Why is eating the right food important?

The nutrients you need to grow and recover help you stay strong and healthy and help prevent diet-related diseases, such as some types of cancer. A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition. A healthy diet has many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes. It can also improve a person's mood and give them more energy.

In short, the reward of a healthy lifestyle is enormous. You'll have more energy, you'll feel better, and you might even be in a better mood every day, says Samantha Heller, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at NYU Langone Health in New York City. Healthy eating refers to eating a variety of foods that provide essential nutrients, help maintain good health, and give you energy. When talking about diet, people sometimes focus on calories, but there's more to consider.

Healthy eating means eating a wide variety of foods from each of the 5 main food groups, in the recommended amounts. Eating a variety of foods from the 5 main food groups provides a variety of nutrients to the body, promotes good health and can help reduce the risk of diseases, in addition to maintaining an interesting diet with different flavors and textures. Eating a varied and well-balanced diet means eating a variety of foods from each of the 5 food groups daily, in the recommended amounts. Make foods good for them accessible by putting apples and oranges in a bowl on the kitchen counter; offer them a variety of foods to snack on when they get home from school and are naturally hungry (small carrots, edamame); and make an effort to have dinner together as a family.

However, if these foods regularly replace the more nutritious and healthy foods in your diet, the risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer, increases. A healthy diet generally includes nutrient-rich foods from major food groups, such as lean protein, whole grains, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables in many colors.