Nutrition

Why is a healthy diet important?

Food is fuel. It gives you the energy you need to work, exercise, and socialize; it also helps support the long-term health and vitality of your body as well as your mind.

The foods and beverages you choose to incorporate into your diet affect virtually all your bodily systems. Just as a good diet has the power to energize you and support your efforts to achieve good health, a bad diet has the power to stall or undermine your efforts to stay healthy.

While it may seem clear that following a nutritious diet is the only way to go when it comes to supporting your body’s everyday needs and long-term health, many people don’t know exactly what optimal personal nutrition looks like.

Whether you’re not sure how many calories you need or which vitamins and minerals you should be getting more of, Dr. Hasan and his team of dietitians can provide detailed information on your current nutritional status, help you bridge any gaps in your diet, and give you precise dietary recommendations to simplify the process.

What does a healthy diet look like?

Although nutrition is an evolving science that becomes more refined as researchers learn more about the long-term effects of specific foods or nutrients, sound nutrition isn’t as complicated as it may seem.

For people of all ages and health conditions, good nutrition simply means eating a variety of nutrient-rich, wholesome foods while avoiding as many calorie-dense, processed foods as possible. A healthy diet is one that:

Includes high-quality foods

Unrefined, minimally processed whole foods, including fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean sources of protein, form the basis of any healthy diet.

Limits low-quality foods

Highly processed snacks, sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, refined grain products such as white bread or pasta, fried foods, and foods rich in unhealthy fats should be occasional treats, not dietary staples.

How can sound nutrition help me stay healthy?

People who eat a nutritious diet are more likely to live longer and less likely to develop a chronic illness like heart disease, diabetes, or cancer.

Clean eating also has a direct and positive impact your short-term health and day-to-day wellness, because it keeps your brain active and helps your body repair and replace tissues, including bone and muscle.

Achieving optimal nutrition can help you shed excess body weight, too. Dr. Hasan and his team have helped many patients find long-term weight loss success with a medically supervised low-carb diet that promotes fat loss, helps maintain muscle mass, and supports overall vitality and energy.

Sticking to a low-carb, high-protein diet that stresses healthy fats helps your body burn stored fat more efficiently without negatively impacting your lean tissue. In addition to promoting efficient fat loss, the right low-carb diet plan can normalize your blood sugar levels and help improve your body’s insulin response.

To learn more about optimal nutrition, call your nearest office or schedule an appointment online today.