A healthy diet is one that provides ample, quality nutrients through a variety of foods, designed to provide the body with the nutrition it requires. According to the National Institutes of Health, "Good nutrition means your body is getting all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs to work at its best level. Eating a healthy diet is your main way to get good nutrition." (NIH, n.d.) A healthy diet also takes into account the activity level and life stage of the individual, since nutrient and caloric needs change over time. An infant or toddler has different nutritional requirements than an adult or senior citizen, and a high school football player has different caloric requirements than a middle-aged secretary. Lifestyle and life stage are important to consider when choosing the right foods.
A healthy diet will include foods that contain all six nutrient groups: protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Proper amounts of these nutrients will enable the body to maintain itself, to fight disease, to grow and replace worn-out tissue, and to stay in the correct balance.
Since our needs change over time, one of the biggest challenges to choosing a healthy is knowing “what do I need right now?” An infant or toddler needs foods that will provide the nutrients for growth and development. The football player will require more protein to help build muscle and carbohydrate for energy while on the field. An elderly person will not require as many calories, however they need to ensure that the foods they do eat are nutrient-dense in order to provide their bodies with the ability to fight illness and stave off the deterioration of their tissues. A middle-aged secretary needs to ensure she doesn’t take in too many calories to prevent overweight or obesity, as well as make sure she is eating enough vitamins and minerals to help prevent diseases like osteoporosis.
The key to knowing “what do I need right now?” is education. Understanding what part proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water play in the complex biochemistry that is the human body – even if it is just on a surface level – is important to understanding how to select foods that will give your body what it needs to operate most efficiently. For example, if someone understands that most processed foods add salt and fat while removing fiber and nutrients, and why that is bad for their body, it can encourage them choose more nutritious foods instead.
Reference:
National Institutes of Health (n.d.). Diet and Nutrition. Retrieved from: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Diet_and_Nutrition.cfm
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