Written By: Michelle Howard – Edited By: Brenda McGee, Kyle Kizziah, and Haley Nix
Eating well isn’t just for looking fit, but it will certainly help with that. A balanced, nutritious diet lowers your risk of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, and has been known to positively affect your mental health.
We all know that feeling like you are looking your best probably helps with your mental health. You should eat a nutritious diet so that both your physical and mental well-being are covered. We want you to feel healthy on the inside and out!
Your mental health does not refer to that guilty feeling you get after eating fried chicken or a greasy hamburger, but mental illnesses like depression . So it’s not just your body that is in danger when you head to the third fast food place of the day! No one is judging, we have all been there, but it may be time to start thinking about eating healthier before it’s too late.
If you read our previous blog, you’ll know all about how important it is to maintain your heart health and ways to do so. Keeping up with your nutrition is one of those great ways to ensure your heart is healthy, whether that be literally or figuratively.
Eating nutritiously does not mean you have to go on a full-blown, low-calorie diet. Unless you are at a point that if you do not change something you are in serious danger, have that small snack. I know that when I am trying to cut out snacks completely, I think about one thing: snacks.
But there is a key: Moderation.
Have that slice of pizza or piece of cake. Just not too often and mix it up with healthy meals. Keep this up during the week to avoid bingeing on the weekend because we all know those days are everyone’s “cheat days.” One of the main issues with dieting is that thinking you need to go on one and being hard on yourself when you break it. This affects your mental well-being. If you need to have a small snack to help you get through it, do it.
Have that slice of pizza or piece of cake. Just not too often and mix it up with healthy meals. Keep this up during the week to avoid bingeing on the weekend because we all know those days are everyone’s “cheat days.” One of the main issues with dieting is that thinking you need to go on one and being hard on yourself when you break it. This affects your mental well-being. If you need to have a small snack to help you get through it, do it.
Here’s a recommended article to help you understand how to eat in moderation by avoiding binging and implementing little snacks throughout the week: https://niashanks.com/eating-in-moderation/
Sticking with your nutrition goals comes with a multitude of benefits to your body and mind. For your mental well-being, there are plenty of food sources that are said to boost your mood, alertness, cognitive skill, and memory. Your brain needs certain vitamins, A, D, B, and more, to function, so foods rich in these vitamins will help.
Over time you’ll start to see the obvious, weight loss, but more than that, you will notice an uptake in energy, typically clearer skin, and possible mood and memory enhancement. The less noticeable include strengthening your bones, better digestion, and lowering your risk of cancer. The good news is that they are also typically good for your physical body.
WebMD’s list of foods to aid in your journey.
However, if your diet just does not seem to be working or you are worried that you are becoming overweight or considering yourself to be an unhealthy size, check your Body Mass Index (BMI). It’s important to stay on top of your BMI because it is a great indicator of when you may be in danger of developing a condition from your eating habits. Even more so, if you want to stay on top of your health, check out food tracking apps like Confetti Force, or for more serious conditions, apps with services like Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM).
If you are at the stage where monitoring your health is at an urgent risk, check out this RPM service. You can input your health data straight into the apps and portals for your doctor to review, and a care coordinator will call you monthly to aid you in reaching your health goals while ensuring you are thriving all-around. Even if you are not at an urgent point in your health, it’s a great way to keep your doctor up-to-date with your health status between visits.
Once you can achieve a healthier diet and find a way to manage your health most effectively, keep in mind that the effects will not be immediate! Patience and persistence go along with moderation in being keys to success.
Stay active in your health, make smarter eating choices, and always have your health in mind!
It’s never too late to make a change or to start more actively monitoring your health. Remember that.
For more on how to live a nutritious lifestyle and how you can monitor your health effectively, check out Health Wealth Safe’s and Health Wealth Safe App YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for tips all month long, and ways to sign up for health monitoring services!
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