What Are the Best Foods for a Healthy Body (And Mind)?

One would only guess a few decades back. But with the progress we have made in the scientific and medical fields, it is clearer now than ever that what we eat not only impact our physical health but also our mental health. The nutrition intake (or the lack of it thereof) influences our mood and behavior. Moreover, our physiology affects our psychology; how healthy we are physically affects our mental wellbeing. It’s all an interwoven mix of what we eat.

So, while the majority of the people heed little to healthy eating, you don’t want to be one of them. Because it inevitably turns up to be critical with the onset of diseases like type-2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, heart disease, and more. Not only are the treatments of these expensive, but the conditions are also life-threatening. 

Understanding Your Own Needs

Fix your diet to take better care of your health and overall wellbeing. Now, of course, the conversation of a healthy diet is a whole different subject altogether with unending ideas, tips, and recommendations. It’s also a complex subject because different people have different health needs; their bodies respond differently to the same kind of foods. To that, if one has any existing illness, figuring out an apt diet gets even more challenging, requiring a series of consideration. There’s a reason why health-conscious individuals spend money on appointments with dieticians and nutritionists. If you can spare that sum, you should seek professional help as well with your diet. 

Are You Getting the Important Nutrients?

That said though, there certainly are a few fundamental rules that should be followed in adopting a healthier diet. And these are something you can implement yourself so to improve your eating habits and stride towards a healthier life. For one, our body requires an adequate amount of all kinds of important nutrients, like protein, vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, carbs, and good fat. (Your everyday meals should ideally be rich with these nutrients. Give your existing diet a hard look and see if they cover these nutrients or not. Did you know 73 percent of urban rich Indians are protein deficient? You could very well be one of them!)

Replacing Unhealthy Food with Healthier Alternatives

Specific food items pack more of the select nutrients that your body needs. And these items are highly recommended to all. So, if you are to improve your health and mind, you should add more of these food items to your meals – and eventually, cleanse your diet off every unhealthy item you’re gorging on at present. Now, this might sound difficult – after all, it’s not easy to give up your favorite food. In reality, however, it is relatively simpler if taken a progressive approach. Many unhealthy foods have their healthier alternatives. For instance, you can replace pizza with pasta, roast beef with baked fish, packaged cereal with oatmeal, chips with baked potato, and ice cream with a fruit smoothie. There are countless options.

Nutrition-Rich Food Items You Should Eat More

There are some super-foods that include key nutrients in abundance. Depending on the kind of nutrition-deficiency you have, alongside a supplement, doctors recommend these items. Irrespective of your deficiency or not, you should have them in your diet anyway to ensure your body is getting all the essentials it requires to function normally and nourish. 

Yogurt is rich in calcium. Oranges have a high content of vitamin C. Broccoli is rich in vitamin A, C, K. Berries are great for the heart. Avocados improve blood flow and mental health. Salmon and sardines are rich in omega-3 acid. Walnuts reduce bad cholesterol and promote good cholesterol. Spinach has high vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Sweet potatoes have high vitamin A. Bananas are a great source of potassium. Chicken breasts are rich in protein. Lean beef is loaded with iron. Carrots have high fiber and vitamin D. Tuna is great for protein. Oats are perfect for key fibers. Whole milk has high vitamins, protein, minerals, and healthy fats. Dark chocolate is a good source of antioxidants. There are many other fairly healthy food items, including eggs, brown bread, brown rice, lentils, peanuts, cheese, kale, cauliflower, and apples. 

You should eat more of these food items, along with those that are known to be healthy and are recommended by doctors and health experts. This will ensure your body is getting enough nutrition to nourish and grow. 

Become Educated to Make Better Decisions

In the end what matters the most is how educated you are on the subject, as well as about your own body requirements. You should spend time and energy in learning more about healthy diet and how you can progressively improve your everyday meals. “Progressively” is a keyword here. If you gorge on fast foods all the time and you change your diet suddenly, you won’t be able to keep up with that. Such drastic measures make things even more difficult. Instead, you should progressively eliminate unhealthy food from your meals and replace them with healthier alternatives. This will take weeks – if not months – but the transition from unhealthy to healthy foods will be so much easier for your body.

The End Result

Once your diet is healthy, it will reflect significantly on your physical health. And soon enough, that will translate into your improved mental health. Your mood might be elevated now. You won’t feel fatigued all the time. Your confidence might get a boost. Your overall life will come on track. It all begins when you decide to replace your favorite but unhealthy chocolate cookies with healthy almond blueberry cookies.