Eating poorly constantly can increase the risk of many diseases, diabetes, heart issues, blood pressure issues and overall decrease the general health of our bodies. So what is considered eating poorly? What do we really need? And what are false statements we need to watch for?

Eating poorly is consistently eating junk food. Junk food is a term related to food that is filled with large quantities of sugar, sodium, saturated fat, and or has a high amount of refined carbohydrates. There are many other things that can make food unhealthy but those are the main ones. 

So what do you really need per day to maintain a healthy diet? Per day, you should really be trying to work in multiple types of foods starting off with the two main ones veggies and fruits. Veggies are so good because they provide your body with fiber and vitamins and antioxidants and they really help you maintain a very strong immune system. Fruits are helpful since they are packed with anti-inflammatories, vitamins, and water, which can improve your brain and skin function. Additionally, Proteins, dairy and grains are important in the healthy human diet. Protein is needed for maintaining the body’s muscles and repairing them as well. Protein is a great source of energy too. Dairy provides calcium which maintains strong bones and helps prevent issues within your bones. Grains provide the body with fiber, minerals and vitamins. Whole grains help control cholesterol levels, blood pressure and even weight. High Grain foods also help lower the risk of heart diseases and diabetes. 

 A huge misconception to eating poorly is that you can work it off. Of course you can fight the looks of an unhealthy diet by working out, but exercise cannot completely reverse the effects of a bad diet. You can exercise, but keeping a poor diet outweighs the positive effects of exercise. Another problem with this conception is that premature death can occur when you work out heavily but neglect healthy food options. If you want your body to be in good shape on the outside, you need to keep it in good shape on the inside.

Another misconception is red meat being bad for the human diet. The thing is, red meat contains saturated fats which are fats that stay solid at room temperature. Too much of these fats can cause risk in strokes and diseases. However, your body does need fats. Red meat also provides the body with iron, zinc, and B vitamins. The main issue with red meat is the portions in which people eat red meat. You should not be eating more than three portions of red meat a week. Research shows that you can maintain the benefits of red meat by just eating once a week to every other week. Red meat is high in iron which is crucial to our energy levels, growth and immune system. That being said, avoiding red meat is not actually more healthy than just proportioning the intake of red meat. 

One last common myth on diets is that carbs and fats are bad for you. While this is partially true, only specific types hold a poor effect on the human diet. Carbs are put into two different main groupings, simple and complex. Simple carbs aren’t entirely bad however, they are easily broken down into glucose, which can spike blood sugar. Complex carbs are healthier carbohydrates since they are digested more slowly so they slowly release glucose into the blood stream. They are packed with nutrients and manage blood sugar, and weight control. Fats are categorized into two different groups, Unsaturated and saturated fats. Sarturated fats are solid at room temperature while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Saturated fats raise bad cholesterol and in large amounts could increase risk for heart diseases and strokes. Unsaturated fats can improve cholesterol levels, stabilize heart rhythms and have other beneficial roles. 

Truly, health is overlooked and unhealthy habits are normalized daily. It does not take much effort to pave the right path for the future. It’s crucial to know this information as younger adults and teens because the body is changing the most during this time so meeting its dietary needs is a necessity. There is an entire lifetime ahead that should be fulfilled with good outcomes. The first and most important step of that is making the right decisions in taking care of our bodies since they come along the entire way with us.