Benefits of healthy eating

Healthy eating can cause some effects that you will notice pretty quickly. For example, a healthy diet can help you:

• control your body weight so that you can make sure you are not underweight or overweight

• have more energy to enjoy all kinds of exciting physical activity, like surfing, football, netball or dancing

• support your body while you are growing and developing so that you reach your full physical potential.

There are also some benefits that you may not notice straight away, but are worth thinking about. Scientific evidence and research show that a healthy diet can help you avoid diet-related diseases.

These are diseases that usually develop when people are over the age of 40. For example:

• heart disease

• high cholesterol

• high blood pressure

• strokes (brain damage due to blood supply problems)

• adult-onset diabetes (the most common form of diabetes)

• some cancers

• osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).

Think of your parents or grandparents - do they have any of these diseases? Wouldn't it be good if you could avoid having the same problems they do? By healthy eating now you can reduce the risks of developing these diseases later on. The risk of developing some cancers can also be reduced by eating fruits and vegetables and cereals, because they contain anti-oxidants and fiber.

Eating patterns are linked to the development of health problems. The foods that are more likely to lead to health problems are often called 'junk foods'. Foods that contain lots of fat, salt and sugar are the villains! Also, foods that do not have enough fiber are also a problem.