Do You Eat to Live, or Live to Eat?

Do you eat to live, or do you live to eat? As I ask people that question, most will jokingly answer "I live to eat!" But that is in reality what most of us do. We love to eat, we eat more than we usually should, and most of our activities are centered around food.

Most of us really eat to please our taste buds. However, stop and think about it. Most people barely chew their food, so food is only in the mouth from 5 to 15 seconds, yet it is in the body for 24 hours or more. Does it make sense that we most often only eat to please the taste buds and not fulfill the needs of the body?

Food is for nourishment, building and strenthening of the body. If it can't do that, then we shouldn't be putting it into our mouths. Just eating to please the taste buds really makes no sense when you think about it! So think about your health and how important it is to you. Maybe you won't realize it until you loose it like I did, then you begin to think twice about what and why you eat!

Healthy Digestion of Foods!

Many of us don't think about how our digestion is. If we have acid indigestion, we pop the Rolaids in our mouths and go on our way. But if we aren't properly digesting our foods, we may not be assimilating the nutrients. And if we aren't assimilating the nutrients, we may be lacking nutrition.

We sometimes just get into the habit of just eating what sounds good at the moment. How many times do you consider what your body may be needing? Foods don't give us energy. It's the proper digestion of foods that give us the energy. Here are some ideas to consider:

1) Thoroughly chew your food. A cooked carrot may be more nourishing than a raw one if you don't chew it good enough. The stomach does not have teeth, so thoroughly chew your foods and allow your saliva to begin the break down process.

2) Eat foods with raw enzymes to aid digestion: raw vegetables and fruits, raw nuts and seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), and sprouts are full of valuable digestible enzymes. Celery is especially good to aid digestion - but chew it well.

3) Eat foods that digest well together. Fruits don't digest well with heavy proteins and starches so eat them first thing in the morning and mid-afternoon rather than with a big meal. Heavy proteins and starches don't digest well together either. Beans don't digest well with fruits or tomatoes, so avoid combining them and you will most likely not experience a gassy stomach.

4) Eat simply. The less food combinations eaten together the better. Simply eating raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes, and/or raw nuts and sprouts provide more fiber, vitamins and minerals which will encourage better digestion.

With good digestion, you will feel better, have more energy and have better weight management.