What Do You Eat?

This is a simple question, but may not be that simple to
many people.

This question should be asked by a doctor when he or she
sees a patient. When an individual goes to see a doctor,
that individual may have a health issue, and it is the
responsibility of the doctor to find out if there is any
connection between the patient's diet and the health issue
in question. Healthy eating is healthy living: healthy
eating focuses on the nutritive value of food to eliminate
many health problems in life.

What do you eat? Many people simply don't know what they
are eating, or can hardly recall what they were eating even
only a short while ago. If you ask someone in a fast food
restaurant about the food he or she is eating, that person
may not be able to tell you much about that food being
consumed. At best, that person may be able to say the food
is not very healthy, but may not be able to explain why is
is not healthy. It is not surprising that people know
little about food. They just eat without thinking.

Many people's food choice is based on only two factors:
convenience and availability. To many, the nutritive value
of food is never a priority. Even many doctors' knowledge
of food is elementary, and very limited.

We are living in a fast-pace society, in which we
compromise everything in the name of speed. There is a
Spanish proverb: "A man too busy to take care of his health
is like a craftsman who is too busy to take care of his
tools."

You need to slow down, and appreciate your food. This is
the first step towards healthy eating. When you appreciate
your food, you will be mindful of what it is that you eat,
where it comes from, and why you should or should not eat
it. Mindfulness of what you eat is healthy eating.

For example, you may have second thoughts about eating
processed food, which is no more than "destroyed" food.
Processed food is nutrient deficient: the vital element in
the food is removed, and is replaced by salt (to mask the
bad odor of spoiled food), sugar (to increase your food
cravings), food colorings (to make it more visually
appealing), and preservatives (to make it last longer on
the shelf). If you are more mindful of what you eat, you
may start wondering why you, a living person, are eating
"dead" food.

For any food item to be qualified as "food," it must meet
certain criteria: it must provide energy and nutrients. You
do not consume food that gives you only empty calories,
that is, calories without the nutrients for energy and
satiety. An individual needs a certain amount of calories -
depending on the physical makeup as well as the level of
physical activity - to sustain life and wellness.
Insufficient calories will cause hunger and lack of energy;
excess calories, on the other hand, will result in weight
gain.

Food is simple and natural as provided by nature. But
scientists would like to "improve" on it by additives and
even genetically altering it.

What do you eat?

Knowing what you eat is healthy eating.

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For more information on healthy eating, go to "The Seven
Pillars of Health Wisdom" to find out what the seven
pillars are: http://www.zenistheway.com/7-pillars.html
Stephen Lau is a writer and researcher. He has published
several books and many websites on health, healing,
depression, eating disorders, and golf. Get a FREE copy of
his 143-page e-book "All-Round Weight Loss."

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