The Importance of a Balanced Diet - Essay Example

Nutrition Assignment

Question 1

Having a balanced diet is a choice we should all make. I recently made it a routine to choose the variety of foods from the different food groups, avoid taking sugary drinks and ensuring that I drink plenty of water. As a result, my mental health has dramatically improved, I sleep much better nowadays, and I have a glowing skin. Besides, eating a balanced diet has significantly improved my immune system; thus, it can prevent diseases such as diabetes and infections. Lastly, it has helped me control my weight as I no longer take a lot of fries and pastries like I used to.

Question 2

Dietary habits are established in childhood and often carried to adulthood. One must teach himself/herself to eat healthily to enable them to stay healthy throughout their life. I have realized that consistently eating healthy will affect my future life as it can increase one's life span. When you eat healthy foods, you reduce your chances of getting chronic illnesses such as heart attack, diabetes and obesity, which are the leading causes of death and disabilities recently. I would not like it if in future I am sickling because of unhealthy eating. Therefore, I choose to eat healthily.

Question 12

I have a list of favourite healthy foods that I often take. However, vegetables top the list. I precisely love broccolis. I think I have a thing for Broccoli. My love for them is just on another level. In my opinion, Broccoli is not only the healthiest food in the universe but also very delicious more so when served in rice dishes, curry dishes and fish dishes, among others. It's healthy food that all responsible and caring mothers should consider having meals just like my mother. Apart from being healthy and delicious, they help in immunity development, heart and brainpower.

Question 14

Now, this is where my most significant challenge lies. How can I even lie that I take eight glasses a day? Honestly, I only take four glasses of water per day. I do not know whether that is too little, but all I know is that at least I take water daily. My primary concern has always been the interval for drinking these eight glasses of water. I have never been compelled to drink water when I am not thirsty. I have however learnt that the body losses a lot of water through urine and sweaty thus we have to ensure we take eight glasses of water in a day. Will try this out though I do not promise.

Question 25

Eating healthy is not about strict diets, rigid nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin and depriving yourself of the foods you love as some perceive it. It's often about feeling great, having more energy, balancing your moods and keeping yourself as healthy as possible. A person who longs to change his/her eating habits should keep more fruits, low-fat dairy products, vegetables and whole-grain foods both at home and at work. One should also try to eat a family meal every day to help him/her focus on eating healthy meals. Pack a healthy lunch and snack for work to help in having more control over what one eats. Do not skip meals or even delay meals and ensure you drink water instead of high-sugared drinks.

Question 30

Nutrition is essential for an individual's general well-being. When one chooses to eat nutritious foods, he/she will be physically, mentally, socially fit. For instance, to be physically fit, one requires to increase his/her intake of antioxidants which contains Vitamin C, E and beta carotene that significantly helps in preventing cell damage. Besides, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits legumes nuts, grains, among others enhances the reduction of depression, thus enhancing one's mental being. Socially, healthy eating can result in increased energy and weight loss. Looking good and feeling positive about one's self impacts your self-confidence, thus leading to high self-esteem.

Question 32

I feel my regular diet should change slightly because of unhealthy eating I sometimes embrace. I should focus on reducing eating animal-based foods such as bacon, butter, untrimmed meat and pastries like cookies. These foods have been eating have significantly high saturated and Trans fats which mare likely to increase my cholesterol, thereby putting me at risk of developing a heart attack. The body needs fats, and I should, therefore, replace those foods with plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds, almonds, olive oil and avocado as they have healthy fats.

Question 37

I have always strived to make the colour a priority when preparing my meals. Healthy food can sometimes look a little dull and bland. Who needs a boring meal, anyway? In my opinion, a beautiful plate of food satisfies so much more than a hungry belly. Unusual ingredients with lots of texture and flavour make healthy meals something to long for. To add more colour to a meal, one needs to: put the whole spectrum of colour into your shopping cart, eat many different fruits. Add fruits to oatmeal, make egg cups with lots of veggies, make Technicolor salad among others. Using these natural foods to add colour to diet is essential and nutritious compared to using processed food colours.

Question 45

Having encounter problems with my water intake, our family doctor encouraged me to ensure that I drink enough water every day to keep my body hydrated. Hydration is significant because it keeps the joints lubricated; it regulates the body temperatures, prevents infections and generally keeps the body organs functioning correctly. Besides, being well-hydrated improves one's sleep quality, mood and cognition.

Question 47

All processed foods have been in one way or the other altered during preparation to make them more convenient. This puts consumers of processed food to so many risks. They are unhealthy because of the too much sugar, sodium and fats they contain. They also lack nutritional value, thus makes them harmful. Processed foods also have high-calorie levels which can, in a way, become very addictive.

Additionally, most of the processes of food are easily digested in the body compared to unprocessed foods, thus making our bodies to burn less energy. Lastly, the meals contain several artificial ingredients that change the colour, the texture, flavour and odours of food, making them much riskier for one's life. To limit such risks, an individual needs to reduce his/her intake of processed foods.