Food is human's main source of energy

We need it to carry out our daily tasks and to help our body grow and develop. Think about it as our petrol. In this article we will talk about the benefits of having a balanced diet (three meals per day) and some tips or changes that you can do in your actual diet to make it more balanced, therefore more healthy.

Benefits of having three balanced, healthy meals a day.

Immune System Support

Humans rely on our own immunity to fight off bacteria, viruses and other health threats. A unhealthy and unbalanced diet isn't able to provide  the proper vitamins and minerals your system needs to produce antibodies to maintain your body healthy. Having three balanced and healthy meals helps support your immune system by providing the right vitamins and minerals.

Mental Health Improvement

This 2017 study found that eating a balanced diet that includes fruit, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, whole grains and fish reduced the symptoms of depression among participants. Of course there are other things you can focus on while trying to improve your mental health, but making some healthy changes in your diet might be a good start.

Increased Levels of Energy

As we said before, food is human's petrol. If your diet lacks balance, you might experience some symptoms and lack of energy is one of them. Make sure there are complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein, as well as iron rich foods in your three daily meals and you will experience a boost of energy every time you eat.

Slowed Ageing Effects

There are lots of foods high in antioxidants (berries, kale, spinach, nuts among others) and what antioxidants do is helping your body function work as you age. This makes you less prone to wrinkles, heart disease and even cancer. So keeping a balance in your three daily food intakes will help you live longer and healthier.

If you're interested in making your diet more balanced and healthier so you can start experiencing the benefits above (some of the many), here are some easy tips!

• Choose whole grain bread. instead of refined. Whole grain bread is a good source of fibre, B vitamins and lots of minerals. They also reduce the risk of diabetes (type 2), heart disease and cancer.

• Add greek yoghurt to your diet. Greek yoghurt is higher in protein and fat than regular yoghurts and because it's been strained, it contains fewer carbs and less lactose, making it ideal for people who follow a low carb diet or are lactose intolerant.

• Eat your greens first. A good way to ensure that you eat your greens is having them as a starter . Greens slow down the speed at which carbs are absorbed and help blood sugar control.

• Try at least one new healthy recipe per week. Whether it's for breakfast, lunch or dinner, aiming to try making a new healthy recipe once per week will have you thinking about how to make it the most balanced/healthy/delicious and will motivate you to do it more.

• Never skip breakfast. Breakfast is really important, as it sets your body's energy for the day. Don't forget add some fruits, proteins and carbs in it to make sure both your body and your mind have enough energy to get you through the day.

Having a healthy, balanced diet has lots of benefits, the most important one being helping you feel good in your own body. So make sure you don't skip any of the three daily meals and that all of them have a variety of foods, giving you millions of benefits!