At Rising Fitness, we use a holistic approach to good health. The body requires exercise but also needs a healthy diet to reduce the risk of disease. A healthy diet contains many components, including macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytonutrients. Macronutrients include protein, fat, and carbohydrates, while micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. Phytonutrients are substances found in plants that improve the functioning of the body.
Add fiber to your body to maintain a healthy microbiome.
The microbiome is the collection of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms in your body. You have more microbes than you have cells. The gut microbiome is particularly important. It helps digest food and makes nutrients bioavailable. The digestive tract is the largest organ of the immune system and it’s heavily dependent on the microbes living there. Digestion, metabolism, emotions, and inflammation are all affected. Your diet directly affects gut health. A high-sugar diet can kill friendly microbes and boost harmful ones. The soluble fiber in the diet feeds beneficial microbes. Spices, herbs, and a wide diversity of colorful fruits and vegetables can provide healthy micro diversity to improve health.
Your diet can increase your risk of diabetes.
A precursor of type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. The more highly processed carbs you consume, the more potential there is to develop it. Insulin is a messenger that tells the cells to open for glucose. When you eat simple carbs, it can spike your insulin levels due to the spike in blood sugar levels. Food high in fiber slows the process of increasing blood glucose levels. When that occurs frequently, cells don’t respond to insulin, leaving blood glucose high and causing more insulin to be released. Eventually, insulin resistance leads to diabetes which affects the whole body.
Obesity plays havoc with your body and an unhealthy diet can lead to it.
Obesity is a complex disease and can be caused by many factors, but dietary roles play a big role. If diet causes it, it’s not all about overeating, but more about eating the wrong foods. A diet high in highly processed food, sugar, fried food, and empty carbs can do more than pack on the pounds. It can increase your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, mental illness, and more.
- A diet high in bad cholesterol, like highly processed meats, chips, and fries, can affect your cholesterol profile. High cholesterol can lead to blockage in arteries. Another factor for heart disease is high blood pressure, which diet can also cause.
- An unhealthy diet may increase the risk of certain types of cancer. It’s estimated that 30% of all types of cancer are affected by a poor diet.
- Eating food high in sodium and low in potassium increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Potatoes, legumes, seafood, leafy greens, dairy, tomatoes, bananas, and avocados are potassium rich.
- An unhealthy diet filled with processed food, high in sugar, fast food, and simple carbs can affect your mental health, too. Switching to a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein can improve mental health.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym