The Key to Health

What kind of food we should eat to stay fit and healthy? An expert viewpoint…
By Debjani Banerjee

Nutrition plays an integral part in every human being’s life.  The food choice that individuals make each day affects the health in a great way. Good nutritious food is a way of leading a healthy lifestyle. Eating a balanced diet is vital for good health and well being.
The food that we eat everyday provides essential vitamins, fats, proteins, minerals and energy to our body that help us to grow and function properly. A healthy and a balanced diet include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fat free milk or milk products, meat, fish, nuts or seeds etc. A balanced diet with physical activity can help you to maintain a healthy weight and promotes good health. A balanced diet must ensure:
Protein: Protein is a macronutrient which means that a human body requires it in large quantity.  Most of the cells in a human body are made up of proteins, in fact your hair and nails are too made up of proteins. The body uses protein that helps to build and repair tissues. Proteins are an essential building block for your bones, cartilage, muscles, skin and blood.  Proteins come from a variety of sources like milk, soy, fish, eggs, beans, nut butters etc.
Vitamins:  Vitamins have numerous role to maintain the health and functions of your body. Vitamin C is associated with the immune system of your body and prepares the body to fight against various infections. This vitamin can be taken from citrus fruits like oranges and lemons. Vitamin D works for the healthy bone formation. Vitamin E is essential for nail, hair and skin health. Both these vitamins can be obtained from fish oils and nut oils. Vitamin B closely works for breaking down carbohydrates and changing them into energy for body functioning. Meat, grain and green leafy vegetables are a good source of vitamin B. Vitamin K plays an important role in the formation of blood clots and can be obtained from green leafy vegetables. Vitamin A is important for ocular health and vision and fish oil and cod liver oil are a great source for it.
Fats: All foods contain fats in some or the other way. Fats are extremely important for our body to function properly. Fats are essential for the growth and development of the body. Our brain contains large amounts of essential fats in order to send out electrical signals. Moreover fats are also required to carry certain vitamins in our body.  Fats can be obtained from meat, cheese, butter, milk, cream and eggs.
Minerals:  Minerals are essential for maintaining bones, teeth, hair, blood, skin, hair, nerve function, muscles and for various other metabolic activities that convert the food we consume into energy.  Green leafy vegetables, meat, eggs, dry fruits, tomatoes, whole grains, fruits etc are great sources of minerals.
Carbohydrates: These are essential nutrients that our body needs. Carbohydrates are a great energy source that give us most of the energy that our body needs. Moreover carbohydrates can also help boost your mood. Carbohydrates are found in a wide variety of foods like bread, sugar, fiber, potatoes, beans etc.
Eating a nutritious diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases like heart problems, diabetes, obesity and some kind of cancers. Strength, endurance, co-ordination and level of performance are all powered by the types of food we eat. A healthy diet enables the body to execute each and every move with ease. However, a poor diet with unhealthy choices of food can not only increase stress levels in your body but also makes the body movements tough causing pain and strain. Food supplies power for your brain that has a great impact on your mental and emotional health. Unhealthy food habits can cause health problems like depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease. A healthy diet can benefit people suffering from these diseases. Eating healthy keeps you both mentally and physically fit. When you feel good from within yourself you have the self confidence to face the world.
It is very important for each and every individual to follow a nutritious diet since nutrition plays a great role is shaping your mind and body. If a person is healthy then they have a stronger immune system that fights off infections. Moreover when a person is fit, he/she not only looks good but also feels healthy from inside.

(The author is Nutrition & Dietetics at PSRI Hospital, New Delhi)