HEALTHY DIETING

It seems like everyone is always talking about food, 'Junk' food and 'healthy' food, and what you should and shouldn't eat. But it is really important. Healthy eating can make you look different and feel different. And even small changes in the way you eat can make a difference. A good balanced diet will make sure you have all the essential nutrients needed for your brain and body to function well. For example, a healthy diet can: • Help you keep a healthy body weight. • Give you more energy to enjoy all kinds of physical activity, like dancing or for example even surfing • Support your body while you are growing or recovering so that you reach your better form quicker • And what you eat affects your mood, you can make it higher! There are also some benefits that you may not notice straight away, but are worth thinking about. A healthy diet can help you avoid diet-related diseases. These are diseases that usually develop when people are over the age of 40. For example: heart diseases, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, strokes (brain damage due to blood supply problems), some cancers and others. The food that is more likely to lead to health problems is often called 'junk foods'. It contains lots of fat, salt and sugar and do not have enough fiber. With small amount of fiber it becomes a problem as it is not very filling, compared to other everyday foods, and it is easy to overeat them. For example, it is much better to eat an apple or a banana than to eat a double hamburger with ketchup and mayonnaise. You will feel full in both cases, but a fruit or a vegetable is much healthier. Diets high in fat (especially saturated fat) increase risk of heart disease - like heart attacks. Part of the reason is that fatty deposits can develop inside blood vessels, so not enough blood can get through to your heart, or brain or other important organs.