Health : Nutrition

We have put together this page to show the benefits of nutrition.  Browse our informational links below to gain further knowledge of nutrition and how it effects everyday life. 

Nutrition is a key element to overall health.  The standard American diet is highly acid-forming, overwhelming the body's mechanisms for removing excess acid. The staples of the American diet are meat, dairy, corn, wheat, and refined sugars (all acidifying foods). At the same time, the diet is notably deficient in alkalizing fruits and vegetables.

An alkaline diet emphasizes alkaline foods such as whole fruits and vegetables and certain whole grains, which are low in caloric density. Healthy Alkaline Diet Foods involve the ideal balance between acidifying and alkalizing foods.

The body includes a number of organ systems that are adept at neutralizing and eliminating excess acid, but there is a limit to how much acid even a healthy body can cope with effectively. The body is capable of maintaining an acid-alkaline balance provided that the organs are functioning properly, that a well-balanced alkaline diet is being consumed, and that other acid-producing factors, such as tobacco use, are avoided.

An alkaline diet emphasizes alkaline foods such as whole fruits and vegetables and certain whole grains, which are low in caloric density. Healthy Alkaline Diet Foods involve the ideal balance between acidifying and alkalizing foods.

The body includes a number of organ systems that are adept at neutralizing and eliminating excess acid, but there is a limit to how much acid even a healthy body can cope with effectively. The body is capable of maintaining an acid-alkaline balance provided that the organs are functioning properly, that a well-balanced alkaline diet is being consumed, and that other acid-producing factors, such as tobacco use, are avoided.

• Opting for a balanced, adequate and varied diet is an important step towards a happy and healthy lifestyle.

• Vitamins and minerals in the diet are vital to boost immunity and healthy development,

• A healthy diet can protect the human body against certain types of diseases, in particular noncommunicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer and skeletal conditions.

• Healthy diets can also contribute to an adequate body weight.

• Healthy eating is a good opportunity to enrich life by experimenting with different foods from different cultures, origins and with different ways to prepare food.

• The benefits of eating a wide variety of foods are also emotional, as variety and colour are important ingredients of a balance diet.

• Anti-oxidants fight free radicals; these free radicals are the culprits for causing aging and deterioration of arteries over time.

• Juices help eliminate toxins from the body and proliferating vitamins, minerals and nutrients are supplied in abundance.

• Some trace elements that are needed by the body in low amounts can also be supplied with just a glass of carefully extracted juice, for example magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, and phosphorous being a few of the huge list.

• No cholesterol means better arteries thus, a better heart, which in turn means a longer disease free life.

• You can lose extra flab, because juices are technically devoid of calories, just a few calories per glass means slowly cutting down the flab.

• Fibers are good for digestion and improve your gut health overall.

• Proper nutrition promotes the optimal growth and development of children.

• Healthy eating helps prevent high cholesterol and high blood pressure and helps reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.

• Healthy eating helps reduce one’s risk for developing obesity, osteoporosis, iron deficiency, and dental caries (cavities).

Consequences of a Poor Diet

• A poor diet can lead to energy imbalance (e.g., eating more calories than one expends through physical activity) and can increase one’s risk for overweight and obesity.

• A poor diet can increase the risk for lung, esophageal, stomach, colorectal, and prostate cancers.

• Individuals who eat fast food one or more times per week are at increased risk for weight gain, overweight, and obesity.

• Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can result in weight gain, overweight, and obesity.

  • Providing access to drinking water gives students a healthy alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages.

• Hunger and food insecurity (i.e., reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns because a household lacks money and other resources for food) might increase the risk for lower dietary quality and under-nutrition. In turn, under-nutrition can negatively affect overall health, cognitive development, and school performance.