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Introduction
For some reason, one of the hardest things for a human to do is to eat right. Whether that is because we have limited access to resources in all areas or if it is because we simply have too much access to unhealthy food, there are many reasons that eating healthy is a challenge.
Sure, we can eat just about anything and it will sustain us. We will manage to move from one moment to the next and be able to call ourselves healthy. But is it really healthy to subsist on a diet of processed foods and sugary drinks? Just because we are alive does not mean that we are healthy. And the older we get, the more our bad habits begin to catch up with us.
It is unbelievably important to form healthy eating habits early on in life, or at least, as early as possible to prevent any future issues from occurring. You do not want to wake up one day and realize that you have had a nutrient deficiency for years and it is causing complications that are almost impossible to rectify. All of us need to take more responsibility for what we put into our bodies, because if we don’t, it can become extremely dangerous.
Of course, when we are older and we are able to look back on our mistakes, hindsight is 20/20. We realize that there were things that we could have done and probably should have done that we simply didn’t do because we were either unconscious of the ill effects, or simply lazy. Just having the simple knowledge does not necessarily make then needs to do something health-conscious a reality.
For the most part, it takes us truly being exposed to the suffering that can occur because of bad health choices before we are actually more conscious of the way we treat our bodies and our health in general. When we aren’t able to see the reality of the consequences to our actions, it can make them feel very far away and difficult to relate to. We may even blow them off entirely.
This can be a very debilitating place to find yourself in. Especially when you are already dealing from the side effects of poor eating and a lack of a healthy diet. Everybody deserves a chance to become the greatest version of themselves possible, but if we are not even acknowledging the fact that unhealthy eating can take us right off course, even in the present moment, then we are ultimately waving goodbye to the best future possible.
But all of this can change. By reading this book, you are going to understand the importance of eating healthy and how food impacts our bodies and functions. Without understanding exactly why our bodies react to food the way they do, it can sometimes be difficult to stay on track. But there are many ways that you can begin to understand why eating healthy foods is so important, and exactly how to begin on a healthy eating journey. Let’s not waste any more time. We should begin eating healthy today!
Chapter 1: Why Eat Healthy?
Healthy eating is important for a lot of reasons. Most of us are already aware of the increasing obesity epidemic in North America. This is particularly true of the United States in general. There is even a phrase for the way many Americans eat, and that is called the SAD diet. SAD stands for standard American diet, and it refers to a diet low in vegetables, high in fat and sugar, and lacking in nutrition.
Processed foods are definitely a part of the SAD diet. These are foods that are easily available and quick to consume and prepare but have long-lasting negative health effects. If you do not want to find yourself obese, it is generally considered a good idea to avoid eating such processed foods and keep your focus on eating whole grains and fruits and vegetables and meat that has not been treated with hormones and other chemicals that can ultimately end up in your body and cause issues.
Unfortunately, in North America, we are given a lot of options to slack off when it comes to preparing meals. We have so many things readily available to us, and the amount of money that you have to spend to buy bad food is far less then it is to buy good food. It seems strange that it costs more money to buy organic than it does to buy foods that will ultimately cause health problems in the long run, but that is the rule of supply and demand.
Not only that, but processed foods are mass-produced and make a huge profit because of their convenience.
That is why, in many ways, and obesity epidemic in North America is not particularly surprising. Nutrition is not number one on the list of companies that are attempting to cash in on people’s laziness in the kitchen.
However, there are many ways that eating healthy is important, and good reasons to avoid processed foods and the standard American diet. For example, if you do not want to be obese, you should definitely look into the rest of this book for ways to improve your diet and begin a healthier lifestyle.
Another reason to eat healthy is because you can make yourself prone to diseases by eating unhealthy foods and by staying on a standard American diet that is full of fat and sugar. Diabetes is something that can be developed because of poor eating and can often times be treated with healthy eating. Type II diabetes is ultimately something that can be maintained and controlled with proper eating habits and triggered by poor eating habits. If you want to avoid these types of difficulties and complications, you should do your best to be conscientious about your food choices.
Other diseases can result from poor eating as well. High blood pressure is common, as well as other chronic diseases. Osteoporosis is something that can affect many people later in life because they were not making healthy eating choices earlier on. You may find yourself suffering from poor bone health, hypertension, or even heart problems. All of which can be very demanding on your body and cause major stress that can ultimately be very dangerous.
If you want to show your family that you care about them, you should begin making choices now that will help you to stay in their lives for as long as possible. Poor health is not something that only affects you. It is also something that affects the people around you. If they are watching you suffer because of poor choices that you have made, in a way, that is quite selfish. They are suffering too. Now, do your best to make the choices that will be the best not only for yourself, but for your family in the long run. This book will show you how.
Chapter 2: Understanding Your Relationship with Food Over the course of time, everybody begins to develop certain habits. We develop habits in all arenas of our lives.
We develop hygiene habits, food habits, work habits, and all sorts of other types of habits. However, they are usually pretty oblivious to our habits until they begin to affect us negatively. And even then, when we begin to understand that we are being poorly impacted by our habits, it can be very difficult to change them.
Because that is what I have it is like. A habit is something that we do almost unconsciously. We are programmed to follow these habits, and it takes a great amount of willpower to break free from the cycle.
Once you begin to understand that your relationship with food has everything to do with the habits that you have created and habits that you can continue to mold and cultivate, then it becomes far easier to change your mindset. When you realize the impact and importance of your future and making positive choices about these things, it can make you more primed toward healthy eating and less inclined to make choices that negatively impact you and your future.
To be truthful, many of us seem to consider the future bleak. We do not see reasons enough to change our habits because if we do not believe that we have anything good to look forward to, then it doesn’t matter whether we make good choices or not. We do not see how we can actually pave our future to be in our best interests. Probably because we do not believe that we have any power over our lives.
If you can relate to this feeling, don’t be alarmed. It is very common of the human experience. We are generally discouraged from taking control and utilizing our power from an early age, and sometimes stopped believing we have any authority over our lives because we are usually told what to do by other people.
As children, that makes sense. Children don’t always know what is best for them. But it can encourage a very helpless type of mindset that causes us to have a hard time understanding that the consequences of our actions can truly begin to shape who we are and how we present ourselves to the world.
This is why it is important to truly take steps to help you understand yourself and your dietary habits. When did your habit begin? How did you form that habit? Why? What benefits do you have from this habit? What negative effects do you have from this habit? Ask yourself as many of these questions as you possibly can so that you begin to truly have an understanding of how it is that you are shaping your future with the food that you are eating. Are you creating a healthy and energized future, or are you creating a future that is bleak and potentially full of negative health consequences? Next, evaluate your sense of self discipline. Are you capable of maintaining discipline over your choices? Or is this an area where you struggle? Discipline can be difficult for everybody, and if you find yourself having a hard time staying disciplined, it would do you well to look into different ways that you are able to encourage yourself to be a more disciplined person both in practice and mentally. Only then will you truly have what it takes to begin a journey of healthy eating.
Because whether we like it or not, and bad health choices are everywhere. They are easy and they are addicting. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by these poor choices, and do nothing to change our habits, then it doesn’t matter whether you eat healthy sometimes or not. The negative effects will still be gripping your body and waiting to spring up on you when you least expect it.
In a way, unhealthy eating is a selfdestructive pattern that a lot of us take part in. Whether this is because of poor self-esteem, or simply because we are unhappy with our situations and have no faith in the future, self-destructive eating patterns are dangerous. You have to look to yourself and truly value your life and your future before eating healthy will stick.
There are many ways that you can do this, and if possible, you may even want to consult a mental health professional for support. Sometimes, they can help us to see biases and negative patterns in our lives that we remain oblivious to. Once those are understood and accepted, then it can be that much easier to overcome them and take the steps that you need to take in order to make positive choices.
Whether you seek out the help of a qualified professional or not, there are many things that you can do to change your mindset. As long as you understand that you are worthy of a healthy body and a positive future, then you will allow yourself to take the steps necessary to get there. But if you do not feel good about yourself, it is going to be a lot harder.
Overall, understanding yourself, your habits, your mental roadblocks, and your discipline, will help you in your journey. All of us can take steps every day toward becoming our best possible selves, and healthy eating is one great step in that direction. And it is a step we can take today!
Chapter 3: The Dangers of Diet Trends
Diet trends are rampant in our society today, and almost all of them come with dangers attached to them. Unfortunately, most people who are desperate to make money often don’t look at the long-term health consequences of their products. What they are truly concerned about is making money and doing something that will help them to capitalize off of a desperate desire that many people have to lose weight in a fast and easy way.
There is something that you are going to have to accept if diet trends are something that captivate your interest. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that there is no healthy way to lose weight fast and easily with no work and no healthy eating and no exercise. Losing weight is a good goal if you are obese or if you are lacking in fitness and you need extra mobility. All of us have at times needed to start making better lifestyle choices, and that is something that we can do with food and healthy body movement as opposed to by trusting companies that want to exploit us in order to make money.
Some of the diet trends out there are exceptionally dangerous and have dire health consequences both long-term and short-term. Many of them rely on methods that cause us to starve ourselves and Robert body of essential nutrients. Sometimes, even dehydrating us. These types of diet trends are extremely disgusting. They are taking advantage of people who want to be healthy but don’t know how to go about it. They are taking advantage of people, often women in particular, who are crumbling under the pressures of unrealistic beauty standards and women who are told that to have any value, they must look a certain way.
