Healthy eating – 7 benefits to mark European Day of Healthy Food and Cooking

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Healthy eating – 7 benefits to mark European Day of Healthy Food and Cooking

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Eating healthily has many benefits that we often forget about, focusing only on the visual aspects of our figure. November 8th is the European Day of Healthy Eating and Cooking, and it is a great opportunity to remind ourselves of these benefits. Discover the 7 benefits of eating and cooking healthily.

Healthy, nutrient-rich food is essential and the most important fuel for our bodies. The fuel we fill up every day so that the machine can go on without problems. But do we adequately appreciate the benefits of healthy eating?

1. Thinking better of yourself and your body

In short, “in a healthy body, a healthy spirit”. Healthy eating brings with it an improved sense of well-being. What does this result from? By eating healthier, we consume more nutrients that are responsible for the proper functioning of the nervous system. These can include magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, as well as B vitamins. The proper functioning of the nervous system can have a positive effect on overall wellbeing. In addition, even if we do not particularly care about the calorie content of our diet, cutting down on fatty and highly processed foods in favour of fruit and vegetables can result in weight loss. Such effects can have a positive impact on our mood and motivate us to keep going. However, it is important not to put the improvement in the appearance of your figure and weight loss in the centre, but to treat it as a nice side effect of changing your eating habits and improving the quality of your health.

2. You prevent the development of cardiovascular disease

Research shows that high-calorie diets rich in salt, sugar or saturated fatty acids, as opposed to diets rich in vegetables, fruit, healthy fats or fish, favour the development of hypertension and high blood lipid (fat) levels. Including nutrient-rich foods in the diet supports the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, including the regulation of blood pressure, as well as lipid metabolism. By choosing a healthy diet, you therefore prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

3. You support the correct intestinal microflora

Frequent consumption of alcohol, as well as processed foods low in fibre and rich in fat, promotes intestinal dysbiosis. A diet rich in unprocessed foods (including vegetables, fruit, whole grains with high fibre content), as well as fermented foods, positively influences the development and maintenance of a healthy intestinal microflora. You can read more about the positive impact of normal gut microflora on health in the article Health begins in the gut.

4. Discover new flavours and develop your cooking skills

Eating healthily is not boring at all! What’s more, anyone who has changed their eating habits will admit that healthy cooking broadens their culinary horizons. In today’s world, the internet is bursting with recipes for healthier versions of popular, high-calorie dishes. These dishes are just as delicious as the originals, and are packed with nutrients that benefit your health and contribute to maintaining a slim figure.

5. You prevent the development of obesity and type II diabetes

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an elevated BMI, indicating overweight or obesity, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. By following a diet rich in nutrients and with a calorie value that is tailored to you, you can not only prevent their development, but also make a positive contribution to improving the health of the aforementioned disease entities. A healthy diet may prove to be the key here.

6. You have more energy and vitality

A better nourished body, works faster and more efficiently. Of course, other factors such as physical activity and adequate regeneration, including sufficient sleep, also influence the amount of energy you feel. However, this does not change the fact that healthy nutrition plays an important role in providing daily energy for action.

7. You save money and time

The saying “prevention is better than cure” is very true. If you think healthy eating is expensive, think about how much time, money and stress it costs to treat it. Try to think of how much you spend on stimulants, biscuits, crisps and other snacks. We guarantee you that it adds up to quite a sum. Overall, eating healthily is not more expensive. Some products may cost a little more, but by planning your meals wisely, it is easy to optimise costs. If you have any doubts about this, find out about the Fridge and Smart shopping list features in the Fitatu® app.

Healthy eating – how do I start?

When embarking on the adventure of healthy eating, it is advisable to consult a nutritionist. He or she can help you take the first steps on this road and offer you advice at every stage. You can also try to create a healthy menu little by little on your own. If you would like to find out more about this, read the article 4 rules to help you easily compose a balanced meal. For this, you will need a tool such as the Fitatu® app, which will help you count calories and also suggest recipes when you are short of inspiration. 

The Fitatu® app

Download the app from the Play Store or Apple Store and start taking care of your diet with Fitatu®! Not sure if our app is the tool for you? Use the discount code HEALTHFOOD-8 and get 26% off your monthly Fitatu® Premium. Test it and find out that dieting has never been so easy!

What else can you find in Fitatu® Premium?

  • over 2000 recipes plus several new ones every month
  • additional plans for intermittent fasting
  • the ability to create shopping lists
  • a choice of six ready-made menus full of meals to choose
  • filtering products and recipes
  • more synchronization with fit apps
  • access to your Meal Plan in the web version
  • no ads!

Bibliography:

  1. Emmanuella Magriplis, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Ioannis Kyrou, Costas Tsioufis, Anastasia-Vasiliki Mitsopoulou, Dimitra Karageorgou, Ioannis Dimakopoulos, Ioanna Bakogianni, Michalis Chourdakis, Renata Micha, George Michas, Triantafyllia Ntouroupi, Sophia-Maria Tsaniklidou, Kostantina Argyri, Antonis Zampelas, Presence of Hypertension Is Reduced by Mediterranean Diet Adherence in All Individuals with a More Pronounced Effect in the Obese: The Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS), Nutrients. 2020 Mar; 12(3): 853.
  2. Erietta Polychronopoulou, Philippe Braconnier, Michel Burnier, New Insights on the Role of Sodium in the Physiological Regulation of Blood Pressure and Development of Hypertension, Front Cardiovasc Med. 2019; 6: 136
  3. Lilly Su, Rea Mittal, Devyani Ramgobin, Rahul Jain, Rohit Jain, Current Management Guidelines on Hyperlipidemia: The Silent Killer, J Lipids. 2021; 2021: 9883352
  4. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

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