Good health goes hand in hand with good nutrition. Whether you are trying to lose weight or improve some particular physical characteristic, it must start with good nutrition. Illnesses can be improved; body weight can be stabilized; and, an overall sense of well-being can be maintained if you can control the nutrients in your daily food intake.
Many of us learned in grade school all about the food pyramid and the importance of balancing the right food groups for achieving the best health results. That basically has not changed. You do, however, need to pay attention to those food groups with a certain amount of seriousness. For instance, a hot fudge sundae with nuts should not be considered a dairy choice and a protein choice; nor should potato chips be considered a vegetable serving. In order to get the best each food group has to offer you, it should be consumed in the least processed manner.
Fresh vegetables and fresh fruits are as important as anything we can eat. Adults and children need to consume three to five servings per day. In the state where I live, beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables are available all year long and sometimes it is still difficult for me to get them into my diet. Our days are hectic and we spoil ourselves with whatever sounds good without weighing how it will benefit our bodies. Health and nutrition are not what is first and foremost in my mind.
We consume far too much meat and poultry than we need. As adults, we need much less than a growing child or adolescent needs. But try to order much less than an eight ounce steak in a restaurant and see what happens. Try to place an order for one three ounce portion of chicken. It is definitely NOT on the menu that way. Who in the world are they trying to feed. And of course, it is up to us to divide up whatever we are served, eat the appropriate amount and take the rest home in a doggy bag, but most of us don’t. Those menus are not designed to honor the food pyramid and they are not enticing us with the nutritional values in all of those pictures. That ten ounce ribeye steak and the loaded baked potato DO have some nutritional value, but we would have to eat only about ¼ of it and then consume no more fats that month.
And then we all need to exercise daily. All of those jobs out there which require that we sit at a computer eight hours a day are working our brains, but not our bodies. We must have at least thirty minutes of exercise every day. Lifting a fork full of food does not qualify here. We must get up and walk or jog or go to the gym and try to remember we are doing it for ourselves. Or just walk the dog. The dog will be better off and so will you.
Honestly, it is not supposed to be that difficult. Be sensible in what you take in, keeping it balanced, and be sensible with burning it off. If we burn off everything we take in — no problem. And here is where that word discipline becomes a four-letter word for most of us. It is right up there with self-control and restraint. If we can turn around our negative thoughts on those words and learn to embrace them as positive actions we take for ourselves, that would be great. It has been more years than I want to remember since I have utilized restraint and self-control where my health is concerned. When I did, I do not recall it being that difficult; however, it is very, very difficult for me to get back to that moment in time.
If we just reach a little, if we just make one major change per week for the sake of our health, we may not only live a little longer, but maybe we will live a little healthier in those later years. None of us look forward to getting older when the body begins to betray us. Maybe if we treat our bodies a little better today, they will in turn take a little better care of us in those ‘twilight years’.
I think I will seek out a walking companion — not a health and exercise nut — just a companion. I also think I am going back to that food pyramid to plan more nutritional food intake. I think I am going to work on my attitude about discipline — later. Right now, I am going to have a nice bowl of ice cream and then take a little nap.
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