Most people's reasons to eat healthy center around losing weight. This makes perfect sense when over ½ of us are classified as overweight or obese and 6 out of 10 Americans want to lose weight. Although obesity has become a huge problem within our society it is just one of many reasons to eat healthy.
Objectively, when eating healthy you are filling your body with vital nutrients, natural ingredients and fewer calories. Ultimately this will lead to weight loss. But the reasons for eating healthy shouldn't just be about weight loss, even if that's your quintessential goal. There are tons of reasons to eat healthy starting with the fact that your body will thank you for it.
The body was not meant to consume, absorb and process the types of food that we take in on a daily basis. And by this I mean packaged, processed and manufactured foods that contain dyes, chemicals, and artificial or imitation ingredients. This type of food bogs down our system making it hard to function optimally. Just think about how the body is affected after eating these foods for 10, 20, or 30 years. It leads to heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and many more lifestyle diseases that have only been around for the last half of the century. The body functions better when given naturally occurring food ingredients
When the body functions more optimally, so do you both physically and mentally. Therefore if every cellular process is performed the way that it ought to, the way that it is meant to, then you will have clearer skin, increased energy, improved mood, a better attitude, higher immunity, better brain power, improved sleep, decreased pain, reduced gas, shortened recovery time, and reduced risk for all diseases. These are just some of the many reasons to eat healthy.
One of the most effective reasons to eat healthy would have to be for increased energy. In today's hectic society people are run down and fatigued because of the high sugar and processed carbohydrates that keep us running on a day to day basis. Even if we are getting enough hours of sleep, it's not good sleep because our body is trying to process all the junk we put in it and do to it each day. Once we eliminate sugar and refined grains and replace them with healthy, natural foods you will immediately notice a jump in your energy levels, and you will get better sleep too.
In addition to your energy, your mood and attitude will change as well. A poor diet filled with sugar can make you feel tired, lazy, sluggish which gives you a bad attitude ad start to your day. Sugar highs and lows can create hormonal changes within the body that make the day a daunting task to get through. A clean, healthy diet keeps your hormones balanced thereby giving you a better mood and outlook on your day. Healthy foods also give you the ability to focus and concentrate, keeping you mentally sharp.
One of the last reasons to eat healthy but certainly not the lease is to improve one's immune system. By providing your body with all the essential nutrients it needs to function and perform, you will also be boosting your body's immunity. Keeping a strong immune system is vital to being able o fight off infections. It's like being in battle without armor. A poor diet can strip the body of its "armor" leaving you defenseless against illness. Crucial nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals can be found in natural healthy foods.
Even if weight loss is your number one reason to eat healthy as you can see there are plenty of other reasons to eat healthy as well. And if you ask me, those other reasons will keep you on track to reach your goal of lose weight.