INDEAL Cares is dedicated to supporting a healthy workforce by supporting four pillars of health: Active Living, Mental Health, Spine Health, and Disease Prevention. Healthy eating is an important component of overall health – and in reducing the risk of disease. According to the World Health Association (WHO), a healthy diet and physical activity are key to good nutrition and necessary for a long and healthy life. We also know that there is a strong correlation between a healthy diet and a variety of diseases.
To better understand how different dietary components, affect the risk of dying from these diseases, a research team analyzed data from CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and national disease-specific mortality data. They found that nearly half of all the deaths in the United States in 2012 that were caused by cardiometabolic diseases were associated with suboptimal eating habits. Of 702,308 adult deaths due to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, 318,656 (45%) were associated with inadequate consumption of certain foods and nutrients widely considered vital for healthy living and overconsumption of other foods that are not.
There is evidence to suggest that diet also had a positive impact on brain health. According to the American Heart Association, during a 25-year study of nearly 3,400 people ages 18 to 30, researchers found that those with slightly elevated blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels tended to have lower cognitive, thinking and reasoning abilities in their 40s and 50s. In fact, research has shown that the healthiest eaters at age 50 had a nearly 90 percent lower risk of dementia compared to those who had the least healthy diets.
According to the American Heart Association, you can help keep your brain sharp by following these dietary recommendations:
Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all food groups.
Limit salt, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, saturated fats, trans fat, sodium and red meat.
Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich whole grains.
Consume low-fat (1 percent) and fat-free (skim) dairy products.
Eat skinless poultry and fish.
Eat nuts and legume
If you drink, do so in moderation.
Eating well is hard. Extremely hard. But it's one of the single most important things you can do to take control of your own health. INDEAL Cares is here to support you. Let’s work together to challenge ourselves to lose some extra pounds, ensure we are getting enough physical activity, making healthy food choices, and look for other ways to make our communities healthy.
Additional Resources:
See the American Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention.
American Heart Association Recommendations on Diet and Lifestyle are here.
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