Take Control! [Part 3]
The Game Changer
Why are we in this state of emergency? Let’s slow down, and look back at a more relaxing time. In our ‘Leave It To Beaver’ days, we had time to prepare a nutritious meal. There were still nutrients in the soils, our food was healthier, so our bodies were stronger. There was time to sit down with our families, we were told to eat our vegetables. Life has changed… We snack on the wrong foods, our dinners are fast, convenient, and lacking in essential nutrients. There is no time! Convenience is our priority, not nutrition.
“I’m on my way to get some fried chicken for my family right now.”
“We only use our table for Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” “No, I can’t talk, I’ve gotta go.”
No time, high stress, poor nutrition… A recipe for DISASTER. We are in a state of emergency, and our path is clear: we must take control of our lives. We need to eat properly, to supplement our diets, to exercise regularly, to relax, and spend more time with our families, to become healthy, happy, and free—to LIVE!
Isn't it time to change our destiny? Too many of us are caught in the vicious cycle of poor nutrition... We can help ourselves to a healthier life, by giving our bodies a fighting chance to rebuild. We simply need to give ourselves back what today's foods are lacking. If given the chance, our bodies can rebuild, strengthen, and recharge themselves.
Checkpoint
It is becoming increasingly clear that the information posted on this blog is stale news. In fact, many of us, if not all, have been tested on these things in school: rest, exercise, diet. You don't need rocket science to figure why the average person spends most of his/her life either tired or sick. Giving your body all that it needs, in the midst of whatever challenges and situations we encounter in life, is a task that is much easier said than done. The intention here, though, is to facilitate greater awareness of this problem, itself, while presenting various solutions, in order to help persons achieve and maintain good health and vitality. Sounds good?
Now, this is what has been covered so far:
- The average person who lives to 40 years and beyond experiences at least 3 zones of life. He/She spends only a third of it in a very desirable zone, the Healthy zone, and unfortunately, the rest of it in the Tired or Sick zones. Take Control! [Part I]
- The problems we have, with regards to our health (inadequate rest, exercise, and nutrition), are pretty much the same as the solutions: give your body more rest, get active, and most importantly, fix your diet. Take Control! [Part II]
Now, it's time to focus a little on Diet, the part where the battle is really heated. Feel free to recount what you may have learnt before. Remember, diet is whatever you eat. Moreover, you are what you eat! The quality of your health in the future is dependent on the quality of your diet today.
How Should We Eat
Based on the recommended food guide pyramid, Whole Grains should form the foundation of our diet, as 9 to 11 servings per day. Next in line should be the Fruits & Vegetables (vegetables, in particular), from a baseline of 5 to 13 servings per day. Then Proteins (the plant-based sources, and fish, of course!), as 3 to 5 servings daily, and last, and most definitely least, Fats & Sugars (processed foods and simple carbohydrates) should be consumed s-p-a-r-i-n-g-l-y. In fact, the body usually gets adequate amounts of these Fats & Sugars from the aforementioned food groups. Please note that Whole Grains are at the base of the pyramid for a number of reasons, including the fact that the body needs at least 9 servings daily, in comparison to the 5 servings for Fruits & Vegetables, which are required for proper functioning. Also, a neat little way to understand what a serving means, is to follow this rule: half a cup of very small things, like whole grains, represents one serving, while an entire cup of bigger and fluffier things, like fruits and vegetables, represents one serving.
How We Really Eat
However, the average person turns the pyramid right on its head! Does that really sound normal? Fats & Sugars are consumed the most, followed by Proteins, mainly from the animal sources. Too little Fruits [Vegetables are virtually non-existent], and little or no Whole Grains [pretty much sparingly] are eaten by the average person. Remember from Science class: Proteins make you GROW, Fruits & Vegetables make you GLOW, and Carbohydrates make you GO! The Grow-Glow-Go foods are what individuals really rob themselves of each day, and this kind of eating habit gives rise to many of the Lifestyle Diseases, such as:
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Hypertension
- Arthritis
- Cataracts
- Obesity
Result?
No wonder we feel like this! No wonder tiredness and sicknesses are the norm! But why do we eat like this? There are many reasons, the majority centred around tastes and preferences, convenience, accessibility, and, of course, affordability.
But what are Lifestyle Diseases? This is a fancy term that represents some of the diseases that cannot be passed via physical interaction with others. You can't have an obese person brush against you, and say, "Aha! You are now obese! Prepare to meet thy doctor!" No, these are diseases associated with, as the name suggests, how you live your life. They come about via the unhealthy choices people make with regards to rest, exercise, and diet.
Sounds like someone you know? Well, great! Remember, that particular problem and solution are one in the same. There is still hope. You can still turn back the tides, and change the outcome of the game. Don't go anywhere! More of the answers you are looking for might just be up next.
Stick around for Part IV of this series, where you will witness the power of one of the 3 main phytonutrients that the body requires on a daily basis. You will see how badly you may have been cheating yourself from enjoying living a life full of energy, good health, and vitality!
