As a young person, you need to eat well to remain active physically and mentally. It pains to see young people in ill health owing to wrong dietary choices. Wrong choices of food are responsible for young people of inferior physical, mental and spiritual abilities.
Remember a balanced diet?
Do you remember being taught to eat a balanced diet back in elementary school? Back then, the idea of eating carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins in the right proportions in one meal may have appeared like a bad joke. Perhaps you thought it did not concern you because you were not responsible for what you ate.
Flashforward to today and you now realize your teacher was right all along. When obesity pursues you like a robber and you fall ill more often than you celebrate your birthday, that’s when you know the value of a balanced diet.
Carbohydrates
You need this category of food for your body energy needs. You cannot work and function well hence the need to eat enough of maize, wheat, rice, potatoes, arrowroots, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes and related products.
In their unrefined forms, carbohydrates contain fibre. Therefore, when you eat them, your stomach is full for long hours, which means you eat less.
On the other hand, refined carbohydrates like white maize and white flour, white bread and so on, contain no fibre and do not take long in the digestive system. Thus, you feel like eating after a short while. Meanwhile, the excessive food you eat is converted into fats by the body.
This increases body fat and weight and increases the risk of diseases such as lifestyle conditions and diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart complications. Refined carbs become even more dangerous when cooked with excess fats and mixed with sugar, salt and preservatives. This combination is what us referred to as ‘junk food’. These foods included potato chips.
It is important to eat carbs in moderation. For example, if you spend most of your time seated in the office or a shop, you should eat less carbs compared to a person who works in a farm or construction site.
Nevertheless, you must always eat carbs because without them you risk getting malnourished and feeble. This will weaken your ability to work and think.
Proteins
These are body-building foods. We get them from both plants and animals. Plant proteins includes legumes such as various types of beans, peas and lentils. Animal protein consists of milk, meat and eggs.
You need proteins because they build your body cells, tissues and muscles. The body us so dynamic that cells are replaced every other moment without your knowledge. Your tissues and muscles also need repair.
Consequently, ensure you have this category of nutrient in your meals. However, do not overconsume proteins. For example, excessive consumption of meat is associated with cancer and heart complications. Be careful also with the type of meat and how it is prepared. This is especially true with street food.
Vitamins
These are the defense boosters in your body. They give your body the ability to resist and overcome infections. Vitamins are found in fruits and vegetables among other sources. Many young people thin that once they have eaten carbs and proteins they are okay. This is far from the truth.
In fact, some people think that vegetables are only for poor people. Have you noticed, though, that poor people are to a large extent healthy compared to the affluent? Perhaps it is because the poor eat fresh food from the farm and cannot afford junk food.
Other Important Dietary and Lifestyle Tips
Alongside eating a balanced diet, ensure you do the following:
- Take between 6 and 8 glasses of water every day.
- Cut down on sugar and salt consumption.
- Live and work in spaces that have good air circulation.
- Reduce alcohol intake or stop the habit altogether.
- Quit smoking or hanging around smokers.
- Do not indulge in drug and substance abuse.
- Avoid over-the-counter medicine as much as possible. Instead, follow a doctor’s prescription.
