UAB nutrition experts provide five practical ways you can start living a healthier life.

Maintaining a healthy diet is important for your body’s overall health, reducing risk from many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

In honor of National Nutrition Awareness Month, Amy Warriner, MD, director of UAB Weight Loss Medicine and professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, and Lizzy Davis, Ph.D., assistant professor with the UAB, share their top five tips for maintaining a healthy diet.

Choosing the right foods

It is important to choose foods for their nutrient content most of the time. Similarly, Warriner recommends choosing food for enjoyment only some of the time.

“It is important to know what nutrients are in foods and how to work those foods into your daily diet,” Warriner said. “If you do not know how to do this, talking with a registered dietitian can be very helpful.”

“For these reasons, it should be enjoyed some of the time,” Davis said. “Most of the time, choose foods that are nutrient-dense, meaning they provide a lot of nutrients for each serving size.”

Some examples include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, peas, beans, and nuts.

“Typically, foods that are closer to their natural form are going to be nutrient-dense,” Davis said.

No food is bad food

There are no specific foods that you should or should not eat to be healthy. Balance is necessary, and all is OK in moderation and with balance.

“If you are eating a diet full of healthy vegetables and lean proteins, eating a treat every now and again is not harmful,” Warriner said. “Alternatively, if you are eating fast food for most meals, adding a protein shake is not going to make you healthier.”….

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Source: MD Linx

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