks you need to rebuild your body’s cells, tissues, and organs
- To get the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your body needs to perform all of its tasks of daily living.
There are also two ways to think about food types:
- Food groups (grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, and so on)
- Food content, or what nutrients are in each food (protein, vitamins, minerals, and so on).
The following sections will discuss these food groups and contents in detail. And you will learn how to think carefully about your own nutritional needs and to make good choices to support those needs.