When you hear the phrase “losing weight”, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Majority of the time, it’s skinniness, a slimmer waist, or an overall toned physique. While true, losing weight does more than just impact our physical and outward appearance. Subsequently, our mental state and emotional well-being are effected just as positively!
This is why improving your diet does more than just reduce your weight:
Diseases become less of a risk over the course of life
What's Inside
The type of food you eat have the power to make or break the quality of your health in the long-run. By eating healthy, you actually are taking a preventative measure against heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, different types of cancers, and even brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. As a result, you slow down symptoms of aging since healthy food also fosters a stronger immune system thanks to its vitamins and minerals that promote stronger immune responses. Junk and processed food, on the other hand, increases the risks of developing the aforementioned conditions and shortens lifespan.
You will always feel your best
Some foods are natural mood-boosters, i.e. turkey, salmon, and yogurt, which are full of the amino acid tryptophan, which synthesizes into serotonin, the chemical responsible for stabilizing mood. In other words, you can label healthy food as natural antidepressants! In addition, losing weight thanks to a healthy diet positively impacts your perception of self. By both looking and feeling more comfortable in your own skin, your self-esteem and confidence naturally skyrocket, clothes will overall fit better, and you’ll be proud to know that how you look in the mirror is a result solely created by your hard work.
Sustaining healthy habits becomes the norm
The moment you start eating healthy and exercising, you can’t help but keep the momentum of committing to additional good habits, like exercise, time-management, and a productive work day. At the same time, following a clean diet battles habits that prevent you from improving yourself, such as succumbing to laziness. When you’re on the right track, you never going to want to get off it. As a result, this creates a sense of discipline within yourself to always finish what needs to get done as well as make the most out of your everyday life.
You get a good night’s sleep every night
If you’ve been having trouble catching up on Z’s or going to bed too late, perhaps the answer lies in your diet. The food you eat either enhances the quality of your sleep or sabotages it. Sugar, caffeine, fatty foods, sodium, and alcohol are the main culprits of a poor night’s sleep. All are linked to poor digestion, but sugar and caffeine, in particular, spike up your catecholamines levels, one of which is adrenaline, which will kickstart unnecessary energy. On the other hand, wholesome food like complex carbs encourage sleep since they’re full of tryptophan which not only helps you bounce back from bad moods, but induces drowsiness as well.
In conclusion, while eating a healthy diet will ultimately help you lose weight, it also improves your overall physical and emotional well-being. Therefore, the next time you doubt making the choice to eat right, remember that the benefits of healthy eating will always outweigh the negatives – which truthfully, don’t exist at all!
