BS, Dietetics and Nutrition
What do you think of when you hear the word “nutrition”? We’ve all heard the phrase “you are what you eat,” but in a world of disinformation and scare tactics on social media about food ingredients and nutrition, it’s hard to know what to eat to give your body what it needs.
But the thing is, nutrition is an important topic as food isn’t just fuel; the right nutrients keep your body running smoothly in ways you might not even recognize at first. It’s not just about maintaining a healthy weight or giving you energy; the right foods play a huge part in ensuring your overall health. Your food choices shape how your heart beats, how clearly you hear, and even how sharp your brain is. Let’s take a look at it in more detail.
Nutrition for a Healthy Heart
Your heart never takes a break, and it is one of the more sensitive organs in relation to what you are feeding it. A poor diet can cause huge issues, affect your heart health, and increase the risk of heart disease, among other conditions. You need to feed your heart a healthy diet that supports circulation and healthy cholesterol levels. You need nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, which support your heart rhythm, and reduce processed foods and saturated fat, which puts extra strain on your arteries.
Nutrition and Hearing
This is probably the last part of your body you would consider when thinking about nutrition, but it’s true. What you eat can impact your hearing. Vitamins A, C, and E can defend the inner ear cells from oxidative stress, while magnesium and zinc support the pathways that carry sound to your ears.
This article explains nutrition’s role in hearing wellness and suggests foods to include in your diet to promote healthy hearing.
Brain Food
A common phrase everyone is probably familiar with is: What exactly is brain food? It’s foods that contain good amounts of antioxidants, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, to name a few. Think blueberries, walnuts, and fatty fish as your main starter foods, then work up from here. But don’t forget hydration, which is a huge component of brain health. This means staying adequately hydrated every day, too.
Food for Eyesight
Your eyes also benefit from a healthy, nutritious diet, and you don’t need to eat loads of carrots to maintain healthy eyesight. However, consuming food rich in vitamins A and C, as well as antioxidants like lutein, can help protect against age-related vision problems. These can be found in colourful fruits as well as vegetables such as sweet potato, leafy greens, and carrots, of course.
You don’t need to make eating nutritious foods complicated. You simply need to make sure your daily diet includes a wide variety of fresh or whole foods over processed foods to give your body what it needs. In the absence of certain vitamins or allergies, supplements can be beneficial; however, it’s widely acknowledged that the best way is to get as many nutrients from food as possible is to eat a variety of fresh or wholesome foods.
