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Eating for Longevity: Habits for a Long and Healthy Life

To properly function, the human body needs to make energy. The energy the body makes can come from many sources, but, for humans, the number one source of energy is food. Food does more than provide energy though. Food also gives humans proteins, vitamins, and minerals that the body uses to synthesize other materials the body needs to work. Without eating, humans would not be able to survive, so it is extremely important that each individual forms healthy eating habits to ensure life is as long as possible.

A Vegetarian Diet

For a long time, people have known that vegetarian diets tend to be healthier than meat-based diets. A proper vegetarian diet can ensure that a person gets all necessary nutrients without the additional toxins that often come with meats. Plants tend to come with fewer toxins as they don’t receive as much from the environment as animals do, so plants tend to be healthier to eat.

Newer research is pointing out even more reasons to adopt a more plant-based diet, if not a completely vegetarian diet. The new research implies that, if everyone ate a plant-based diet, then early deaths would be reduced by one-third.

One-third is a vast number, and it is not associated with stopping smoking or lack of exercise. The number is based solely on plant-based diets. To many experts in nutrition, this is not a surprising result. While a vegetarian diet may be beneficial, it is important that people are careful when converting to such a diet. A sudden and forced change may lead to health issues like eating disorders.

An Organic Diet

An organic food diet occurs when a person consumes only organic foods, which are grown or raised with specific rules and regulations. Organic diets are still being studied for health and cost-effectiveness.

Organic plants contain fewer pesticides than regular foods. Organic meats tend to have less antibiotic-resistant bacteria than regularly grown meats. There is a relatively small risk of cancer associated with pesticides, any cancer risk is scary. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are extremely dangerous to humans. Since organic foods do not have as much of these, they may be healthier for a person.

While it may seem as if all is good, organic diets are not perfect. First, organic foods are very expensive. The high price may be enough to deter a person or family from taking advantage of an organic diet. Furthermore, organic foods do not contain more vitamins and minerals than regular foods. When looking at an organic diet from a solely nutritional perspective, no overall health boost can be found with this diet.

An organic diet may be very beneficial to a person, especially if it is affordable. Before switching to any type of diet, it is recommended that a person study the diet and consult a dietician. Many diets are surrounded by a lot of incorrect information.

How To Change Eating Habits

One of the hardest steps to forging a healthy diet is implementing the diet. Thinking about and realizing that you want to change is easy. Once you have changed, keeping up the habit is easy. It is important for people to learn how to change their eating habits.

To start, create a diary of everything you eat and when you eat for around a week. Along with what and when, keep note of your emotions as you consumed the food. After you have a decent food diary, analyze the contents. The contents will allow you to determine where your current eating habits are lacking, whether you eat too much or eat too quickly.

Having analyzed your food diary, you can now identify what causes you to eat the way you do. In making yourself aware, you can prevent yourself from making the same eating mistakes every day. You can also substitute the unhealthy habits for good ones. This process may take time, so don’t get discouraged. Keep working hard and you will see results.

Eating sets the course for human life. Unhealthy eating leads to an unhealthy life. People who have poor diets have bigger health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. The opposite is true for people who have healthy eating habits. These people have a lower incidence of diseases like heart disease and obesity. People with healthier diets live longer than their unhealthy counterparts. Good health is preserved through a good diet.