Healthy food habits
Food is as essential as the air we breathe and water we drink. The popular saying” man must eat to live and not live to eat” can’t be ignored. Diet is an important component of healthy lifestyle, others being exercise, stress management and non-consumption of tobacco & its products. The health of a person depends upon the quality and quantity of food that one eats every day. Our diet has changed over the last several years. Unhealthy diet is one of the main causes for lifestyle related diseases. If we develop habit of healthy eating, it could go a long way in preventing these diseases. It is therefore very important that the food one chooses must be well balanced. All the food we eat can be divided into five groups. To remain healthy, it’s important to eat the right balance from each of these groups. They are:
- Cereals: such as wheat, rice, bajra, millets, are an important part of a healthy diet. They are a good source of energy. It is advised to have whole grain cereals to increase fibre content.
- Pulses & legumes, eggs, poultry, Meat, fish: These foods are all good sources of protein, which is essential for growth & repair of the body. They are also good sources of a range of vitamins and minerals.
- Fruit and vegetables: are important source of vitamins and minerals. It’s advised to eat five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. There’s evidence that people who eat at least five portions a day are at lower risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
- Milk and dairy foods: Milk and dairy foods such as cheese and yoghurt are also good sources of protein. They also contain calcium, which helps to keep your bones healthy.
- Fat and sugar Fats and sugar are both good sources of energy. But when eaten too much, provides more calories than required and thus we gain weight. This can lead to obesity, which increases our risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.
