You Are What You Eat

November 8, 2022November 10, 2022 R.L. Witter

“You are what you eat.” Hearing this as a youth, I had visions of myself turning into a donut or candy. But I learned that is not far from the truth. Your body runs on whatever nutrients it can harvest from what you eat. If you are eating healthy, whole foods you are giving your body a great range to choose from. Let’s get into it and discuss the benefits of a healthy diet.

By diet, I mean your intake, not unsustainable fads like eliminating all carbs or surviving on liquids. A balanced diet is within your grasp—you don’t need expensive packaged meals and supplements to see improvement. Let’s start with a trip to the grocery store. Do you over shop or get inundated with high calorie food choices? You are not alone. Many grocery stores have the same layout, encouraging you to shop with your stomach. Avoid shopping when you’re hungry to counteract this and shop the perimeter. Fresh produce, meats and fish, and dairy items are all on the outer aisles. Focus your time there to purchase more whole, unprocessed foods.

Whole and unprocessed foods are things like vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, meats, seafood, eggs, and milk. Concentrate on items like this, simply prepared, and your body will thank you.

What are some of the benefits of a controlled diet? Whole foods are full of natural nutrients, in a form that your body can better absorb. They have fiber, which helps your gut health; and antioxidants, which possibly protect your cells against free radicals. Some additional benefits of improving your diet are weight loss, migraine relief, healthier hair, increased energy, fewer mood swings, improved skin, minimized risk of heart disease and cancer, looking better as you age, and perhaps the best one–you’ll start to dislike processed foods!

Extremely addictive, processed foods are full of chemicals and loaded with added sugars and fats to make your body crave more. By planning your meals for most of the week and purchasing healthy items from the grocery store, you can make a drastic improvement in your health. You’re worth the effort!

I suggest a doctor’s visit to evaluate the current status of your health. In some cases, medicines will be needed to normalize blood pressure, lower cholesterol, etc. But this change in diet will likely lead to more controlled numbers. With your doctor’s approval, start to add in heart-healthy activity like walking. Before you know it,nyou will look and feel better.

I’ve provided a balanced workout you can do fromnhome. Start slowly and build in intensity.

Live well and prosper.

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