We Are What We Eat

You’ve probably heard the saying “you are what you eat”, indeed, this may have been drilled into you from a child, but how much attention do we honestly pay to this principle in terms of its application to our daily lives?

For some, eating is considered a necessary biological requirement that can be scientifically formulated to deliver optimum results — however, for most of us, eating is a much more emotional experience and this idea of “you are what you eat” can go out the window, when you feel down and need a sugar hit.

A simple way to view this principle is to aim to keep things in balance.  Image a bank account.  There are deposits and withdrawals.  The deposit nourishes and invests in your bank balance whilst the withdrawals detract and deplete from its health.  If there are too many withdrawals, the account becomes overdrawn, and you end up in financial trouble.

Using this metaphor for nutrition, it’s clear there are deposits and withdrawals to be made, as an example drinking aloe vera could be considered a deposit because you are investing nutrients that are going to replenish and revitalize your body, whereas eating a chocolate bar would be considered to be a withdrawal.  

Making the occasional withdrawal is fine, as this way, there is still an equilibrium.  However, if you are to withdraw more from this bank account, nutritionally, than you are putting in – that’s when you run into problems.  That’s when serious diseases start to occur.  

Think about that word for a moment; dis-ease.  It represents that your body is in a state of dis-ease; because it is out of balance.  No matter what your current condition of health, the way to ensure a healthy life, is to keep this bank account in check and balance the books!

Nutrition is important, yet with our busy lifestyles and over reliance on processed food it can be important to supplement our diet, for example supplementing with HICA can be a great way to increase your metabolism and supplementing with aloe vera can be a brilliant way to boost your immune system.  However, equally important to our diet is how often, and how intensely, we are physically active.  

Cardiovascular exercise is equally as important, as nutrition, in terms of having a healthy heart.  It sounds like a drag, but getting fit doesn’t have to be as arduous as it sounds.  Indeed there are plenty of fun ways to get into the “aerobic zone”.

Even a 20 minute walk at a moderate pace with some good music will do the trick to get you into the “aerobic zone”.  Aerobic exercise is extremely good for the body… as it pumps blood through our arteries, stimulates lymph flow, and brings fresh air into the lungs; there are also several mental and emotional benefits of exercise as a result of the endorphins released.

In summary, the bank account of your health depends primarily on two things; the food you eat and the amount you move your body.  This is really simple stuff, but hopefully this simple metaphor offers some food for thought that will inspire you to make better day-to-day choices.