Healthy Eating Habits for Disease Prevention

Obesity is generally caused over a period of time by consuming too many calories particularly from saturated or trans-fats and sugars, while not burning enough calories. The surplus energy is stored in the body as fat. In turn, obesity can lead to other chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, liver disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, gout, and gallstones.

By eating low-energy-dense foods, or foods that have fewer calories per gram, you can aim to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Fruits and vegetables have fewer calories per unit of volume so you can eat a larger amount without consuming as many calories. High-energy-dense foods, such as fried foods, pastries, and sweets should be avoided if possible. These foods are often high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol as well. Alcohol, soda, and packaged snack foods should also be avoided since they provide a high number of calories but little nutritional value.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), recommend that a healthy diet should: 

• Balance calories with physical activity to manage weight
• Consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, seafood, and healthy fats
• Consume fewer foods with salt, saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, and refined grains

Source: www.medicinenet.com