From the Nutritional Pyramid to eat all of your vegetables, your doctor, school health classes and your mother have stressed healthy eating habits. The concept of eating healthy foods has been promoted ever since we learned that what we eat has a direct effect on our health.
Healthy eating is a habit of selecting the quantity and quality of foods that will either improve or maintain a good level of health. Usually, this means following the guidelines set by those who know the best, including scientific researchers, doctors, and nutritionists.
Health professionals set nutritional recommendations based on the ingredients and contents of food items. How fast and efficiently the body breaks down a food item and uses it for energy influences the way certain eating habits are viewed. For example, eating foods filled with sugar will not do much for maintaining a healthy body. The empty calories that sweets have actually aid in weight gain and increased glucose levels, which affect a variety of health concerns, such as diabetes.
The concept of healthy eating has changed over the years. This can be seen through the shift in the commonly used Nutritional Pyramid. In the past, the Pyramid gave daily recommendations on how many servings from each food group was needed to achieve healthy eating habits. Everyone was expected to follow the same recommendations. Today, these guidelines are now based on the differences that individuals have. The new serving suggestions now take into account factors such as weight, height, level of physical activity, age and gender.
