When was the last time you thought about your health? Do you ever find yourself reaching for unhealthy snacks when you’re hungry or opting for fast food instead of preparing your meal? There are many reasons why people choose to eat unhealthily, but if you’re interested in improving your overall health and wellness, it’s important to make some changes. Here are a few reasons why you should eat healthier and more nutritious foods.

Eating healthy costs less
While it may seem easier to just run to a fast food place and pick up a burger, you can save time and money if you stick with healthier alternatives. Instead of going out to eat all of your meals, cook at home. Not only will healthy foods taste better (when they’re prepared right), but they’ll help you eat less as well.

Healthy foods are tastier
We don’t care what people say about kale (we love it), but most agree that eating foods with higher nutritional content makes you feel healthier and more energetic. Most importantly, it helps stave off diseases like diabetes and heart disease. If you eat less processed food, your body will be able to better absorb vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other important nutrients from your meals. Remember: healthy bodies lead to healthy minds

Eating healthy reduces the chance of heart diseases
A study by Harvard researchers found that people who followed a healthy diet—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and so on—were 33 percent less likely to die from heart disease over 12 years of follow-up than those who didn’t follow such a diet. While it is difficult to say exactly how much of an impact switching to a healthier diet can have on longevity in general, eating nutritious foods will help you be at your best and may even extend your life.

Long term weight management is easier
Eating healthier is one of the best things you can do for your health. Eating a healthy diet means that you’re eating more plants, fruits, and vegetables. This automatically means that you are cutting down on sugars and unhealthy fats. It also means that you will be filling your body with nutrients as opposed to empty calories that could lead to weight gain over time.

Eating healthy reduces risks of cancer and other diseases
It may sound counterintuitive, but healthy eating is one of your best bets to avoid disease. We now know that diet is a major determinant in whether people get cancer or not, says Dr. Farah Ahmed, an oncologist and nutrition researcher at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Several large-scale studies have linked higher consumption of fruits and vegetables with lower risk for several types of cancer—including breast, prostate, stomach, lung, endometrial (uterine), colorectal and esophageal cancers—as well as cardiovascular disease.

Eating healthy is a little better for the environment
As a nation, we waste 25% of our food supply. That’s hundreds of pounds of food per person thrown in landfills every year. As a consumer, you can help reduce that number by getting creative with how you shop and how you prepare your meals. For example, did you know that it takes 10 times more energy to process a French fry than it does to grow an ear of corn?

Waarom je gezonder zou moeten eten