It’s impossible to overstate the importance of nutrition when it comes to both physical and mental health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion know just how detrimental poor nutrition can be to a person’s overall health. A chronic lack of nutrition can impact so many parts of the body, including the brain, leading to low performance at school or work—and a host of ailments.

Since March is recognized as National Nutrition Month, we’re offering some suggestions on ways to get healthy and stay healthy, simply through making better dietary choices.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development explains National Nutrition Month® as “a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.”

Science shows that healthy eating leads to healthy living. Keep reading to learn more.

Some Health Problems Caused By Poor Nutrition

According to the CDC, 9 in 10 Americans consume too much sodium. Also, 1 in 6 pregnant women have iron levels that are too low. Astonishingly, nearly 173 billion dollars per year is spent on healthcare for obesity. That’s a lot of money!

In this context, obesity isn’t a beauty concern or a body image issue. Rather, obesity can be the root cause of a myriad of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

According to the CDC, consuming unhealthy food and beverages, such as sugar-sweetened beverages and highly processed food, can also put people at higher risk for at least 13 types of cancer, including endometrial (uterine) cancer, breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and colorectal cancer.

Furthermore, malnutrition can lead to loss of muscle mass, organ function, and tissue deterioration. Possible negative outcomes from chronic malnutrition include physical frailty and disability, plus various forms of cognitive decline.

Speaking of cognitive decline, poor nutrition doesn’t just affect one’s physical health. Several nutritional deficiencies—such as vitamin B12, B9 (folate), and zinc—can cause symptoms of depression and dementia such as low mood, fatigue, cognitive decline, and irritability.

So what can we do to improve our nutrition and, consequently, our health?

A 3-2-1 List of Helpful Links: Easy Ways to Improve Nutrition

• U.S. Department of Agriculture:
  • My Plate Tools — Fun tools to test your knowledge, build nutrition skills, and help you design a healthy eating plan.
  • Food Groups — Learn more about each of the primary food groups, how many servings of each group is recommended per day, and what portion size constitutes a “serving.”
  • Print Materials — A wide variety of downloadable and printable resources on a range of nutrition-related topics that you can search by audience, topic, and type to find the information that works for you.

• U.S. Food & Drug Administration:
  • Food Labels — Learn how to understand and use the nutrition facts label to make informed choices at the grocery store.
  • Calories on Menus — Learn what the calorie number on a menu means, and how to use this information to keep eating healthy—even while eating out. 

• U.S. National Library of Medicine/MedlinePlus:
  • Healthy Recipes — Discover healthy recipes for every meal, including snacks and dessert! There are also options for dairy-free, gluten-sensitive, and low-fat and low-sodium foods.

Avoid Special “Diets;” Choose a Healthy “Lifestyle” Instead

When we use the word “diet,” we aren’t talking about food deprivation or some trendy crash diet that requires any kind of “special” cleanse, purge, binge, or drug.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the word “diet” as food and drink regularly consumed, or, habitual nourishment. This is the type of diet we focus on, encouraging healthy choices when it comes to what you eat and drink on a regular basis.

A healthy lifestyle proves more profitable in the long term: This involves both diet (a healthy blend of water and whole foods that are good for your body and brain) and exercise (consistent movement that is safe for your situation).

What a healthy lifestyle means at different ages

A healthy lifestyle will look different at different stages of life. The nutrients necessary for a baby to grow aren’t necessarily as vital to older people who need to care for their bones and potential calcium deficiencies.

Researchers at the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion have released a numeric table that offers nutritional goals for each age/sex group based on caloric intake and includes macronutrients, minerals, and vitamins. For information specific to you and your family’s needs, speak to your physician.

This colorful graphic from Purdue University shows the foods and portions for each age group from infancy to 50. People 50 and older generally have lower caloric needs but likely an increased need for nutrients due to less physical activity, changes in metabolism, and age-related loss of bone or muscle mass. Find specific suggestions, support, and resources here.

Women’s health must often consider different contributing factors than men’s, so click here and choose your decade to find out what steps you can take for good health!

Now Is the Time to Start Making Healthy Choices

Something for young people to keep in mind is the detrimental effects of drug and alcohol use. It’s best to avoid both, if you want to stay physically and mentally healthy.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW), designated as March 18–24, 2024, is meant to provide “an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners to help advance science and address youth drug and alcohol use in communities and nationwide.” Learn more about the subject and explore activities that teens, parents, caregivers, and teachers can do for NDAFW and throughout the year.

No matter your age, the important thing to remember is that it’s never too late to benefit from improving your eating and drinking habits. Research shows that every step in the right direction is helpful for your health.

Keep Your Medical Seating Healthy Too!

At Champion, we recognize that healthcare workers are doing all they can to protect and enhance patients’ well-being, and we are doing our part as well.

Did you know that the coverings on medical seating do more than protect the life of the equipment? They can also help protect the life of the patient.

With nearly a billion Americans visiting a doctor’s office each year, you can imagine the number of “touches” each chair and piece of medical seating receives. With so many people sitting in, touching, and variously using the products, it’s easy to understand why keeping the item clean is so important.

Learn more in our blog “Extra Protection for Immunocompromised Patients,” and watch this video on how to keep your Champion recliners clean in between maintenance visits.

For a deep clean, service call, or preventative maintenance inspection, schedule a visit with our Champions Service+ team today.