Watching what we eat and sustaining a healthy diet is crucial to promote well-being. While it’s common knowledge that our diets play a role in our general health, many people don’t know how deep this fact runs.

Specific healthy diets can help treat and manage different medical conditions or boost your health to prevent these conditions from developing. But what diets are best to treat various conditions, and how much can what you eat help you? Read more to find everything to know about how what you put in your body can affect your overall wellness.

Diabetes

Adjusting your diet is crucial to protect your health if you have diabetes or are a pre-diabetic. The right diet won’t only help you treat this condition – for pre-diabetics, changing your diet might completely alter your diagnosis.

Diets for people with diabetes involve eating healthy meals at scheduled times so the body can better use insulin. The diabetes diet is about nutritious foods, including healthy carbohydrates, “good” fats, fish, and fiber-rich foods. People on this diet should avoid saturated and trans fats whenever possible and minimize cholesterol and sodium intake.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Individuals suffering from chronic kidney disease require a tailored diet to manage the condition. The National Institute of Health recommends the diet below for people with chronic kidney disease:

1. Use foods with less sodium to stabilize and control your blood pressure.
2. Eat small portions of high-protein foods, and make sure you choose the right types of protein. Proteins can include animal protein like chicken, fish, and meat or plant protein like beans, nuts, and grains.
3. Choose heart-healthy foods. This decision will help prevent fat from building up in your blood vessels, kidneys, and heart. Incorporate lean meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits into your diet to protect your health. Drink alcohol in moderation, and don’t exceed one drink daily.

As progress occurs with your chronic kidney disease, you must take extra dietary precautions. Select foods and drinks low in phosphorus, avoid foods high in potassium, and always listen to your dietician.

Heart Health

Heart health is a major concern for many people. Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, doing everything you can to maintain a healthy heart is essential.

Your diet undoubtedly plays a major role in heart health, so eating right should always be a priority. A heart-healthy diet must be low in sodium and saturated fat.

One of the most well-known diets that promotes heart health is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. This plan includes the following guidelines:

• Include sufficient fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your diet.
• Focus on incorporating fish, poultry, nuts, vegetable oils, beans, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products into your diet.
• Lower your intake of sugars and sweeteners.
• Lower your intake of foods that are high in saturated fat and sodium.

Find More Nutrition Advice from Get Complete Care

Your health journey doesn’t have to happen alone. The nutrition education resources available from Get Complete Care can help you live happily and healthily, no matter your dietary goals.

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