Is Diet Really That Important?

We all have heard that it’s important to eat healthily if we want to live a healthy life. There have been a number of marketing campaigns conducted by the government to educate us to this effect. The food pyramid has been given to us, and then refined over the years, in order to make a good diet as simple to understand as possible.

 

But is a good diet really all that important?

 

The answer stands as a resounding “Yes!”

 

This has been reaffirmed most recently by a study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital. They took a group of women who were adhering to a Mediterranean-style diet and observed them for a period of time. They found that those who stuck to this diet had a 25 percent reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. More than 25,000 women were observed during this time, some for as long as 12 years. Thanks to this, researchers are starting to understand just why this diet seems to be so successful at improving health.

 

A Mediterranean diet consists of foods that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish and olive oil. Berries, grains, and nuts are also consumed in this diet. This diet has been around for quite a while, and it was quite popular several years ago. Although a lot of the buzz surrounding it has faded, it is one of the few “fad” diets that actually seems to help people to live healthier lives over the long run.

 

It is now believed that this diet is effective because it helps contribute to a change in key biomarkers. Women who adhered to this diet tended to have lower levels of inflammation, a change in glucose and insulin resistance, and lower body mass indices. The combination of these smaller health benefits is believed to bring about the bigger benefit of a less chance of developing heart disease.

 

A good diet can help improve long term health.

 

Yes, a good diet can go a long way toward helping to improve health, but the benefits that come from this are often gained over the long term, and not necessarily the short. Unfortunately, if your elderly loved one already has a lot of health problems because of a poor diet, the road to improved health might be a long one.

 

If your loved one is dealing with the negative impact of poor health, finding a professional caregiver that can help you to carry the burden of assisting them throughout the day can be of great help. A caregiver won’t be able to eliminate their health issues, but they can provide the help and supervision that they need to get through each day more safely. Also, a caregiver can act as a friend, providing companionship and love each day. This might not help with physical health, but it will certainly help improve the quality of the life that they are living.

 

Really, health is a multi-faceted thing. Living a life that is healthy, not just from a physical but also a social and emotional point of view is one of the things that we should be helping our elderly loved ones to do.

The post Is Diet Really That Important? appeared first on Paradise In-Home Care.