Eating Well.
You’ve probably heard about the countless health benefits of eating well; you’ve probably also heard all of the negatives of eating poorly. You probably wish that you didn’t have to listen to the same message over and over again.
“I know,” you scream, “but I don’t know where to start or how to start. I don’t have the energy to start, and I don’t have the time to start. So there!”
As a result, we choose convenience- whatever is easy and instant. Fast or frozen, re-heat or nuked, dialed-in and taken-out, we all do it. We all lead busy lives, earning a living, raising families, making money, walking dogs, working out, watching tv, or staring at your phone. We get out of the habit of looking after what is most important: your health.
We miss out on something extraordinary when we let our guard down and substitute convenience for eating well. Eating the foods we are designed to eat gives us energy and vitality. We age slower, our weight regulates itself, and our bodies stay in good working condition. Our risk of chronic disease is drastically reduced; eating well supports our immune system to fight off sickness and infection.
Let’s take a peek at some of the benefits, just to spike your curiosity. You never know; it may just push you across the line to motivation.
Your Energy Source.
The main reason that we need to eat is for fuel. If the body ran out of fuel, we’d be dead. The body needs a lot of energy to keep us alive; even when we sleep, we’re burning fuel.
We have two primary fuel sources, “glucose” from carbs and “triglycerides” from the fats we eat and the fats we store. If we can’t use up all the carbs right away, we’ll store that as fat too. It’s the way we’re designed.
The quality of the fuel is as equally important as the quantity of fuel. Most of what is sold as food today are just clever COMBINATIONS of sugar, salt, refined carbs, second-rate protein, or low-quality fats.
And we are consuming them on a massive scale. Never before in human history have we consumed this quantity of cheap, quick-release carbs, chowing down when we don’t need the fuel. So, we’re all storing the excess cheap carb energy and getting fat instead of flying around on quality fuel.
Ensures Your Body Works Correctly.
Most of what has become known as “food” in our diets are convenient, heavily processed “foods.” They contain minimal nutrients, little to no fiber, vitamins, or minerals essential for a healthy you.
In heavily processed foods, the fiber we require is stripped out so that the “foods” have a longer shelf life. The vitamins and the minerals are destroyed in the processing. Hidden sugars and salts are added to make the final products palatable for us to eat. Sure, we can get poor quality fuel or calories we need to keep us moving, but it’s devoid of most of what we truly need to keep us moving well.
On the other hand, eating healthy foods comes packed with the nutrients, fiber, minerals, and vitamins your body needs to work correctly. Almost any function you can conceive of is supported by real food. Vitamin A, for example, is necessary for good vision. Chloride helps keep your body’s fluid levels in check, and potassium helps maintain your blood pressure. While your nervous system may not operate correctly if you don’t get enough sulfur.
Consuming unhealthy foods deprives your body of essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Over time it will cause your body to rebel and malfunction.
Reduces Risk Of Chronic Disease.
We have a health crisis of biblical proportions unfolding around the world. The US is leading the way as usual, but the rest of the world is rapidly catching up. According to the National Center for Disease Control in the United States, 60 percent of the adult population, or “six in ten adults,” suffer from chronic disease.
Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity, Cancer, Chronic Lung and kidney Disease, Alzheimer’s, are all rising. According to the CDC, the causes of the rise are poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, tobacco, and excessive alcohol use.
We all know that tobacco and excessive alcohol use are killers. To varying degrees, we understand that exercise is essential for living a healthy life. However, poor nutrition is probably the one factor that we don’t pay enough attention to. Yet, it is perhaps the simplest and most effective way to boost our health and fight off chronic disease
Boosts Your Immune System.
Another significant advantage of eating well and having a nutritious diet is boosting your immune system. The variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients found in these foods help to keep your immune system strong. Your immune system is responsible for protecting you from illness, infection, and viruses. Therefore, your chances of getting sick are substantially lower if you have a robust immune system.
However, suppose you eat a restricted, poor diet. In that case, your body will not receive all of these immune-boosting vitamins and nutrients. As a result, your immune system weakens, and your body’s ability to resist illness, infection and viruses deteriorates, leaving you susceptible to disease.
Your Physical Performance Improves.
The benefits of eating the right foods help boost your physical performance substantially. Good protein in your diet, for example, ensures that your muscles have the building blocks they need to mend, develop, and grow after exercise.
Eating well will help the heart become stronger, help the blood flow easily, pump oxygen, vitamins, and minerals throughout the body. Your muscles, organs, tissue, skin, and bone will benefit, turning you into a better you.
A poor diet has the opposite impact and might detract from your physical performance. Eating low-quality, quickly digesting carbs, for example, will not provide you with the consistent release of energy needed to accomplish a strenuous activity. Likewise, if you don’t consume enough protein, your muscles won’t fully recover after exercise.
Conclusion.
There are numerous reasons to consume a healthy diet. At the end of the day, eating healthy is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your body. So, suppose your diet consists primarily of fast food, microwave meals, and pizza. In that case, you should seriously consider making some dietary modifications.
Healthy eating does not have to be complicated or time-consuming. Simple and easy ways to eat healthier, for example:
- Drinking a glass of water instead of a glass of soda.
- Heating some chicken and vegetables instead of a microwave meal.
- Grab a piece of fruit instead of a bar of chocolate.
Making simple decisions like these will benefit you in the long run and enable you to enjoy a much fuller, happier, and healthier life.
There are simple steps to take to make sure you eat well. They will keep you well-fueled, well balanced, at your fighting weight, and ready to rock n’ roll.