Friday, 12 May 2017

Control What You Eat


     
What we eat — and how we eat  — affects so many aspects of our lives. What we eat affects not just how we look but how we feel and how we act. Our food alone is sufficient to make our day, one of brilliant accomplishment or one of productive mess. 

If you eat too much of the wrong stuff, you will consequently feel tired, less agile in your movement and less productive in your craft. One the other hand, if you eat right — nutritious but simple moderately sized meal — you will feel fine, energetic and strong. You are likely to be more productive in your business, all day long.

Since habit–good habit formation and bad habit correction — is the focus of this blog, together, we will examine some refine thoughts on what it means to eat right —  and to eat wrong. And also, explore some strategies on how we can make new choices to build better habits with regards whatever tarries in our stomach.

Some eating behaviours are harmful and wrong because the purpose of food is not to harm but to benefit the body, physically and mentally. Though, I am not here to explore in depth, the  different types of wrongful eating, I feel the need to briefly point out the most common and dangerous patterns of eating in this short article.

BULIMIA NERVOSA
Bulimia nervosa is the term for a eating a huge quantity of food in one sitting. This is called bingeing. Some people can take it to the very extreme of eating to sickness. That is, immediately falling sick as a result of eating too much at once. This definitely should not become a habit because of the serious consequences that can emerge.

ANOREXIA NERVOSA
However, the exact opposite of Bulimia is Anorexia Nervosa. It is deliberate refusal to eat moderately sufficient food for the needed energy and nutrition to stay physically healthy. This means eating too little in terms of reasonable quantity and nutritious quality. This too is unhealthy as it will result in weakness and lack of strength for important daily activities.

BINGE EATING DISORDER
Binge Eating Disorder is the third in the category. It is an extended version of Bulimia Nervosa. It is otherwise known as compulsive eating or food addiction. It is the result of an overwhelming feeling of always wanting to eat. And since the size of the stomach is very small, this is probably the worst eating habit of all — It can lead to breathlessness.  Anyone with this form of behaviour absolutely needs to change and such change can only happen with deliberate choice and persistent effort.

PRACTICAL STEPS TO EATING RIGHT
Even if we have not been very careful with regards to food and eating, the following steps can serve as simple guides for us to start making better choices which will lead to good eating behaviours and eventually, the permanent habit of eating right all through life.

DELAY GRATIFICATION
To explain this, I will use the statement of Jack LaLanee, the American fitness, exercise, and nutrition expert who is sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Fitness" and the "First Fitness Superhero." He said:

“I eat three meals a day but NEVER between meals.”

The point I want to stress here is waiting. Wait until you are hungry or, at least until your meal time before you gratify your taste buds. Some days, the most important choice you make might be your refusal of the temptation to grab the candy, chocolate or ice cream. This is true because a perfectly productive day can take a sudden U-turn simply due to lack of self control to delay gratification for anything in between your meals.

EAT  LESS
“Studies over the years, on many different species of animals, have confirmed that those animals that were fed less lived longest. In fact, allowing an animal to eat as much food as it desires can reduce its life span by as much as one-half.”― Joel Fuhrman

Joel Fuhrman, MD, is the author of the popular book, Eat To Live and through is work many people are learning the correct ways to eat and live. Eating less is obviously beneficial to human health. And the above facts from different studies demonstrate some of the benefits. When you eat less, your digestive system works efficiently and you have more energy as a result. The digestive system consumes a lot of energy to process the food we eat. So, the more food we eat, the more energy is consumed by the digestive system, leaving us with less energy to work with.

EAT WELL
“When you eat mostly high-nutrient foods, the body ages slower and is armed to prevent and reverse many common illnesses. The natural self-healing and self-repairing ability that is hibernating in your body wakes up and takes over, and diseases disappear. A nutrient-rich menu of green vegetables, berries, beans, mushrooms, onions, seeds, and other natural foods is the key to achieving optimal weight and health.”― Joel Fuhrman

This is perhaps the best part of all because it singularly summarizes the entire concept of eating right. To eat right is to eat well. And it basically means to eat balanced diet and to eat natural food items as opposed to junk food, most of the time. 

In order for us to be free of disease, strong and healthy, both biologically and psychologically, we must continuously try to eat good amount of healthy natural foods.

If we can exercise the discipline to delay gratification, learn the manners of eating less than our stomach can handle, and understand the importance of eating only what is best for our precious body, then the three ills of eating earlier mentioned will never be an issue of concern for us. Consequently, we can enjoy the rich rewards of sound health, not just of the body but also, of the mind.

Finally, researchers have estimated that majority of us could live well beyond 80 years of age with some simple lifestyle choices, among which, eating right is a critical component. With this in mind, gaining complete mastery over our appetite for food may well mean, gaining mastery over all other parts of our lives. Therefore, good eating habit is a cornerstone for fruitful and eventful life.

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