National Healthy Eating Day Date in the current year: November 6, 2024

According to an old saying, we are what we eat. A healthy diet provides our bodies with essential nutrition and helps us improve or maintain overall health, whereas unhealthy eating is a major risk factor for various chronic diseases, ranging from obesity to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.

According to statistics, more than 144 million adult Americans are overweight or obese, and 1 in 5 children and adolescents in the United States are affected by childhood obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. A high sodium intake is another factor that may affect your cardiovascular health; too much salt in your diet may lead to high blood pressure and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.

National Healthy Eating Day is a part of the My Heart, My Life program sponsored by the American Heart Association (AHA). Its main goal is to encourage people to take steps toward living a healthier life by eating healthier, exercising, getting enough sleep, employing stress management techniques, etc.

A healthy diet should contain sources of protein, which can be either animal-based or plant-based, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and sources of unsaturated fats (for example, vegetable oils, avocado, nuts and seeds). It should be noted that vitamin B12 is only found in foods with animal sources, so vegans need to consume dietary supplements containing this vitamin in order to eat healthy.

The World Health Organization recommends to those who want to keep a healthy diet to eat roughly the same number of calories that their body is using, limit their intake of fats (especially trans fats), eat fruits and vegetables every day (starchy vegetables such as potatoes don’t count), and limit the intake of salt and simple sugars. WHO also recommends to ensure that your diet contains enough vitamins and dietary minerals and to prefer polyunsaturated fats to saturated fats in order to reduce the risk of diabetes and heart problems.

Many people think that healthy food equals bland food. One of the main tasks of National Healthy Eating Day is to disprove this misconception. Healthy and nutritious meals that are low in fat and sodium but high in protein and other nutrients can be as delicious as greasy, oily, or sugary foods, and even more so. For example, most herbs and spices are healthier than salt, and they can make even simple dishes taste so much better!

You can observe National Healthy Eating Day by learning more about heart-healthy food choices and incorporating them in your diet, making a resolution to start eating healthier and sticking to it, learning new delicious healthy recipes, and spreading the word about the holiday on social media using the hashtags #NationalHealthyEatingDay and #EatingHealthyDay.