Most people make a shift in their diet— a shift towards a healthier diet— because they are trying to lose weight. But weight loss is only one of MANY amazing benefits that your brain and body receive as a result of this healthy change. From the way you feel, to what you get from your food, to your overall quality of life, the health benefits from improvement your diet are incredible! If you’re still unsure it’s worth it, take a look at this amazing list of just some of the great benefits!
1) You Will Be In a Better Mood!
Many of the nutrients found in healthy food contribute to your mood and keeping you feeling upbeat, especially foods high in iron, folic acid, and thiamine. In addition, eating healthier usually means incorporating complex carbohydrates (instead of unhealthy refined carbs) and these healthy carbs help stabilize your blood sugar while increasing serotonin. This means less mood swings and more happy hormones!
2) You Will Have Glowing Skin with Less Wrinkles!
Veggie and Fruits are good for you for many, many reasons, but they are also foods that have a high water content. This means that they actually play a role in keeping your skin adequately moisturized and reducing the appearance of under-eye bags. In addition, these veggies and fruits are loaded with antioxidants. These amazing things protect your body from cellular damage— yes the very same cellular damage that leads to wrinkles and again skin. They also help expedite skin exfoliation and protect the skin from sun damage- all things that keep your skin young and healthy looking!
3) You Will Lower Your Disease Risk!
Your risk of developing many diseases goes up with an unhealthy diet and goes down when you change all that. High up on this list are diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Diabetes can develop from insulin resistance which is common in an unhealthy diet full of refined sugar. A healthy diet prevents the blood sugar spikes that lead to insulin resistance and eventual type II diabetes. Healthy eating also helps protect your heart by reducing your intake of sodium and trans fats. Focusing instead of increasing your intake of omega 3s and plant foods reduces your risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart disease. Finally, increases your fruit and veggie intake has been shown to reduce your risk of developing many types of cancer, including colorectal cancer and liver cancer.
4) You Will Have Less Bloating and a Flatter Tummy!
Many of the contributors of bloating are found in unhealthy diets. By improving your eating habits, you reduce your intake of sodium and high sugar carbonated beverages that can excess and frequent bloating. In addition, healthy diets are usually high-fiber diets which is a great way to control constipation and the bloating effects associated with it. Finally, healthy diets help promote good gastrointestinal health by populated and feeding your gut microbiome. This helps to reduce overall gut inflammation give you a flatter tummy.
5) You Will Sleep Better
Unhealthy diets are often filled with food that actually impairs your sleep quality and sleep duration. Foods that cause digestive issues and foods that contain MSG can impair your ability to get deep, restorative sleep and removing these foods from your diet can have a huge, beneficial impact. High sugar diets are also more likely to result in middle-of-the-night awakening so cleaning up your diet to can help prevent this issue as well. Finally, a diet rich in B vitamins can help your body regulate melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep cycles.
6) You Will Be Clearer-Headed and Prevent Cognitive Decline!
Eating a well-balanced diet rich in Omega 3s and leafy greens can help improve your concentration, mental alertness, memory, and learning. Plus, infusing your diet with B vitamins and Polyphenols (found in most plant foods and spices) can help prevent the development of dementia and the associated cognitive decline.
7) You Will Live Longer!
Diet is one of the things most strongly related to life longevity. Increasing your intake of whole grains, fiber, healthy fats, and fruits & vegetables has been shown to increase life longevity. On the flip side, diets full of processed, fried, and sugary foods has been linked to numerous diseases and significantly increased death risk. Even small changes can decreases your risk of death and prolong your life!
So there you have it! In case you didn’t know, healthy eating changes have MASSIVE benefits well beyond weight loss, so what are you waiting for?!? If you don’t know where to start with making some easy healthy eating changes, check out this blog post…. 😉
