Why Should we Eat Healthy Food?

Everyone knows that you should eat healthy food.

Most people probably also know, at least in large, what good food is. Nevertheless, many people feel unwell, feel tired, or suffer from some other illness. Maybe we think somewhere deep down that our mood can be linked to the diet we have and what we eat, but nothing is done about it.

With little insight into what actually happens in our bodies when we eat poorly (poor food, eating too much or far too little) it is very difficult to understand how we can subject ourselves to such treatment. Research has consistently found that eating a nutritious can improve concentration and thinking. Students who regularly eat nutrient-rich foods also display more efficient problem-solving skills and stronger mental recall.

Blood Sugar levels

That sugar in large quantities (a can of soda for example) is not very good for your body and health should not be a surprise (unless consumed in conjunction with demanding physical activity). The reason, besides getting holes in the teeth and not giving the body any further good building material, is called insulin.

When sugar enters the body, it is quickly converted into glucose (blood sugar). The blood sugar rises and for a short while we get a ton of energy; we become very cheerful and happy. But too much of the good causes the body to react and when the blood sugar curve goes away, the body responds by pumping out insulin to quickly lower the blood sugar. The lowering takes the blood sugar curve a little bit below our “normal” level, which makes us tired, unconcentrated.

But worst of all … you get hungry for something sweet, and if you eat something sweet, your blood sugar quickly rises again, which is followed by a new insulin supplement which naturally leads to another blood sugar race which also takes you down to an even lower level than where you started.

Your blood sugar curve will resemble a roller coaster. The same goes for your energy level, concentration ability, and mood.

Eating a lot of sugar often lowers your body’s insulin sensitivity after a while, causing you to suffer from candy and hunger attacks. In addition, there is a high risk of contracting type 2 diabetes. As if this were not enough, fat-burning tends to stop when insulin is turned on. In other words, it is worth considering whether those last sweets, just before bedtime, are worth the price; a whole night without significant fat burning (we usually burn almost fat only when we sleep…).

Fat

Once upon a time, fat was something fantastic, but as society evolved and the ideals changed, fat became something eerie.

Now there is some kind of hate-love for one of our most important nutrients. Fat is not something dangerous that we should avoid, but on the other hand, we have to make sure we get good fat in moderate amounts. With a little common sense, you come a long way.

Good and useful fat (usually soft or liquid) is found in vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, and fatty fish, and these act as fuel for the brain, lubricants for the joints, and insulation protection around the nerve pathways.

In addition, they act as hormone regulators and are important for the function and structure of cells, and they are needed for the body to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K vitamin).

If you stuff your stomach full with saturated or hardened fat (hard in the consistency) you risk, among other things, that the cholesterol skyrockets and the arteries are clawed again, which makes it harder for the blood to move. The cells also do not get good material to work with, which reduces their function. The body gets a harder time to self-heal and withstand infections or other attacks that it should normally be able to handle without minor problems.

A healthy diet

Important to keep in mind is that fat, whether good or bad, still provides a lot of energy. The excess energy that we do not waste is naturally stored in the body as fat. Too much of that product turns into an unnecessary strain on the joints and heart. Therefore, it is important to eat good fat when eating fat, because you should still be reasonably careful about the amount of fat.

However, fat and sugar are not all. Fibers in sufficient quantities are always important to keep the stomach running. A good diet is not based on excluding one nutritional group or taking another one (bodybuilders living on raw eggs and protein powder, for example).

Eat a little of everything, both useful and unhealthy, and mix properly so that you get in both carbohydrates and proteins and fat.