Food works!
You are what you eat! (.... but don't think about it too much).
Have you ever attempted to keep track of everything you ingest in a day, for a whole week, perhaps at the request of a nutritionist, a homeopath, or your physician? This rather simple exercise can have considerable impact on your mental and physical health, and I don't necessarily mean that in a good way although I trust it is usually used for such.
For example, it is possible you need to let your doctor know about what you are eating in order for him/her to help lower the cholesterol levels that are reeking havoc in your body. Equally, there is the chance you are seeking advice from a holistic practitioner because you wish to improve the quality of your sleep or skin. Once again, giving the professional a detailed journal of your daily intake can shed light on what might be done to help your overall health, or at the very least, is helpful in identifying your lifestyle patterns.
The way we eat can sometimes be a result of upbringing, geography, financial or maybe it reflects our education on the matter. When I grew up, the four basic food groups were breads and grains, milk and dairy, fruits and vegetables, and finally meats and protein. Today the Canadian government has a food pyramid and a food rainbow, as well as a website which discusses everything "food" related. This topic continues to evolve on what foods are best for us.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/index-eng.php
There are age old doctrines that have equally stood the test of time, one is Ayurvedic diet, with its three "Dosha" categories (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) which produce an overall inner balance of mind and body, and certain foods contribute to this balance according to which Dosha is dominant in you.
We have many East and West approaches that range from raw food diets to eating foods that agree with your blood type, all of which have some claim of how it affects your overall health. With so many knowledgeable people offering such tried and tested methods and nutritional information for keeping good health, how are we supposed to make a sound decision about what to have for dinner tonight?
There is only one person who can tell you what is good or not. Listen to yourself!
It is true that having the help from somebody can be a wonderful idea especially if you need support if attempting to become a healthier eater, or having the specialized input from someone who has studied nutrition is also extremely beneficial. The main reason I emphasize listening to yourself is coming up, and this comes from my personal experience only.
Our bodies are such beautifully designed machines that when we eat something, our mouths and teeth help to chew, throats and saliva move it down to the proper channels, the intestines and liver do their thing, and this mechanical process is best done through the use of enzymes that break down our food for the absorption of the energy sources they possess. Finally our body eliminates the stuff that we have no use for (**notice here that I am not a doctor or professional on the matter and complete accuracy of the digestive process has been simplified).
Are you still reading? Ok, good!
We all have a unique physiology, and this would technically explain one reason why we process foods differently from each other. Emotionally, we also process things, including food, differently. What I am finally getting to is that you know what you are eating (even if no one else is around to confirm it), and when I am having something that I know, from my bank of knowledge, that isn't really going to benefit my muscles, skin, and all cells, I'm the only one that can truly access it. I have that power, as we all do. You know yourself better than anybody. So here for example, if I ate one piece of chocolate, and let the cocoa melt on my tongue so I can enjoy its pure deliciousness, at this point I am acknowledging it and welcoming it into my body. I might decide to have another one the next day, and the next. By day five, I might start feeling a bit of discomfort (because deep down I know that a couple of pieces of chocolate can have its benefits but too much of a good thing goes sour) therefore now is the time to draw my attention to other delicious treats that are also good for me, like almonds or dried fruit.
What if you were told that everything you have been eating has not been good for you? I'm not saying this is what happened to me, but I was asked to keep a journal of everything I'd been eating, and this exercise made me uncomfortable. At first I thought it was my rebellious side responding in the way "I don't like having someone tell me what I can and cannot do", but as the exercise continued, I accepted the notion that what I was feeling was conflict between what I had been eating and what presumably I "should" be eating. Once again, I'm no expert on the matter, but I listen to my body. When I eat a certain way, this results in feeling great and energized, and if I'm less attentive, the opposite occurs. Letting yourself be the boss can be a very empowering thing, however being the boss doesn't always mean we like what our bodies are telling us.
Keeping it basic and not trying to over analyze it too much is usually a pretty good rule of thumb. So think about it, but not too much, just enough to know what makes you feel strong, happy and balanced. At the end of the day, I'm the only one that must be a peace with myself, so making choices that I can live with, 100% guilt free, is what works best for me.
Today, there are chefs around the world preparing absolutely exquisite dishes that we all can enjoy. Food is delicious, and most of it grows for our enjoyment, but some of it is not as good for us, and that can be different for you and for me.
Have you ever attempted to keep track of everything you ingest in a day, for a whole week, perhaps at the request of a nutritionist, a homeopath, or your physician? This rather simple exercise can have considerable impact on your mental and physical health, and I don't necessarily mean that in a good way although I trust it is usually used for such.
For example, it is possible you need to let your doctor know about what you are eating in order for him/her to help lower the cholesterol levels that are reeking havoc in your body. Equally, there is the chance you are seeking advice from a holistic practitioner because you wish to improve the quality of your sleep or skin. Once again, giving the professional a detailed journal of your daily intake can shed light on what might be done to help your overall health, or at the very least, is helpful in identifying your lifestyle patterns.
The way we eat can sometimes be a result of upbringing, geography, financial or maybe it reflects our education on the matter. When I grew up, the four basic food groups were breads and grains, milk and dairy, fruits and vegetables, and finally meats and protein. Today the Canadian government has a food pyramid and a food rainbow, as well as a website which discusses everything "food" related. This topic continues to evolve on what foods are best for us.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/index-eng.php
There are age old doctrines that have equally stood the test of time, one is Ayurvedic diet, with its three "Dosha" categories (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) which produce an overall inner balance of mind and body, and certain foods contribute to this balance according to which Dosha is dominant in you.
We have many East and West approaches that range from raw food diets to eating foods that agree with your blood type, all of which have some claim of how it affects your overall health. With so many knowledgeable people offering such tried and tested methods and nutritional information for keeping good health, how are we supposed to make a sound decision about what to have for dinner tonight?
There is only one person who can tell you what is good or not. Listen to yourself!
It is true that having the help from somebody can be a wonderful idea especially if you need support if attempting to become a healthier eater, or having the specialized input from someone who has studied nutrition is also extremely beneficial. The main reason I emphasize listening to yourself is coming up, and this comes from my personal experience only.
Our bodies are such beautifully designed machines that when we eat something, our mouths and teeth help to chew, throats and saliva move it down to the proper channels, the intestines and liver do their thing, and this mechanical process is best done through the use of enzymes that break down our food for the absorption of the energy sources they possess. Finally our body eliminates the stuff that we have no use for (**notice here that I am not a doctor or professional on the matter and complete accuracy of the digestive process has been simplified).
Are you still reading? Ok, good!
We all have a unique physiology, and this would technically explain one reason why we process foods differently from each other. Emotionally, we also process things, including food, differently. What I am finally getting to is that you know what you are eating (even if no one else is around to confirm it), and when I am having something that I know, from my bank of knowledge, that isn't really going to benefit my muscles, skin, and all cells, I'm the only one that can truly access it. I have that power, as we all do. You know yourself better than anybody. So here for example, if I ate one piece of chocolate, and let the cocoa melt on my tongue so I can enjoy its pure deliciousness, at this point I am acknowledging it and welcoming it into my body. I might decide to have another one the next day, and the next. By day five, I might start feeling a bit of discomfort (because deep down I know that a couple of pieces of chocolate can have its benefits but too much of a good thing goes sour) therefore now is the time to draw my attention to other delicious treats that are also good for me, like almonds or dried fruit.
What if you were told that everything you have been eating has not been good for you? I'm not saying this is what happened to me, but I was asked to keep a journal of everything I'd been eating, and this exercise made me uncomfortable. At first I thought it was my rebellious side responding in the way "I don't like having someone tell me what I can and cannot do", but as the exercise continued, I accepted the notion that what I was feeling was conflict between what I had been eating and what presumably I "should" be eating. Once again, I'm no expert on the matter, but I listen to my body. When I eat a certain way, this results in feeling great and energized, and if I'm less attentive, the opposite occurs. Letting yourself be the boss can be a very empowering thing, however being the boss doesn't always mean we like what our bodies are telling us.
Keeping it basic and not trying to over analyze it too much is usually a pretty good rule of thumb. So think about it, but not too much, just enough to know what makes you feel strong, happy and balanced. At the end of the day, I'm the only one that must be a peace with myself, so making choices that I can live with, 100% guilt free, is what works best for me.
Today, there are chefs around the world preparing absolutely exquisite dishes that we all can enjoy. Food is delicious, and most of it grows for our enjoyment, but some of it is not as good for us, and that can be different for you and for me.
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