Why Healthy Eating is Important

During the 12th-16th of June it was the BNF (British Nutrition Foundation) Healthy Eating Week and at Bounce, we really want to help people to make healthier food choices more often because let’s face it, it can be hard to do that when faced with a slice of cake! We know it’s not just about using the best ingredients and in the right balance; we believe in supporting people to make positive changes so that they can lead a healthier lifestyle.

Hannah from the Bounce Nutrition team talks us through why healthy eating is important for all of us!

These days we spend significantly less time preparing our own meals, which means we are no longer in control of what we eat and have far less knowledge of what is actually going into the foods we eat.

The good news is, we know far more about the importance of eating a healthy diet and what constitutes a healthy diet than we have ever known. What is really tricky is findings ways of eating a diet containing all essential nutrients whilst we try to hold down a social life, get promoted at work, go to the gym & get home in time to see the kids.

If you need convincing further as to why we need to pay careful attention to the foods we eat, here are just a few examples:

1.Funnily enough…it helps you stay healthy!

– Healthy eating supports the maintenance of a healthy body weight which reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and some cancers.

2. Keeps the cold & coughs away

– A diet low in nutrients from foods such as fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates has been shown to result in increased infections, to slow healing from injury, and to increase susceptibility to coughs and cold. Your immune system is made up of several different mechanisms, therefore, nearly all of the vitamins are necessary to maintain and promote some aspect of your immune function. So, it turns out Mum’s do know best when they tell you to eat your fruit & veg!

3. Makes your bones strong

– Calcium is a major building-block of bone tissue and vitamin D is key as it assists your body to absorb calcium. Quality sources of protein such as poultry, fish and eggs along with fruit and vegetables are essential components of any healthy diet and help contribute to bone, muscle and joint health.

4. Keeps you moving

– Top notch muscle health relies on a regular intake of quality protein. The body doesn’t store protein the same way as it does with carbohydrate and fat so the timing of eating protein is just as important as the quality. In addition to protein, nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C and calcium are also important.

We would love to know what healthy eating means to you and share with us any tips you find handy! To find out more information about Healthy Eating Week head here.