Healthy Eating - 5 Simple Tips to Protect Your Health By Eating Helthy Foods.
Eating healthy, which means following a balanced diet, is one of the best ways to protect your health. In fact, up to 80% of heart disease and early strokes can be prevented by making good life choices, like eating well and staying active.
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| 5 Simple Tips to Protect Your Health By Eating Helthy Foods. |
A healthy diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease and strokes by:
- Improving cholesterol levels
- Lowering blood pressure
- Helping manage weight
- Controlling blood sugar levels
What Is a Healthy and Balanced Diet?
Canada’s Food Guide recommends:
- Eating a variety of healthy foods every day
- Choosing plant-based foods more often
- Limiting highly processed or ultra-processed foods
Here are 5 essential parts of a healthy diet:
1. Eat Plenty of Vegetables and Fruits
Eating vegetables and fruits is one of the most important healthy habits. They are full of nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
They also help you feel full longer and keep a healthy weight.
👉 Half of your plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits at every meal and snack.
2. Choose Whole Grains
Whole grains include:
- Whole-grain bread and crackers
- Brown and wild rice
- Quinoa, oats, and barley
Whole grains are rich in fiber, protein, and B vitamins, which keep you healthy and full.
👉 Fill one-quarter of your plate with whole grains.
Tip: Choose whole grains instead of refined grains like white bread and white pasta.
3. Eat Protein Foods Every Day
Protein foods include:
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- Poultry and lean red meat (like game meat)
- Low-fat milk, yogurt, kefir
- Low-sodium and low-fat cheese
Proteins help build and repair bones, muscles, and skin.
👉 Fill one-quarter of your plate with protein foods.
✅ Try to eat fish twice a week.
✅ Add plant-based proteins like beans and lentils to your meals.
✅ Choose low-fat dairy and avoid flavored products high in sugar.
4. Avoid Highly Processed Foods
Ultra-processed foods are heavily changed from their natural form and often have added salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
They lose important nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals during processing.
Examples of ultra-processed foods:
❌ Fast food, hot dogs, chips, cookies, frozen pizza, deli meats, white rice, white bread.
Some minimally processed foods are still good, like:
✅ Packaged salads, frozen fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, whole grain flour, brown rice, cooking oils, dried spices.
➡️ Almost half of daily calories in some countries come from ultra-processed foods. Reducing them can improve your health.
5. Drink More Water
Water is the best drink for staying hydrated and healthy. It has no calories and helps your body function properly.
Avoid sugary drinks like:
❌ Sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices (even 100% pure juice), flavored coffees.
Even 100% fruit juice contains a lot of sugar and less fiber than whole fruits.
➡️ Eat fruits instead of drinking juice.
If clean drinking water is not available, drink unsweetened low-fat milk, coffee, or tea, or boil water before drinking.
5 Best Expert Tips for Healthy Eating
- Cook most meals at home using whole or minimally processed foods.
- Add different protein sources to keep meals interesting.
- Make meal planning fun by choosing theme days like "Meatless Friday".
- Fill half of your plate with vegetables and fruits at every meal. Pick colorful vegetables (orange and dark green are great options). Frozen or canned vegetables and fruits (without added sugar) are good alternatives to fresh.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Keep a reusable water bottle with you to stay hydrated anywhere.
Bonus Tips for Healthy Eating
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Try to have at least three meals a day with healthy snacks in between. Skipping meals can lead to unhealthy food choices.
- Carry easy snacks (like nuts or fruit) in your bag for emergencies.
✅ Final Thoughts
Following a balanced and healthy diet is a simple way to stay in good shape and prevent serious health issues like heart disease and strokes. By making small changes—like eating more vegetables and drinking water—you can greatly improve your health and well-being.
References:
- Canada's Food Guide – https://food-guide.canada.ca
- Heart and Stroke Foundation – https://www.heartandstroke.ca
- Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Moubarac JC, et al. (2018). "Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them." Public Health Nutrition.
- World Health Organization (WHO) – Healthy Diet Fact Sheet – https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – The Nutrition Source – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
