Eat Right for a Better Life
It is National Nutrition Week in South Africa, and the theme is eat right for a better life. The idea of improving our health span and living a life that is free of disease, starts with what we put into our bodies. In today’s fast-paced world, what we eat has a direct impact on how we feel and function, both physically and mentally. Good nutrition is not just about following a diet—it is about nourishing your body with the right foods so you can thrive every day.
Nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, play a significant role in optimizing your health and would be the cornerstone when it comes to eating right for a better life. These micronutrients help protect your cells, boost your immune system, and keep your body’s essential functions, like metabolism, running smoothly. For example, vitamins A, C, and E, along with minerals like zinc and selenium, help shield you from illnesses like heart disease and certain cancers. Foods like carrots, spinach, kale, citrus fruits, and berries are rich in these nutrients. By including a wide range of colourful fruit and vegetables in your meals, you can make sure you are getting the vitamins and antioxidants your body needs to stay healthy. The more variety you include in your daily diet the broader your nutrient intake will be. Think of roasting vegetables, drinking vegetable juices, making vegetable dips and dressings to increase your intake of these nutrient dense powerhouses.
To eat right for a better life, we want to be disease free and feel energised and vibrant not sick and tired. Your gut is one of the most crucial components that you want to have functioning well to feel your best. Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria that play a role in digestion, immunity, and even mental well-being. Eating fibre-rich foods like high fibre grains, barley, bulghur wheat, oats, fresh fruit, and leafy greens helps keep your gut by feeding the beneficial bacteria that live there. Foods high in polyphenols, like berries and broccoli, also help feed these good gut bacteria. Fermented foods like yogurt and kefir also support gut function by providing probiotics. Combine yoghurt with a vegetable juice and a fresh fruit to make a mixture that can be frozen and made into ice lollies for the summer months.
It is important to have health screening done regularly and check your blood glucose, blood pressure, inflammation (C-reactive protein) and overall cholesterol panel (a lipogram check) to make sure you are not at an increased risk for developing hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease.
Eating right is not just about preventing disease—it is about feeling your best every day. When you focus on incorporating nutrient-dense foods into your daily diet, you are supporting your immune system, brain, heart, and gut, all at once. Nutrition plays an especially vital role in disease prevention, start off by making sure you eat 3-4 cups of vegetables each day, drink enough water, eat lean proteins, increase fibre intake, get enough sleep and exercise daily. With a balanced diet, you will enjoy better health, a sharper mind, and a more vibrant life. So, start small, make simple changes, to start eating right for a better life.
