Some of you have asked me questions about diet. Everything from what will help with a particular situation that you are dealing with, to what my diet is like. Your inquiries and the tremendous importance of one’s diet is the subject of this month’s featured article.
A balanced diet is characterized by a number of factors, the first of these being the quality of the foods that you put into your body. The fresher, more natural i.e. the less chemicals, preservatives, hormones and additives they contain, and less processed your foods are, the more nutrition they provide. Your body is able to convert these types of foods into the nutrients that it needs more easily. This leaves you with the extra energy that would have otherwise been used to convert lesser foods. This extra energy, along with the higher energy and nutrients of healthier foods is a tremendous boost to your health. When your body and mind are given the energy and nutrients that they need, you look, feel and function much better.
Another important factor in a balanced diet is the amount of food that you eat. Think of the word balanced. Not too much or too little. Moderation is what we are trying to create here. So when you sit down to your meals, work with yourself to not go overboard on anything. Have moderate sized portions, especially for dinner. The wonderful thing about eating foods that are fresher, more natural and minimally processed, is that you will begin to eat less naturally because these types of foods give you more of the things you need. After all, your body doesn’t want food. It needs nutrients, so the higher the nutrient and energy content of the foods that you eat, the less that you will be driven to eat.
The third factor in a balanced diet is when you eat. The first rule is to never skip breakfast. Because of our fast paced lives and habits that we have created, it is easy for many of us to skip breakfast completely, substituting a cup of coffee instead. When you neglect yourself by not having something for breakfast, you put your body into a state of emergency. You have just gone eight hours or more without any food, and then you skip breakfast. Your body responds to this neglect by converting most of your next meal into fat and then storing it in the body, because it doesn’t know when you will feed it again. Eating a balanced breakfast gets your metabolism started, and provides you with the energy and nutrients needed to help you feel and be your best.
Lunch should not only be a healthy one, but also your largest meal of the day. This is because there is plenty of time left in your day, to digest and utilize the energy it contains. Remember, moderation is still the rule. As for dinner, try to keep it lighter than lunch and no later than six. If you aren’t able to eat dinner until after six, than try to limit it to a salad made up of a variety of fresh vegetables and a lighter salad dressing. Night time is for resting, not for digesting a large meal made up of heavy foods. Your body isn’t made for this and you will wake up feeling sluggish and heavy. In addition, your body will turn this food to fat while you are sleeping because your use of energy is at a minimum.
In time, eating foods that are high in essential nutrients and energy will allow your body to repair and enhance itself. Once your nutrient levels have been reestablished, your body will begin to build up reserves, which are your body’s buffer against disease. These reserves become even more critical as we age because of our bodies diminishing capacity to digest and absorb nutrients. We will need these reserves in the future, so begin building them today.
Next time we will follow up with additional information on this subject designed to give you a more complete picture of a healthy diet. Until then, let’s take our health to the next level with an energy and nutrient filled diet.
By: Marcus Straub
Copyright 2005
Courtesy of Life Is Great Inc.
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