Food is not the devil

Posted by admin on Feb 3, 2009 in Issues & Ideas | 0 comments

We live in a society saturated by food. If you don’t believe me, program your GPS to find local restaurants and cruise the streets of downtown Vancouver. You’ll quickly lose yourself in a smorgasbord of forks and knives.

As creatures of habit armed with a voracious appetite and consumerist mentality, the slightest sensation of salivation can cause us to crumble beneath our craving. A landscape clogged with food options offers little relief.

Although food itself shouldn’t be detrimental to our body, our lust for convenience macerates our health. Quick fixes like fad diets may be appealing, but their success is dependent on compromise and sacrifice – they often abandon a holistic approach to health.

Diets only heed food for the sake of the body’s appearance rather than valuing the condition of the body for the sake of health. Sacrificing your favourite treats wouldn’t be necessary if you limit your intake to once every couple days (unless they’re completely devoid of nutritional value—a.k.a. junk food), cultivate a comprehensive understanding of nutrition and lead an active lifestyle.

Fat and calories are not evil – laziness and apathetic attitudes are.

This is not to say that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want. Junk food should remain covered by dust on store shelves.

Every scrumptious morsel eaten should be in moderation and with careful consideration. As long as you’re burning the calories you ingest, you shouldn’t need to calorie count.

The trick is to learn to listen to your body. It came equipped to tell you whether what you’re eating will benefit you or not.

For example, if you feel groggy after lunch, reduce your protein intake while increasing intake of anti-oxidants and natural sugars. If you feel queasy or bloated, try reducing your fat intake. Make sure the sources of fat intake are predominantly unsaturated (mono, poly, or omega-3 fatty acids) fats.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services recommend that fat intake should comprise approximately 35 per cent of your daily caloric intake. The more active you are, the more your body requires calories to generate energy. Ensure the foods you eat are beneficial to your body, but don’t ban good nutrients such as fat simply because it bears an ominous name.

Social cues may serve as further evidence food intake might be exceeding energy expenditure. If people call you “Michelin Man” or mistakenly ask how far along you are, your lifestyle is likely too sedentary.

Instead of taking a one-sided approach and reducing your caloric intake, try increasing physical activity while becoming more educated about what you eat. A healthy body is more important than a body that appears healthy but is actually starving and engaging in catabolism of muscle.

So who am I to make these remarks? Am I a dietician? No. A personal trainer? Nope. How about a family health practitioner? Still no. I’m just your average guy who has lived 25 years, was a vegetarian for dietary reasons for five years and a flexitarian for a further three, has made naturalistic observations, has done extensive research and has considerable life experience.

The mathematics required to maintain a healthy lifestyle are relatively simple and logical. Food intake should not exceed energy expenditure. Eat healthy foods when you’re hungry and exercise consistently.
Food is not the devil – love what you eat and sweat your way to health.