While growing up, there was this man within the neighborhood who I used to observe, because he would go to his vegetable garden in front of his house, get some vegetables, then prepare them and eat. It was part of his daily routine. One day, I asked him "papa, why do you always like eating vegetables and fresh foods?" He smiled and replied me with "you are what you eat." He went further to explain that the food we eat affects a lot of things about us, not just biologically, but in other aspects of our lives. He was so careful about what he ate. At that time, he was in his 80's, yet he was looking so strong and healthy. This was when I realised the benefits of eating rightly and healthily.
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Understand that the food you eat is not just about satisfying your hunger, it goes beyond that. It has a way of shaping your energy, daily performance, and health. Imagine someone who always consumes junks with soda, and someone else who eats rightly with freshly made foods instead of processed foods, who do you think will be healthier in the long run? You may not know this, but your eating habits, over time, will influence how you think, what you feel, and how your body functions. The quality of what you put inside your body will be what will determine what your body gives you as output. A lot of the challenges that some people are facing are just linked to what they consume.
There was a time that one of my friends had a health challenge. He was taking medication, yet it seemed like he was not getting any better. Then upon further examination, it was found out that the cause of it was his eating lifestyle. So they placed on on strict diet. When he started following the dieting prescriptions and changing his eating lifestyle, he started noticing positive difference in his body. In less than 1month, he was fine. This is just to tell you that food is not just about satisfying your appetite, it does good to the body, and even has therapeutic effects. When things are not too right with you body, it might just be something as overlooked as the food you eat.
Food has a way of shaping your long-term health. Your daily choices may look small, but when they accumulate over time, they will have significant impact. For example, constantly eating excessive fried food, refined snacks, sugary drinks, etc, can predispose one to a lot of health challenges. But you can choose a variety of healthy food that support stronger immunity, good digestion, and overall health. Good health is not built by what you eat just once, but by your repeated good choices. It is the repeated pattern than matters, not just a one-time action.
Eating rightly does not mean spending all you have on food. With what you can afford, you can have a nourishing meal. There are some people that spend so much just to eat junks. Yet there are others that spend little and still eat rightly. This is why you need to know what to eat and then eat it rightly. Do not eat simply because you have appetite, or because you can afford it, but eat because it is the right thing to eat. So that you will not put your body into harm because of what you eat.
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To be able to apply the principle of eating rightly, it has to start with awareness. Observe what you eat often and how they affect your health either positively or negatively. Then it will help you to either change or make adjustments. Then go for more knowledge. You may be eating the wrong thing in error without even knowing it. But when you get knowledgeable about food and nutrition, it will help you to make better decisions as regards what you eat. Also, you have to pay attention to the time you eat. Sometimes it may not even be what you eat that has all the effects, but when you eat it. So as much as you need to eat the right food in the right proportion, you also need to eat them at the right time.
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