Back in prehistoric times, people ate the food that they gathered and they ate in order to survive. Nowadays, it seems like we eat for any and every reason. If we’re anxious, we eat. If we’re bored, we eat. If we’re stressed, we eat. If we’re tired, we eat. If we’re hungry, of course we eat. Even when we’re not hungry, we eat. We just eat, eat, eat and eat and that’s truly not healthy. Now, those who know me know that I eat a lot. However, that’s because we are designed to eat every 2 1/2 – 3 hours and eat quality foods. We were not meant to be snacking every hour. We were not meant to eat super-sized meals. Eating super-sized meals overloads the organs in your body.
The real purpose of food, although it brings family and friends together and food can be very comforting, is to nourish your body. Every food and nutrient has its purpose in the body. For instance, the brain needs glucose in order to perform its activities. This is why the right amount of carbohydrates is necessary in order for your brain to function and this is why diets very low in carbohydrates in the long run don’t work.
Food provides energy to the body. Just like the car can’t function without gasoline, the body can’t function without food. Now I would like to go even further and clarify that just like the car needs the right kind of gasoline in order to function, the body needs the right kinds of food to function. So yes, junk food, fried food, even super-sized food can calm your hunger but none of these foods provide the fuel for your body. In the long run, you end up feeling sluggish, you feel more hungry (because these foods tend to spike up your glucose level, releasing insulin and so glucose levels go down and your body feels the need to bring up the glucose level, feeling the need to eat) and on and on the list goes.
Food is meant to be medicinal more than comforting. Nature provided us with food so that we can heal our bodies, not necessarily comfort our bodies, even though there is a sense of comfort in eating. (I believe nature provided us with other ways of comforting our bodies that isn’t necessarily through eating but that will be discussed on another post). So many people have cabinets filled with prescribed medications for diseases that they can prevent and even reverse if they only change their diets and lifestyles. Let’s start by taking advantage of what nature provided to us! If we do this, there will be less visits to the doctor, less dis-eases and more quality of life, not just quantity.
The next time you put any food in your mouth, think about what you are about to eat and why you are eating what you are eating. Understanding the real purpose of food and treating your body right by eating the foods your body was meant to eat will add more well-being into your life and I guarantee you will experience a shift in most areas of your life.