Unlocking Your Body's Potential: How Food Impacts Your Healthspan

05/31/2024

How can you increase your health span? 

In order to increase your health span, you need to adhere to an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. Your lifestyle and eating habits are two influential factors in determining your health span. It's integral to support a balanced diet and exercise regularly to ensure excellent overall health. On the other hand, if you follow a sedentary lifestyle with unhealthy eating choices, your health span will continue to deplete over time. The following are the benefits of eating a healthy diet: 

Ease weight management:

Opting for a healthy and balanced diet along with an active lifestyle are two major components of weight management. You should focus on a diet that delivers essential nutrients to support a healthy weight and keep your overall health in check. Try incorporating the following food items into your diet: nuts, fruits, leafy vegetables, legumes, fruits, fish, etc. 

If trying to cut off extra pounds, you should avoid fried food, sugary beverages, alcohol, processed meat, etc. A diet alone will not help your weight loss plan; you will also have to focus on daily exercise. If you are not sure where to begin, you can get in touch with a professional. 

Being overweight fosters your risk of developing serious ailments such as heart disease, high BP (blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, etc. Therefore, start cutting back on food items that result in weight gain. You can replace all such food items with nutritional sources. 

Improve your immunity: 

Having a strong immune system protects from a wide range of infections. Therefore, you should eat a diet that bolsters your immune system. When an immune system is strong, your probability of encountering an infection and falling sick is very low. On the other hand, if you eat an unhealthy diet, it will lead to a weak immune system. When your immune system is weak, you are more likely to fall sick repeatedly. You can boost your immunity by eating food items like legumes, grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. 

Bolster heart health: 

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. On a global level, heart disease is becoming more prevalent than ever, affecting thousands of individuals every year. A study by the American Heart Association unveils that around half of American adults are living with some type of cardiovascular problem. 

Hypertension is one of the risk factors for heart disease, and it increases the chances of developing serious heart conditions like heart attacks, stroke, and heart failure. 

Lifestyle modifications consisting of eating healthy and exercising daily can help subside the risk of developing serious heart conditions by 80%. Various food items can help you tackle high blood pressure, keeping your heart safe. 

You should focus on a heart-healthy diet such as: 

• Cutting back on sodium intake and increasing the consumption of magnesium, potassium, and calcium 

• Mitigating the consumption of saturated and trans fats

• Enhancing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains 

• Opting for fat-free or low-fat dairy products, beans, nuts, fish, poultry 

• Avoiding drinks with added sugar 

Better gut health: 

Numerous naturally occurring bacteria vital to digestion and metabolism reside in the colon. In addition to this, there are some specific strains of bacteria responsible for producing vitamins like K and B. Vitamin K and B help the colon and fight against dangerous bacteria and viruses. 

Going for a diet enriched with fiber helps minimize the inflammation in the gut. Taking a diet packed with fibrous vegetables, legumes, fruit, and whole grains also offers probiotic and prebiotics that encourages the progress of good bacteria in the colon. 

The following food items are a good source of probiotics: 

• Kimchi 

• Yogurt 

• Sauerkraut 

• Miso

• Kefir 

Prebiotic also assists in dealing with a wide variety of digestive issues, such as symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. 

Improved memory functions: 

A diet packed with vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains functions to enhance cognitive and brain health.  Consuming a diet rich in the following nutrients and food items keeps you away from cognitive decline and dementia: 

• Vitamin D, E, and C

• Omega 3 fatty acids

• Fish 

• Flavonoids and Polyphenols 

Therefore, include the above-listed food items in your routine. Getting these nutrients and food items through your diet will definitely lead to remarkable results.  Out of all diets, the Mediterranean diet is one of the diets that holds almost all the above-mentioned nutrients. 

Maintain optimum weight: 

Shredding off extra weight and maintaining an optimum weight can help mitigate the risk of coming across serious chronic conditions. People who are obese or have more weight are more likely to get through the following health conditions: 

• Stroke 

• Hypertension 

• Certain mental health issues 

• Some cancers 

• Type 2 diabetes 

• Coronary heart disease 

Healthful food items such as fruits, beans, and vegetables are much lower in processed foods, reducing the risk of developing several chronic conditions. 

Just by prioritizing a healthy and correct diet, a person can stay within their limit without keeping a check on their calorie consumption.            

A study from 2018 revealed that eating a diet rich in fiber and lean proteins leads to weight loss without even reviewing calorie intake. 

To conclude: 

Your dietary choices determine your health span. If you eat a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, nuts, whole grains, etc, you will have a better healthspan. Along with dietary choices, your lifestyle matters, too. You should get enough exercise and prioritize 8 hours of sleep daily. You put yourself at risk if you eat unhealthy food items, live a sedentary lifestyle, and compromise sleep daily. If you have any medical conditions, take care of yourself and have regular check-ups with your doctor.

 FAQ’s

1. What is healthspan, and how does it differ from lifespan?

Healthspan refers to the number of years we live in good health and free from disease, while lifespan stands for the number of years we stay alive.

2. Which foods are best for boosting immunity and overall health?

In order to boost your immunity, try including the following food items in your diet:

• Blueberries

• Dark chocolate

• Turmeric

• Oily fish

• Broccoli

• Sweet potatoes

• Spinach ginger  

3. How does a balanced diet help in managing weight and preventing chronic diseases?

A balanced diet with food items such as lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and whole foods can help you achieve your weight loss goals. Adherence to a healthy and balanced diet can also reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as stroke, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, etc.

4. What role do probiotics and prebiotics play in gut health?

Prebiotics and probiotics are both amazing for your body! They are responsible for producing and maintaining a healthy colony of bacteria and other microorganisms, which strengthens your gut and aids digestion. These components stimulate beneficial bacteria by supplying food and creating an atmosphere where microorganisms can thrive.