Food is Fuel
Did anyone ever tell you, "You are what you eat?"
That's not just an old adage or a cliche designed to guilt someone out of that twinkie. We really are made up of what we eat!
The fuel you put into your body is what is (ideally) broken down, absorbed, and used as building blocks for every cell in every organ. That poptart you had for breakfast is what your body breaks down to try and build itself up.
Now, the body is VERY complex, and needs many nutrients in specific balances to operate at optimal level. Along the way, we can choose to give it good fuel, or we can give it bad fuel. The bad fuel may even cause some of the systems to "malfunction" since they're not getting the building blocks they need to work right. This can create a vicious cycle where the systems don't work right, so they don't break down and absorb nutrients properly, which causes the systems to be unable to repair themselves, so they can break down the fuel into building blocks, etc...
The reason I say this is to emphasize the importance of WHAT you put into your body! We need fuel to survive, and we need GOOD fuel to live well, at our optimum potential. Consider what would happen if you put peanut butter in your gas tank, and expected your car to get good mileage. Same goes for the food we consume - it is vital that we put good fuel into our bodies if we want them to work well.
The following is a short article published in the Tallahassee Reports regarding diet.
If you have questions, or would like more information on how to reach your potential, starting with the fuel that gives you building blocks for wellness, call us at 850-878-5636.
We would love to help you on the journey to a healthier, more fulfilling, and energetic future!
What’s In Your Diet?
When you think about maintaining good health, particularly a healthy body weight, what factor do you think of first? Many people might answer with exercise, and say if they could only find the time to exercise, they would stay healthy and be in good shape. But actually, while exercise is certainly a very important factor, the food you eat is equally important. We all know people who exercise regularly and can’t lose an ounce of weight, and those who eat constantly, don’t exercise, and don’t gain an ounce!
Your body receives its nutrients from the foods you eat. We all enjoy the taste of a delicious meal, but we don't often stop to consider the long-term effects on body function. If the meal is composed of a good balance of meat and vegetables with some healthy starches, we know the body is receiving valuable vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to help nourish it and keep it working well. Just as it is important to keep our vehicles running smoothly with a healthy “diet” of gasoline, regular oil changes, and check-ups, it is equally important to keep ourselves running smoothly with good foods. Most people realize that it is well worth our time and money maintaining our cars, then why not spend time and money maintaining our body health as well?
If most of our meals consist of bread, pasta, cheese, and prepared or packaged food, with few fresh ingredients, the body suffers the consequences. These consequences might be fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, a poor immune system, digestive distress, emotional/mood problems, and a host of other conditions that could result when the body is not given the resources it needs to function well. It may even begin to suffer from diabetes and other more serious health issues.
Contributing to the problem is the change in our food production system. With the focus on producing as much as possible for the least amount of money, farming methods and processing methods have been drastically altered. Chemicals are used throughout the process and over-processing strips many foods of their natural nutrients. Genetic engineering of foods means that the “soy” you ate 20 years ago is not the same as what you are eating today. Soy, wheat, and dairy seem to be the most tainted, and cause many different symptoms in millions of people. Remember, “Don’t mess with Mother Nature”!
So what can we do to help ourselves function optimally? We can eat a healthy diet, focused around meat, vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats. We can avoid packaged and processed food as much as possible in favor of fresh, whole foods. Eat organic vegetables, grass-fed beef, and avoid all GMO foods. We can also limit foods which create inflammation in the body.
In my clinic, the patients I see (with a wide variety of problems) report more energy, better cognitive function, weight loss, and overall improved health when they commit to changing their dietary lifestyle. You can change your diet, your health, and your life today. Remember that it’s easier to stay well than to get well.