THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTHY EATING AND MEAL PLANS

SCHOOL LUNCH OPTIONS AT CLEAR CREEK AMANA HIGH SCHOOL; PHOTO BY MAKAILAH MEIER

Healthy eating isn’t just eating fruits and vegetables, it’s having a good well-balanced meal. This article is for those who want a better understanding of their own body's relationship with food. 

Why is It important to eat healthy you may ask? Well, eating good healthy foods helps to protect you from chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. For people that have these diseases, eating healthy can prevent complications. Ms. Miller, a health teacher at CCA HS, responded to the question. “What do you consider a healthy diet?” with, “I consider a healthy diet to be well balanced, including eating (and drinking) all of the food groups in the right proportions in order to maintain a healthy weight.” According to WebMD “You should get at least 10% of your daily calories, but not more than 35%, from protein, according to the academy. So, if you eat 2,000 calories a day, 200 to 700 calories should come from protein.” 

The second question asked was: what is the health culture in America? Miller responded with, “The United States is far below the standard of being healthy in the world. The United States spends more money on healthcare than the majority of the other high-income countries, yet we still have the lowest life expectancy at birth. We have more processed foods (and the majority of Americans have a high processed foods diet), and our serving sizes are much larger than in other countries. I read a study a few years ago that a medium sized drink at Mc Donald’s in the US is larger than a larger drink in the other countries. The food is usually cheaper in America, but that’s not always a good thing.” According to Stat Care in their article discussing food state laws in the US, “The European diet is generally lower in calories, unhealthy fats, and added sugars compared to the American diet. It is also higher in essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This type of diet has been associated with a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.” 

My third interview question was, what are the benefits of eating healthy? Ms. Miller said, “There are so many benefits to eating healthy. A few of which being, that it helps you to live longer, strengths your bones, boosts immunity (making it harder to get sick), supports muscles, hair, skin, and more. Eating healthy also helps your heart healthy, improves your energy levels and mood, and also improves your memory and brain health.Eating healthy gives you the energy to get through your day without getting tired. It typically makes you happier too!” Harvard, in their health blog, says “Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body's regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.”