Nutrition's Role in Preventing Chronic Diseases: The Food Fight Against Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Obesity

However, it can be fully stated that nutrition performs an important role in the grand game of life. It’s like a high powered sports car that requires an exceptional fuel – it’s impossible to expect much of it when you put in garbage. And if you make a choice of high octane (or as some would call it – good quality fuel or good nutrition), you glug down the highway with power and energy. Today, we shall focus on issues of nutrition to eventually reduce prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases and obesity. Prepare yourself; I am going to take you on a taste full journey!

The Sweet Side of Nutrition: Sugar and Diabetes

Starting with the ubiquitous diabetes, here is a disease that is on almost every health event you care to name. Especially, the number of people with the second type of diabetes is increasing rapidly in recent years and is associated with improper nutrition. Consequently, if we are to discuss sugar it is important we make a realization that not all types of sugar are the same. Fruits come with natural sugars, relevant fiber, vitamins and minerals while added sugars such as those in candy bars and sodas make your system resistant to insulin in record time, literally faster than ‘chocolate cake.’
Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin or cannot properly use what insulin is available. Glucose (sugar) is like a person who has a key to a house and gets into the house with the key just as insulin does to allow glucose get into our cells. When those doors remain closed, extra glucose is left in the blood, resulting to high levels of blood sugar.
Now, let’s make a deal. Let’s try to reduce those sweets, right? Believe me your body will repay you in full and your future self will never have to worry about dealing with diabetes. Eliminate them from your diet and replace with better for you foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These foods are good for controlling blood glucose level and they retain your feeling of fullness for quite a long time.

 

The Heart of the Matter: Nutrition and Heart Disease

Another one of the chronic diseases that is fighting in the ring of giants is heart disease. It ph enters people’s lives slowly and unobtrusively and there are seldom any initial symptoms suggesting that something is wrong.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the biggest killers all across the world. Well, then what can we do for our hearts that they so richly require?

The Fat of the Matter
One thing people need to appreciate is that not all fats are bad for your health but rather it depends on the type of fat.

Saturated fats and trans fats, identified in frozen and fast processed foods, can actually raise the level of your cholesterol and the chances of heart disease. While saturated fats are not advisable in large amounts, such as those present in meat products, cheese, etc., healthy fats like those found in avocados, nuts and olive oil are fabulous for the heart.
Opinion: Let me picture a heart shaped piñata. Give it every possible nutrients and it will explode on you with all the healthy fats that you need. Waste it with all the wrong foods, and what’s left is an empty bowl, no more sweet treats, only the twinge of disappointment.

Cleansing Your Life the Natural Way: A Plant-Based Diet

In came the plant-based diet, your new BFF’s, for your heart that is. Doctors have suggested that the consumption of a diet which consists of many fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods and legumes can greatly reduce instances of heart diseases. As one science writer says, a plant-based diet means taking your heart for a luxury holiday – it cleanses the system, reduces blood pressure and heals the bad cholesterol. Who wouldn’t want that?
Not to mention the color, that will also be enhanced. It is not only entertaining to enjoy a diet plan that includes all forms of the rainbow but it also contains low calorie antioxidants and health compounds. So next time you’re contemplating whether to make a salad or a pizza, remember: Fun salads are like little tiny floats for your body!

The Weighty Issue: Nutrition and Obesity

Now let’s tackle the elephant in the room: obesity. Overweight is a multifaceted problem whose solution is challenging even in the developed countries and is one of the leading contributors to many serious diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The good news? Nutrition is a crucial weapon when it comes to the dealing with the disease, let alone preventing obesity.

Calories In, Calories Out
Healthy dieting and exercise come down to this – the number of calories taken in must be less than the calories expended. However, majority of people usually take many calories more than they burn. This is where nutrition comes into play . Trying to count the calories like they are sheep that you need to count before being put to sleep concentrate as far as the quality of what you are taking into your stomach is concerned.

Here’s a tip: If you are a snacker like most of us, then instead of going for a pack of chips when you are watching a movie or a program you like, go for a small bowl of popcorn or carrots with hummus. Not only are these snacks less in calories, but they also contain nutrients that are needed in the body. The taste buds will complain at first but before you know it they will be glad that things have changed!

The Role of Whole Foods

It’s whole foods that come to your aid when it comes to obesity. Of these foods, most of them are unprocessed or processed only slightly and therefore contain little nutrient loss. Thanks for the fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, nuts and seeds. Including some of these into your meal plans aids in slimming management because, for instance, they keep one full longer.
That is why on the other hand, processed products contain added sugar, bad fats and lots of calories without any nutrients. I like to call them the counterpart of the eating universe, often delicious, but deadly in the long run.

The Great Snack Debate

This is normally when snacking comes back into the picture with frowning’s faces portraying it as the enemy of any plan to lose weight. The snacks can actually make one to maintain metabolism and avoid the feeling of being raven at meal times.
Here’s a challenge for you: Well instead of grabbing that chocolate bar, get yourself almonds or apple sliced with peanut butter. You will be getting your sweet fix and a lot of nutrients without the added nastiness. Besides, people will soon start quizzing you about more snack ideas!

The Plant-Based Revolution

Many people are aware that plant-based diets are good for the heart and help with weight loss but such a diet has many other advantages. These diets have also been found to lower the risk of different chronic illnesses and enhance well being. But more to the point, what, in fact, is so special about plant-based diets?
Nutrient Density
Relative to calorie content, plant foods are rich in vitamin and minerals, although low in fat, protein, carbohydrates and energy. This is very crucial in order to be in proper health condition. When you eat whole, plant-based foods, they’re a full-service meal that makes the body work efficiently.
Please think now what would it be like if you had an account where you received additional bonuses for every nutrient that you transfered? That’s what it means to put nutrient-dense foods into the body! Rather than having that broke and tired kind of feeling to you, you’ll instead feel full of energy and vibrancy.
Lowering Disease Risk
Plant based diets therefore have been scientifically associated with lesser incidences of chronic diseases such as diabetes and certain types of cancer together with cardiovascular diseases. If you stick to whole, plant-based foods, you are stocking your system with all the weapons it needs to combat these diseases.

In fact, a big-scale paper in the Nutrients journal concluded that those who consume plant-based food products had a much lower chance of acquiring the type 2 diabetes illness. Well, considering the fact that these foods may help you avoid this disease in the first place, it may be high time to welcome the greens!

Making the Transition

When embracing the concept of eating plant based foods the best way to approach it is to feel like you’re heading towards a difficult challenge. But it doesn’t have to be! One evaluation process should be to gradually increase the proportion of fruits and vegetables consumed. You could do Meatless Mondays or introduce new plant based meals to the family.
Remember: This is something that is perfect for developing products rather than specifying perfection because it is all about development. Just remember, you don’t need to rid your entire kitchen of your favorite/caloric-rich foods in one go. It often happens that small innovations yield whopping outcomes. The next thing you know, you’re eating kale chips and your friends are still debating over how to say ‘quinoa’!

Conclusion: Eating Your Way to Health

In conclusion, nutrition which includes making right food choices and avoiding unhealthy foods are effective approaches to managing or delaying endemics diseases such diabetes, heart diseases and obesity. When you intake whole plant foods, you are giving your body the best chance to function at its optimal best.
The next time you go grocery shopping think of your future and what your body really requires in its system. Loving your body is like loving your car: if you treat it well and with the respect it deserves you will soon be cruising your way to health.

That is why to eat well, laugh often and live long. Your body will be grateful for it and who knows, perhaps you’ll be the next host of the show with full information about nutrition!