Although there is no magic potion to eliminate all diseases, there are many things we can do to help. reduce risk to get them. Much of what you eat is taken into account, as you need look what you’re putting in your body. There are many foods that you can eat, but also some that you should avoid to ensure that your body, physically and mentally, is at its peak. One eating habit, in particular, can help reduce multiple risks.
According to research published in the Medical Journal of Dr. D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, dietary diversity is the best eating habit to attribute diet quality and helps reduce the risk and severity of chronic diseases.
The article mentions defining dietary diversity as various food groups consumed during a given period. It is the idea of increasing the variety of foods and food groups in your diet to help ensure a substantial intake of essential nutrients. Dietary diversity also encourages biodiversity and sustainability, allows nutritional equity and minimizes the unfavorable effects of food on health.
A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted between December 2016 and January 2017. The research studied 216 adults who answered a dietary diversity questionnaire.
The results showed that an average of almost 45.4% of the participants had sufficient dietary diversity scores, meaning that more than half of the population did not achieve their dietary diversity goals. Age, residence, family type, and occupation were also found to have a significant impact on adequate dietary diversity.
Along with this conclusion, it was also found that Increasing the variety of foods and food groups in the diet is essential from the earliest stages of life for adequate Growth and development.
According to the article, several other studies have shown that the overall nutritional quality of the diet improves with a varied diet. A diet without diversity can have negative consequences on your health, well-being and development. It does this by reducing physical abilities, resistance to infection, and deterioration cognitive developmentreproductive and even social.
Furthermore, the authors of the Sustainable Diet Series They state that approximately 60% of all American adults live with at least one preventable chronic disease. These include cardiovascular disease, high blood pressurecertain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. Different foods contain different vitamins, nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals. You get all the nutrients you need to maintain your health and reduce your risk of disease with a diverse diet.
World Health Organization suggests that at least 20 to 30 types of biologically different foods should be consumed each week for a healthy diet. They also suggest that a wide range of locally available, nutrient-dense foods help prevent chronic malnutrition.
How do you know you’re getting the right dietary diversity?
According to the Series, there are several ways to measure dietary diversity. A more common way is by determining the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS). For 24 hours, you record your food consumption. The HDDS score is calculated by placing the reported foods into food groups. The food groups are divided as follows:
- Cereals
- White tubers and roots
- Vegetables
- fruits
- Meat
- Eggs
- Fish and other seafood
- legumesNuts and seeds
- milk and milk products
- Oils and fats
- sweet
- Spices, condiments, drinks
You can also keep a food diary to write down what you have eaten that day. Other ways include trying a new recipe and eating rainbow foods that are naturally different colors. These foods tend to have different nutrients and phytochemicals.
Kayla Garritano
Kayla Garritano is a staff writer for Eat This, Not That! She is a graduate of Hofstra University, where she majored in Journalism and double majored in Marketing and Creative Writing. read more