Nutrition not only affects your body’s ability to maintain
itself but also helps you manage your risk for developing disease. An
occasional lapse in eating foods of high nutritional quality is unlikely
to cause problems, but consuming low-quality foods, especially when
practiced over time, can impact both your short-term and long-term
well-being.
Protein
Your body uses dietary protein to repair tissue, build
muscle, form immune and blood cells, synthesize enzymes and manufacture
hormones. Proteins are made up of small units called amino acids, and,
while you can make some amino acids inside your cells, others – the
essential amino acids – must be provided by your diet. Eating too little
protein or limiting yourself to foods that lack one or more of the
essential amino acids leads to an eventual protein deficiency.
Insufficient protein intake inhibits your body’s ability to make the
proteins you need for good health and can lead to muscle wasting, a
compromised immune system, lack of energy, liver damage and even death.
Carbohydrates
The starches and sugars you eat are your body’s main source
of fuel. Consuming enough carbohydrates in your diet ensures you have
the energy you need to go about your daily activities. In addition to
amount, the kind of carbohydrates you consume can affect your health.
Eating carbohydrates with a high glycemic index – a measure of how
quickly the food raises your blood sugar level – can lead to poor
insulin control if you are diabetic. It may also result in poor appetite
control, as these foods, such as sugar, white bread, mashed potatoes
and white rice, are quickly digested and may not allow you to feel full
for long. In addition, carbohydrate foods that supply you with sugars
but few or no other nutrients can cause you to gain weight or experience
nutritional deficiencies.
Fiber
Carbohydrates you cannot digest are known as dietary fiber.
Although they don’t provide nutrients to your body, they play a role in
maintaining your digestive health. The soluble fiber found in oats,
beans, fruits and vegetables swells as it passes through your
intestines, slowing down the absorption of food. This effect assists in
controlling your blood cholesterol and glucose levels, helping reduce
your risk of cardiovascular disease or helping manage diabetes.
Insoluble fiber, found in whole grains and vegetables, adds bulk to your
stool and helps regulate your bowels, preventing constipation and
hemorrhoids. It may also reduce your chances of developing digestive
system cancers. Foods of poor quality might lack one or both of these
types of fiber, impacting your digestive health and making you more
prone to disease.
Fats
Although dietary fat is a critical component of good health,
eating too much or too many of the wrong kinds of fat results in serious
health risks. High-fat foods of any kind can add excessive calories to
your diet and predispose you to obesity. A diet high in saturated fats
or cholesterol contributes to high blood cholesterol levels, to plaque
buildup in your arteries and to heart disease. Healthy unsaturated fats,
on the other hand, keep your cell membranes flexible and help regulate
the amount of cholesterol circulating in your blood, which limits your
risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Vitamins, Minerals and Phytochemicals
Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that support your health
by assisting in a wide array of your body’s processes. Eating foods of
low quality that lack some or all of the vitamins and minerals you need
each day can lead to symptoms relating to the specific function of the
missing nutrient. For example, too little vitamin C in your food impairs
wound healing, lack of vitamin A diminishes your immune health and
insufficient potassium or magnesium affects your blood pressure. In
contrast, nutrient-dense foods supply abundant vitamins and minerals, as
well as phytochemicals, which are plant-based molecules found in many
fruits and vegetables. These compounds help ward off health issues such
as cancer and inflammatory disorders.
