Habits for a healthy body and minds

The importance of good eating

Our eating habits largely determine the functioning of our body. A good diet adapted to our nutritional needs promotes health and prevents disease. How does food influence our quality of life? The organism needs to feed to live. The nutrients you get from food allow you to function properly and cope with daily activities. But the role of nutrition goes much further: recent advances in nutrition in recent decades have allowed us to determine the importance of correct nutrition in promoting physical and mental health, preventing illness and, in general, improving our quality of life. But what is a correct diet? An adequate diet is the one that provides us with the body's requirements, in terms of energy and nutrients, to meet its needs and to function properly. There is no adequate universal diet, but it must be adapted to each person according to their personal characteristics and lifestyle: a balanced diet will not be the same for a child as for an adult or a pregnant woman, nor for a person who practices regularly. sport or for a sedentary person. However, the discovery of nutrients and their function in the body does allow us to determine those foods that effectively promote health and prevent disease. And it is these that must be part of the diet of a healthy population.

A balanced diet in nutrients, the key to health

Nutrients are those substances present in food that metabolize the body to function. There are several types of nutrients and they all fulfill their specific function. A balanced diet is the key to maintaining good health. - Proteins are responsible for the formation and regeneration of muscle tissue. They also strengthen our defenses against infections and external agents and are responsible for transporting other types of nutrients, such as fats.

Fats and carbohydrates have the main function of obtaining the necessary energy for the body to carry out vital functions such as pumping blood, lung function, or the correct maintenance of body temperature. - Vitamins and minerals regulate the body's processes so that they work correctly and avoid possible disorders and diseases. - Fiber promotes the proper functioning of the body's waste disposal systems. Recently, the Spanish Nutrition Society (SENC) has developed a new pyramid of healthy eating. In addition to specifying the proportion and types of food that we must consume in a balanced diet, as a novelty a basis of healthy habits has been added as fundamental promoters of health and disease prevention.

In its new Food Guide for the Spanish population, SENC also bets on variety, balance and moderation in quantity (portions) as basic principles for healthy eating and maintaining body weight at adequate levels. And it points to the Mediterranean diet as an eating pattern that can satisfy these requirements. In the same way, it highlights the importance of spending time both buying the right foods, taking into account the labeling, and the activity of eating quietly, on a regular schedule, chewing properly and enjoying company. In any case, it is always advisable to consult with a nutrition specialist to find out what our most suitable diet would be according to our personal characteristics and our lifestyle.