FoodIntake

Food Intake

An Introduction to Healthy Food Intake...

Let’s be honest here. We must be attentive to our food intake patterns! Most people, especially those in well-to-do societies, are fat and getting fatter. There’s no excuse for it anymore. Just because you live in a land of plenty, doesn’t mean that you should eat plenty of junk food. To do so will not only end your life prematurely, but it will also make the years that you do live full of unnecessary agony.

Does a Whopper really taste that good? Are greasy French fries really delicious? Of course they are not. Somewhere inside you, you know that the way you eat is killing you. The fact is that people abuse their bodies in the form of self-destructive food intake patterns for so long that it becomes ingrained in their very consciousness. Like a bad drug, unhealthy foods become their addiction.

It would be an understatement to say that eating fresh vegetables and other water rich foods is just as satisfying as dining at your typical fast food restaurant; it’s far more satisfying! Here is a simple exercise in food awareness that you can engage in at any time. Go ahead and give it a try right now. It’ll only take a minute.

Go to your refrigerator and grab a piece of a pork chop, bacon or leftover pizza. Put a bite-size piece of it into your mouth. Now chew it - slowly. Push it around inside of your mouth with your tongue. Don’t just mindlessly consume it like a rabid beast. Allow your saliva to mix through it and really break it down.

As you continue to let the total surface area of the inside of your mouth be covered with its essence, make yourself aware of all of the characteristics that it displays. Ask yourself: is it succulent? Is it delicious? Does it feel good in my mouth? Is this something that my body can use to sustain and elongate my life force? Does it give me energy? Or does it just taste like dead meat and fatty acids?

Now, grab an orange. Peel it. Notice how the small juicy bubbles burst from the peel as you remove it. See how it is literally exploding with health. Take a section off. Place that in your mouth. Now chew it – slowly. Push it around inside of your mouth with your tongue as you chew it.

Make yourself aware of the life-giving characteristics that it displays. Ask yourself: is it succulent? Is it delicious? Does it feel good in my mouth? Is this something that my body can use to sustain and elongate my life force? Does it give me energy? Does it taste like something that nature has intended for me to ingest?

Are you getting the point? Food intake matters! Every bit of knowledge that you need in order to learn how to eat in a healthful fashion is already inside of your brain. If you learn to pay attention, your brain will let you know exactly what your body craves. Just because you have set improper eating habits in your life doesn’t mean that you have to follow them until you drop dead. Don’t kid yourself: that’s exactly what will happen.

Remember that our bodies serve us constantly from the second we begin life. Our hearts beat for us. Our lungs breathe for us. Our circulatory systems function nonstop for us. Our internal systems that keep us alive never rest. They work nonstop to support and accommodate what we wish from them to the best of their abilities. Their abilities are determined primarily by our food intake. It was Hippocrates - the father of modern medicine, who said: “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.”

You have to take control! To simply allow the thoughts of living a healthy lifestyle to reside in the back of your mind somewhere will do you no good at all. Take control now! Dictate what you put into your mouth. Control your food intake! The next time you’re tempted to stop by McDonald’s and buy a Big Mac, don’t do it. Eat an apple. Not good enough? OK, have a sandwich. But instead of that Big Mac, try some turkey breast on whole grain bread. Throw a little lettuce on there too. Wash it down with some fresh spring water.

If you’re thinking how boring that turkey sandwich sounds, you’re probably well on your way to debilitating obesity already.

Remember that obesity is directly tied to all of the leading preventable causes of death. Are you suicidal? The fact is that most people are slowly killing themselves by the choices they make concerning their food intake. Break the mold! Be a leader for yourself and for your family. Set positive examples and do so proudly. You can retrain your thought patterns to enjoy eating in a healthful manner just as you have trained them to enjoy eating fat-laden poisons.

There’s no real mystery on how to be healthy. Keep it simple. Begin with a diet based on water-rich food intake and an exercise regimen. Your body is waiting to serve you better, but you have to give it the right fuels. Start today and begin enjoying your new healthy lifestyle. It is of the upmost importance to your future happiness and well being.

T H R I V E !!

Fat-Filled Snacks are What’s Keeping You Obese!

No matter how much attention you give to your food intake patterns during mealtimes, your snacking habits can ruin your healthy plan. Unhealthy snacks keep you fat! It doesn’t matter if your diet consists mainly of water-rich foods at mealtime if you’re cramming down handfuls of potato chips and spoons of ice cream in between meals. What sense does that make? There is still hope for you though. You can learn how to snack healthily. Consider the following:

Eat a piece of fruit. Fruit is fantastic, but you need to vary your choices. Red fruits such as apples, grapes, pomegranates and berries provide us with protective phytonutrients. Yellow/orange fruits such as mangoes, papayas, pineapples, gooseberries and citrus fruits stave off diseases. There are white fruits including pears, dates and bananas that are high in potassium. There are also green and purple/blue fruits to enjoy consuming. All fruits are good for you. Eat a rainbow of them!

If you need a snack that feels like something you shouldn’t be eating, try having a baked apple or pear. Just wash it, core it and pour a little water and maple syrup over the top of it- no butter. Sprinkle on a little bit of cinnamon and then bake it until its tender. Yummy!

Try keeping a Ziploc bag with some dried fruits in it nearby. Keep it in your car, gymbag or golfcart. When you need a snack, pull out some sugar-free dried apricots, apples, pineapples, cherries, blueberries or anything else you like. Mix in a few unsalted roasted almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, cashews, peanuts, Brazil nuts or sunflower seeds. Get the gist?

Buy yourself a box of frozen juice bars made from 100% fruit juice. You can even make your own more economically. If you have a powerful sweet tooth, try dipping them in some fat-free whipped cream or yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon. You can even try dipping them in some melted dark chocolate. Decadent!

Healthy Food Intake Doesn't Have to be Difficult to Understand!

Hummus is delicious. Dips some vegetables in it. Or make a dip out of pinto or black beans. Low-cal, nutrient-rich and high in protein, they are a far superior snack than is a fat-laden bowl of ice cream.

Another great low-calorie snack is a handful of whole-grain dry cereal. 1 cup only has about 100 calories and it also contains three solid grams of filling dietary fiber. Delicious and nutritious! Umm-Umm!

The bottom line is that if you want to lose weight, you have to stop destroying your healthy intentions with snacks composed of high saturated fat levels. That should really come as no surprise. Success in dieting lies in knowing that all diets fail. You have to change your mentality about your food intake. You have to intentionally deny your weakness to break down and eat fat-filled foods. Just be real with yourself. If you want those six-pack abs or nice, tight thighs, then you need to realize that potato chips and ice cream are your mortal enemies.

Embrace the concept of healthy snacking. Retrain your mind to stop craving saturated fat. There is no other way. There is no middle ground. Take control of your snacking!

D I S C I P L I N E !!

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