Eating Your Way to a Healthier You: The Role of Diet & Nutrition in Health

If you sat 100 people down in a room and started asking them what makes a “healthy diet”, most of them would probably agree that in general people should be eating their fruits and vegetables, avoiding fatty meat, and limiting their intake when it comes to things like salt, oil, and sugar. Ask those same people why it’s important to eat healthy, and you’ll probably get a variety of answers that center around a single benefit: maintaining a healthy weight and, in general, “looking good”. While most people will agree that it’s important to eat healthy, many of us associate the benefits of proper nutrition as primarily aesthetic when in reality there are so many more! Yes, proper nutrition can help improve how you look, but it also plays a significant role in your overall health – both mentally, physically, and emotionally. 

Nutrition isn’t a new topic in the healthcare field, but many providers have been slow to adapt to its foundational principles and truly value nutrition’s ability to impact a patient’s overall well-being. Much like concrete is the foundation for a beautiful home, so nutrition is to a healthy body. Here at Optimum Direct Care we’ve seen the impact that diet and nutrition can play in a patient’s health, and we’ve made it one of our missions to educate patients about the benefits of proper nutrition. Today we want to highlight some of those! 

Physical Benefits Of Eating Healthy

When we talk about the physical benefits of eating healthy, many people automatically gravitate towards things like BMI, body fat percentage, and “ideal weight”. While practicing proper nutrition can certainly contribute to greater success in those areas, the biggest physical benefits of a healthy diet and nutrition are internal. 

You are what you eat, and the reality is that when you eat healthy foods you’re fueling your body to be as healthy as possible too! Poor diet is linked to a shocking number of medical conditions – both chronic and acute – and nutrition plays a crucial role in minimizing your risk of developing health issues both in the present and down the line.

Making simple changes to your diet like limiting salt and dietary cholesterol can reduce your heart and arterial disease risk, while increasing your dietary fiber intake can help normalize blood sugar levels, increase bowel regularity, and resuscitate your gut microflora. Adding highly pigmented berries and vegetables can help support our immune system, too!

Emotional Benefits Of Eating Healthy

Many people undervalue the level of empowerment and pride that comes from supporting our bodies through nutrition. It’s that feeling you get when you sit down at the table with a colorful, balanced plate that makes you want to dance with joy (and share a picture on Instagram), or the extra energy you feel in response to eating a fulfilling diet that can be channeled into other areas of your life like meditation, exercise, and hobbies. When our bodies are properly fueled with nutritious food and functioning at peak health, our mind is as well!

Here at ODC we believe that diet and nutrition are important components in each patient’s overall health and, in many cases, directly impact their likelihood of developing a variety of conditions, both chronic and non. That’s why we work with each of our patients to evaluate their current nutrition and provide them with the guidance, education, and resources necessary to live a healthy life so they can minimize their risk of illness – both now and in the future! 
If you’re looking for a primary care physician in Orlando, schedule a consultation with us and see how our patient-based approach to healthcare with an emphasis on nutrition can benefit you.