What The Research Says
- A balanced diet, including lean protein, low mercury fish, fruits, vegetables, whole wheat, water instead of sugary drinks, and limited fats will reduce your risks for metabolic diseases (heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure) and will increase longevity.
- A consistent, balanced nutritional plan is significantly easier to stick to (and thus more effective) than constant, complex fad dieting.
- Remember that your body is a system, one of the most effective means of losing weight is to consume less energy (calories) than you expend through exercise, walking etc…
- By reducing long term healthcare costs, balanced nutrition can have a significant positive impact on your wealth. There are correlation studies linking health and happiness, but it is difficult to say which way this correlation runs.
References
- With Protein Foods, Variety is Key (USDA)
- Build A Healthy Meal (USDA)
- Choose MyPlate (USDA)
- Economic Determinants of Happiness: Evidence from the US General Social Survey (Cornell)
- Healthy Eating Overview (Web MD)
- Epidemiologic and Economic Consequences of the Global Epidemics of Obesity and Diabetes (UFL)
- Economic Impact of Adopting healthy Diet in Canada (McGill University)
The Choices
Unmanaged – You adore junk food, have never met a vegetable you didn’t hate, and believe that managing your caloric and salt intake are for people who have given up on living.
Score: +1 Risk
Health Focused – You have a mildly obsessive attraction to the food pyramid, understand the difference between whole grain and whole wheat, and can order fish by their mercury contents.
Score: -1 Risk, +1 Health, +1 Wealth, +1 Happiness