Amidst the overabundance of supplements, diets and systems prevalent in our day, eating healthy food to lose weight no longer seems to score very high. We are all aware of a growing groundswell of life-style changes aimed at more successfully living in harmony with nature, as opposed to destroying it. This is evident in how we are “going green,” recycling everything practicable and some of us even living “off the grid.”
I believe that there is a similar burgeoning trend in people looking to healthy food to overcome nutritional life-style problems. The massive, worldwide struggle with unwanted weight gain, obesity and the related health issues such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes warrant a new path. Type 2 diabetes, which used to be called “adult-onset” because that was who it affected, has been rising at an alarming rate in adolescents and even pre-adolescents. This was unheard of just a few decades ago!
Just as so many of us, who have an intrinsic love for the beauty of nature, are moving to preserve it, a growing number of us are doing the same with our health. This movement, more like a ripple than a groundswell, is being swayed by the logic and success of eating healthy food to lose weight and achieve fitness. As much as many of us revel in our admiration for the beauty all around us, some of us because of our struggle are embarrassed to admit that good food is a central part of life.
Eating a healthy, well balanced diet along with some exercise is not only a splendid way to lose weight and achieve fitness; it is in my belief, the only way. The beauty of achieving fitness through healthy food is that we do not need to brutally limit our consumption to bland tasteless foods or, even worse, diet products. The other thing is that it works!
How many people do you know personally who have been successful in staying trim and fit for the long course through dieting and supplements? I would be willing to bet not many, and if any, some exceedingly self-disciplined and likely, unhappy individuals. Dieting doesn’t work because it is so unnatural, cutting ourselves off from what we desire through willpower. It usually ends up in self-incrimination and guilt, which are depressing to say the least.
On the other hand if we are careful to eat healthy foods we do not need to severely limit our consumption. We need to get smart. To begin with, I don’t think you can eat too much when it comes to vegetables. On top of this, vegetables, while not essentially adding to our caloric intake, are chock full of nutrients we need and cause our bodies to burn up calories breaking them down. So, have a nice steak or a delicious piece of pork, your body needs the fat to function, just keep the portion small and pile on the veggies.
One thing to keep in mind, many people in undeveloped countries, like generations of our ancestors, have never been exposed to fast-foods, diets, supplements and the like. Generally speaking they are and were much more fit than we who have access to far more technology, knowledge and health resources. It is time to get back to the basics!
Eating healthy food to lose weight is not burdensome, nor overly time consuming. It doesn’t have to be complex and is, in fact, lots of fun. There is an incredible world of variety out there to whet our appetites. So, our challenge is to eat and enjoy and grow healthy.
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