Being healthy is a good thing, but being too health-conscious can be bad for your body and mind. If you are always trying to eat right and exercise more than necessary, it’s not going to do you any favors in the long run. You need to find that balance between eating well and exercising enough to maintain your fitness level while still enjoying life.
Healthy eating habits are important for everyone, but they’re especially crucial if you have diabetes. Eating properly helps control blood sugar levels, which will help prevent complications from diabetes. It’s also important to avoid foods high in saturated fat, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium. Instead of focusing on low-fat diets, focus on whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, nuts, beans, and whole grains.
The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with prediabetes get their fasting plasma glucose (FPG) checked at least once every three months. People who test above 126 mg/dL should talk to their doctor about treatment options. The ADA does not recommend FPG testing as part of an annual physical exam because there isn’t evidence that screening for prediabetes leads to better outcomes.
What happens if you are only eating healthy food?
If you are only eating healthy foods, then you may be missing out on some nutrients that your body needs. For example, you might not be getting enough protein, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, selenium, copper, phosphorus, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, fluoride, iodine, and others.
You can easily make sure that you are getting all these essential nutrients by adding one or two servings of meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, orange vegetables, potatoes, bananas, avocados, almonds, seeds, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and other plant foods into your diet each day.
You can also add one serving of fruit, such as berries, apples, pears, oranges, tangerines, melons, peaches, plums, kiwis, mangoes, papayas, watermelon, cherries, grapes, pineapple, nectarines, figs, dates, to your daily menu.
Healthy Eating vs Eating Disorder
Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that affect how someone eats. They include binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa. These conditions cause significant weight loss or gain due to unhealthy behaviors.
People with eating disorders often feel guilty when they overeat. This guilt makes them think they must have done something wrong. In fact, they haven’t. Their bodies just want what they want. When people with eating disorders try to restrict calories, they end up feeling hungry and deprived.
In contrast, healthy eating means making smart choices about what to eat and drink. It includes balancing meals and snacks throughout the day so you don’t feel overly full or hungry.
How Do you Know If you Have a Food Addiction?
Addiction is defined as the compulsive use of a substance or behavior despite negative consequences. You can develop a food addiction if you:
• Eat more than normal even though you aren’t physically hungry
• Feel anxious or depressed after eating
• Spend lots of time thinking about food
• Use food to cope with stress or anxiety
• Stop doing things you enjoy because you need to eat
• Give up other activities to eat
• Find it hard to stop eating when you’re done
• Use alcohol or drugs to manage cravings
• Can’t remember the last time you ate
• Are unable to limit yourself to certain amounts of food
• Get upset when you can’t find food
• Feel restless or irritable when you miss meals
• Feel like you can’t live without food
• Keep eating when you’ve already eaten enough
• Feel uncomfortable when you’re away from home
• Think about food constantly
• Try to control your feelings through food
• Feel guilty about eating
• Don’t know where to turn for help
The symptoms of food addiction are similar to those of other addictive substances and behaviors. But unlike other addictions, which usually involve a single type of drug, food addiction involves many different types of foods.
Can Eating Too Healthy make you Sick?
Some people worry that eating too healthily will make them sick. However, this isn’t true. The only way to get sick is to be exposed to germs. And there are no germs in fruits and veggies.
If you do become ill, it may be because you weren’t eating properly before becoming sick. Or it could be because you were taking medications that made you less able to fight off illness.
Eating Healthy instead makes you, even, Healthier than before!
What Is Healthy Eating?
Most experts agree on these basic principles of healthy eating:
1. Eat five to nine servings of vegetables every day.
2. Include two servings of whole grains (such as oatmeal) each day.
3. Limit saturated fats and trans-fats to 10% of total calories per day.
4. Choose lean protein sources over fatty ones.
5. Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
6. Avoid sugary drinks.
7. Eat moderate portions of dairy products.
8. Reduce sodium intake by choosing lower-sodium versions of canned soups, sauces, and dressings.
9. Substitute healthier options for unhealthy ones. For example, choose low-fat milk over regular milk. Replace fries with baked potato chips.
10. Consider adding extra fiber to your diet. Fiber helps keep you fuller longer.
11. Add fresh fruit to breakfast and lunch.
These are the points that experts recommend you focus on when trying to improve your overall health.
When Eating too Healthy becomes Harmful?
Eating too Healthy never becomes Harmful but it may become harmful if you eat too much of any one thing. This includes both good and bad foods. If you eat too much sugar, for instance, you may gain weight. You also risk developing diabetes.
In general, though, people who eat too little of anything are more likely to develop problems than people who eat too much. So, it’s important to balance your diet so that you don’t overeat any particular food group.
Eat what your body can consume not more than your body capacity.
Healthy Eating Tips
Here are some tips to help you achieve a balanced diet:
1. Plan ahead. Make sure you have all the ingredients for a meal ready before you start cooking. That way, you won’t forget something important.
2. Use small plates. A large plate encourages you to fill up quickly and then leave the table. Instead, use smaller plates that encourage you to take smaller bites.
3. Have a variety of foods. Variety keeps your taste buds happy. It also prevents you from getting bored with a certain kind of food.
4. Be aware of portion sizes. When you eat out, ask how big a serving size is. Then, order half the amount.
5. Read labels. Look for terms like “low fat” or “no added sugar” on food packaging. These indicate that the product has been processed without using any artificial sweeteners or other additives.
6. Keep an eye on portion sizes. Remember that just because a package says 1/4 cup doesn’t mean that you should actually eat 4 tablespoons.
7. Don’t skip meals. Skipping meals can lead to irregular eating patterns. Also, skipping meals can cause you to lose muscle mass.
8. Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep leads to fatigue, which means that you might find it harder to resist junk food.
9. Exercise regularly. Regular exercise increases energy levels and improves mood.
10. Do everything in moderation. Moderation means that you do things moderately. Moderate drinking, for instance, means having no more than two alcoholic beverages per week. Moderately exercising means doing 30 minutes of physical activity five times a week. Moderately watching TV means only watching shows that aren’t rated PG or G. Moderately spending money means spending less than $100 a month.
Conclusion – Is Being too Healthy Bad or Good?
Being too healthy is neither good nor bad. But, if you want to be healthier, you need to make changes in your lifestyle. Start by making small changes. For example, cut back on fast food. Or, try swapping soda for water. And, if you really want to get serious about being healthy, consider joining a Yoga class.
