10 Nutrition Facts Everybody Agrees on

If you choose a healthy lifestyle or want to maintain a lower body fat percentage regardless of how much time and effort you put into exercise, you must supply yourself with proper nutrition.

There are some nutrition facts that almost everyone agrees on.

Some people even agree that the way you eat dictates as much as 80% of the way you look. Here are the top 10 nutrition facts everyone agrees on.

nutrition facts everybody agrees on
A serving of grilled salmon fish with vegetables.

1. Refine Carbs are Bad for Health

There are a bunch of contrasting points of view about macronutrients such as protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Some believe fat is the source of all diseases, while others think carbs are the key players in obesity and different chronic diseases.

However, processed carbohydrates are not healthy.

What are refine carbs?

Refined carbohydrates are also known as high-glycemic carbohydrates or processed carbohydrates. There are two primary kinds of refined carbs, including:

Sugars: Carbohydrates that have been processed, such as sucrose (table sugar) and high-fructose syrup in sweet products that contain added sugar.

Refined grains: These are grains that have been stripped off from their fiber and nutritious parts. White bread made from refined flour (white flour) is the most common source.

When high-carb foods such as cereals and grains are refined, the most nutritious parts are removed. Only small amounts of digestible carbohydrates are left behind.

Those who base their diets on processed carbs may need fiber and many other healthful nutrients (1).

As a result, they are at risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease (2).

2. Vegetables Are Good For You

According to NOURISH by WebMD, the word “vegetable” refers to the edible parts of plants, which are usually their leaves, roots, fruits, or seeds.

Vegetables are a staple food worldwide and an important component of modern agriculture.

Most health experts recommend you eat vegetables regularly because they are low in calories but rich in nutrients.

A rotating diet of different vegetables is one of the best ways to get nutrients from your food.

Benefits of vegetables

Vegetables are high in important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all of which offer several health benefits to your body.

Carrots, for example, are known for being high in vitamin A, which is essential for eye health as you get older.

According to studies, eating vegetables can enhance health and lower the risk of diseases (3, 4, 5).

Some health benefits of vegetables include:

Improved digestive health: Vegetables are high in dietary fiber. It aids in the passage of food through the digestive tract. It can also increase vitamin and mineral absorption in the body.

Lower risk of heart disease: Vegetables are high in vitamin K and potassium, both of which can help reduce calcium buildup in the arteries.

This will reduce your risk of arterial damage and help you avoid many potential heart health problems. In addition, vegetables can keep your blood pressure in a normal range.

Vegetables are high in fiber, which is required for proper digestion and thus aid in the control of diabetes. They have a low glycemic index, so the blood sugar will not spike immediately after eating them.

3. Supplements Cannot Replace Foods

Almost anyone will agree that nutrition is nothing more than the value of their nutrients. But it’s likewise a trap that many nutrition practitioners fall into.

The minerals and vitamins you get from a low-cost supplement are only a small portion of the total nutrients in meals.

Thus, supplements cannot compete with the vitamins and minerals you absorb from whole foods.

Whole food vs. supplements

Whole foods have three major advantages over dietary supplements:

Greater nourishment: Whole foods are diverse because they contain the micronutrients that your body requires to function effectively.

Essential fiber: Fiber in whole foods can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

Protective substances: Many whole foods contain protective substances such as antioxidants, which slow down the process that causes cell and tissue damage by free radical oxidation.

Some supplements, such as vitamin D, which is hard to get from an ordinary diet, are essential to the body. For several reasons, vitamin D is essential to preserve healthy bones and teeth.

4. Whole Foods Diet is Good for Health

Processed food is usually not as healthy as whole food. People’s health is deteriorating as the food system becomes more industrialized.

During food processing, useful nutrients are withdrawn to extend shelf life.

Not only do food manufacturers remove healthy nutrients like fiber, but they also include other harmful ingredients like added sugar and trans fats.

Processed foods are filled with artificial chemicals. some of these foods have a doubtful safety profile.

What you can eat?

A whole food diet is not a set meal plan and can be viewed in a variety of ways. The aim is to eat as many whole foods as possible.

For example, whole foods are actual foods that are not processed. You can eat potatoes, but you can’t eat potato chips, which are processed and packed.

These processed foods contain artificial ingredients, preservatives, and additives, which are not good for your health.

5. Sugar is Bad for Health

Added sugar can increase blood pressure and cause chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease.

Sugary drinks contribute to weight gain by tricking your body into turning off its appetite control mechanism. Liquid calories are less satisfying than calories from actual foods.

Drinking sugary drinks makes it easier for people to add more calories to their daily diets (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).

How much sugar to eat?

It’s difficult to tell because sugar isn’t a necessary nutrient in your diet. The Institute of Medicine has not set an RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for sugar.

6. Omega-3 Fats Are Essential

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for the proper functioning of your body. For instance, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, represents 10–20% of the fat composition in the brain (12).

A low intake of omega-3 is related to a lower IQ, depression, different mental diseases, heart disease, and many other serious disorders (13).

What type of Omega-3 is the best?

There are three primary types of omega-3 fat:

  • eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
  • docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),
  • alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

ALA usually comes from vegetable oils, while the best sources of DHA and EPA are fatty fish and fish oils. Other excellent sources of EPA and DHA are grass-fed animal meat and omega-3-enriched eggs.

The plant ALA requires conversion into DHA or EPA to function in our bodies. This alteration process is ineffective in humans (14).

It is best to eat fatty fish or fish oils to fulfill the need for DHA and EPA.

7. No Ideal Diet for Everyone

People are all different. Complex variations in genetics, body type, physical activity, and status can influence which type of diet you should pursue.

Some people do well on a moderate-carb diet, while others are vegetarians on a high-carb diet. Any diet that works for one person may not work for another.

To figure out what you should accomplish, a genetic test is important. Try a few specific things until you discover something you can stick to.

8. Preventing Vitamin D Deficiency is Important

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that serves as a hormone in our body. The skin produces vitamin D when it is in contact with direct sunlight.

This is how humans get most of their daily needs from the sun.

A dominant part of the world’s population is deficient in this essential nutrient today. The sun does not shine in many places for the majority of the year.

Even where there is a sun, many individuals live inside and apply sunscreen when they come out.

Danger of vitamin D deficiency

If you’re deficient in vitamin D, you’re losing a significant hormone in the body. VD deficiency can cause many severe conditions, including diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, and so on (15, 16, 17).

If you think you are deficient in vitamin D, visit your doctor and have a blood test. Unfortunately, it is tough to get sufficient vitamin D from an ordinary diet.

If getting more sunlight is not a choice, consuming a vitamin D supplement or a tablespoon of cod liver oil every day is the best way to avoid deficiency.

9. Artificial Trans Fat is Bad for Health

Trans fats are vegetable oils that are hydrogenated. Food industries use these oils in food products.

The intake of trans fats may cause different chronic diseases, such as abdominal obesity, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease (18, 19, 20).

Trans fat is widely regarded as the worst type of fat to consume.

10. Lifestyle Change is Important

Weight-loss diets are for a short period of time. They may provide short-term results, but as soon as the diet ends and you resume eating junk food, you will regain those pounds.

Many people who lose a lot of weight on a diet end up gaining it back. For this reason, the only thing that can provide you with actual long-term outcomes is to convert your unhealthy habits into healthy habits.

Most of the nutrients are removed when foods are processed. Those who eat a lot of processed carbs may lack fiber and other essential nutrients. Whole foods are diverse because they contain the micronutrients your body needs to function properly. Processed food is less healthy than whole food; as the food system becomes more industrialized, people’s health suffers. Omega-3 fatty acids are required for your body to function properly. Low omega-3 intake is linked to lower IQ, depression, mental problems, and heart disease. If you are lacking in vitamin D, your body is losing a vital hormone. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to diseases, including cancer and osteoporosis. Trans fats are hydrogenated vegetable oils that can induce chronic conditions, such as abdominal obesity, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion

There are three factors that dictate your overall wellbeing: diet, physical activity, and genetics.

You can manage diet and exercise, but you don’t have control over your genetics, which is believed to be the most important factor.

In addition, everyone agrees that lifestyle changes are important for your overall wellbeing.

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