The relationship between food and health has been well established in recent years with the development of newer fields of science such as molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics.
Results obtained from medical research indicate that nutritious food combined with an adequate amount of physical exercise boosts the immune system as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Health Foods Can Help Reduce The Risk of Cancer
A diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients reduce the risk of being afflicted with various types of diseases such as high blood pressure, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis.
It also reduces the risk of certain types of cancers such as uterine cancer, cancer of the gall bladder, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and colon cancer in females.
In males, the chances of colon cancer, prostate cancer, and cancer of the rectum are reduced. This theory is, however, not applicable on everyone as hereditary factors are also responsible for the growth of cancer cells in the human body.
The best way to establish the connection between food and health is to follow a nutritious diet plan over a period of eight to twelve weeks and note down the health benefits achieved by the end of the period.
Vegetables and Fruit Can Help Reduce Harmful Toxins
The diet used during the test period should include two to four servings of fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are essential for maintaining a healthy body as they help reduce the toxins produced in the body during metabolic processes.
High levels of toxins can damage the cells and lead to the development of cancer cells. The low calorie content of fruits and vegetables ensures that even relatively large helpings of these without worrying about their effect on body weight.
Dietary Fiber Aids The Digestive System
The functioning of your digestive system is improved by including the required amount of dietary fibers, which are found in the cell walls of fruits, vegetables, grains and in whole grain versions of bread, pasta and rice.
Food fibers are useful in the prevention of diseases such as constipation and piles. They are often included in weight-loss diets as they give a feeling of fullness that discourages overeating.
Reduce Your Intake of Salt To Lower Blood Pressure
Another way of establishing the correlation between food and health is by reducing the amount of salt in the diet and noting the positive effects on the blood pressure level.
Salt is essential for the body, but modern diets tend to increase salt content in meals just for satisfying the taste buds. The craving for salt is not based on bodily needs as it is just a habit and a low salt diet is easy to adapt to over time.
The fact that food and health are interrelated implies that plenty of fluids that are essential for removing body toxins and keeping the body hydrated. Usually 7 to 8 glasses of water per day are needed, but these can be consumed in the form of sugar-free juices, diluted natural fruit juices, fat free milk, or light tea.
It is recommended to avoid sugary and aerated drinks as these do not have any nutritional properties and just add calories to your body.
One study that was done on Polish women found that if a woman ate cabbage or sauerkraut (which is just fermented cabbage) 4 or more times each week, then her chances of getting breast cancer were 74% less likely.