Why Are Healthy Eating Habits Important?

If you’ve ever asked someone how to be healthy, you’ve probably heard this advice: Eat a healthy diet. Really, though, what does that even mean? If you ask many followers of the trendy ketogenic diet, it means shunning sweet potatoes and quinoa in favor of cheese and coconut oil. For another person, it might mean avoiding sugary foods like ice cream and candy at all costs. And someone else may tell you to avoid all dairy and nix gluten.

The problem is, this back-and-forth about what’s truly healthy can cause a whole lot of confusion, not to mention prompt people to try unsustainable and unnecessarily restrictive diets in the name of health. If that’s you, there’s no need for embarrassment: Just be relieved to learn that healthy eating is far simpler than you may think.

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Healthy vs. Unhealthy Eating Habits: What’s the Difference?

“What I promote to clients is a whole-foods diet, meaning, eat foods as close to their original form as possible,” says Alicia Galvin, RD, who’s based in Dallas. When food is processed or refined, it’s stripped of most of its fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and often preservatives are added in their place.

A plant-based eating pattern is a way to go. “Studies show that people who consume a more plant-based diet have a lower risk of all the chronic diseases,” says Heller. Case in point: A study published in August 2019 in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that people who stick with plant-based eating patterns have a 16 percent lower risk of developing heart disease, possibly because these diets tend to include more heart-healthy fiber and nutrients like potassium, while limiting the intake of saturated fat and cholesterol. The definition of plant-based eating can vary but can include vegan (no animal products), raw vegan (no animal products and only raw foods), vegetarian (no meat), or even flexitarian (eating vegetarian most of the time).

Also key: cultivating a happy relationship with food. “Food is not the enemy,” says Galvin. Rather than focus on what you shouldn’t be eating, think about what you can add to your plate that will improve your health, like nuts for heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids or raspberries for their fiber and antioxidants.

Why Should I Make Healthy Food Choices?

Food is one of the most important tools for a life lived well — and long, says Galvin.

A Healthy Diet Can Help Prevent Disease

“In the United States, the top leading causes of death are related to chronic disease, which comes from having an unhealthy lifestyle,” she says. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and excessive alcohol use are the top causes of chronic disease, which include heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Food Choices Affect Your Mental Health

It’s not just our physical health that can see a boost when we prioritize a healthy diet. Research shows that food choices also affect mental health. In a review published in July 2016 in Clinical Nutrition Research, study authors report that a diet rich in vitamins and minerals is associated with a lower risk for mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Eat a Healthy Diet, and You May Lose Weight

According to the CDC, being overweight or having obesity is associated with an increased risk of these health conditions, so weight loss can be important if you have a high body mass index (BMI). Fortunately, according to the Mayo Clinic, following a high-quality diet in which you pay attention to portion sizes can also help you reach a healthy weight. Another piece of the puzzle: eating mindfully. Stop eating when you’re full, and don't eat too fast or for emotional reasons, notes Mayo.

Why Should I Strive for a Healthy Lifestyle?

In sum, the payoff of a healthy lifestyle is huge. “Over time, when you make healthy decisions about food, you are at a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even anxiety and depression. You will have more energy, feel better, and may even be in a better mood daily,” says Samantha Heller, RD, a senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.

Again, it comes down to the length and quality of your life. In a review published in June 2017 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a healthy diet was found to decrease the risk of early death from any cause by 56 percent. Researchers defined a healthy diet as focusing on eating whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish. On the other hand, a higher intake of red or processed meats increased the risk of early death by twofold.

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How to Improve and Change Your Eating Habits

If your goal is to eat healthier, it can feel overwhelming to think that you have to change your eating habits all at once. Here are six tips on how to start.

1. Make a Plan for Your New Healthy Diet

The first step is to develop a concrete and specific plan of action, says Heller. For instance, tomorrow morning, when it’s time to eat breakfast, plan to skip the fast-food breakfast sandwich and eat a piece of whole-grain toast with peanut butter at home.

2. Save Your Lunch Money

Bringing your lunch to school or work has more than one perk. It’s a good way to save money and use up what you have in the house, and it will likely be more nutritious. One easy way to do that, suggests Heller: Pack leftovers from last night’s dinner.

3. Keep Unhealthy Foods Out of Sight

Purge your pantry and fridge of any unhealthy food, and start thinking about getting only the good stuff into your kitchen. Make a shopping list so that you can pick up all the vegetables, fruit, and other plant-based foods that you need for the next three days says, Heller.

 That way, you’ll have more of a chance of eating healthy and much less of a chance of eating junk.

4.Take Baby Steps

How can you make that happen? Set small, doable goals, says Galvin. For instance, you’re going to eat three more servings of vegetables this week. Maybe that’s by adding one extra serving of veggies to dinner just three nights this week. Or, you’re going to make one meal that's bean-based, like chili, for lunch just one day this week.