Fill up your appetite with nutrition

Talk about it

Have you ever thought about why you eat, or what your body needs for food?

We usually eat because we are hungry, tired and our stomach is rumbling. We may also eat because we are sad, bored or happy – at a social gathering or because that dessert looks so delicious.

Our bodies need to eat because they need energy to run. Think about our vehicles; we need to put the proper fuel in them and keep them filled up with gas. We also need to have scheduled maintenances done on them to keep them running.

We need to treat our bodies the same way. Not just any foods, but healthy, good-for-you food. Good nutrition is important.

So many of us roll our eyes when we think of or are confronted about healthy eating, but in reality, taking care of yourself isn’t as hard, time consuming, or expensive as it sounds. Once we decide to choose a healthy lifestyle, we notice more energy, increased self-confidence, more time to do things that are important and less time in the doctor’s office.

One great way to eat healthy is to buy fresh foods (such as fruits and vegetables). For too many of us that seems expensive and impossible, however it’s usually cheaper to buy fresh foods than candy, soda, chips and pizza.

Not only do people consume less food on a healthy diet (you really just can’t eat one chip) but they help our bodies become stronger so we are able to fight disease, which makes health care costs decrease as well.

In our society of hustle and bustle, the cheapest and quickest foods are the easiest to consume. We quench that hunger sensation and can move on with our busy lives.

What does that do to our bodies? Most people don’t know or care. Chances are they will care when they discover they have heart disease, diabetes or the variety of other conditions caused by this type of lifestyle.

The problem gets really hard when people get into a pattern of unhealthy eating and that is difficult to break. So much of our food we purchase has additives or is preserved. Our taste buds have adapted to those changes and we get accustomed to too much fat, sugar and salt in our diets.

In reality the reason we like those ‘easy’ foods is because of all the additives that are added to them. If we would consume those cheap foods without the additives they wouldn’t taste good – because cheap food doesn’t taste good without all those extras.

When making choices about foods and your nutrition, limit the use of anything processed (processed meaning things were done to it – put in boxes or bags).

When shopping at the grocery store – spend most of your time shopping around the outside of the store. There you will find fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and less-processed foods.

By making some of these simple changes to your daily diet, you will notice changes with your health. Challenge yourself to a better, healthier life.

Tags: public health, life, nutrition