eatwell to get well

Why Eat Well?
“Eat well to live well” was coined by two psychologist, and it simply means that people absorb the characteristics of the food they eat.That is,we are what we eat.Incidentally,human beings eat a lot of food.According to research findings, a typical human beings eats over a thousand pounds of food each year.This is understandable.Every second,millions of physiological and chemical processes go on in the human body to maintain good health for it.The processes include creation of heat,building muscles,growing hair,nails,fat tissues,bones etc.All these processes going on,including daily maintenance of the active organs of the body,need some sort of fuel to carry on.This fuel comes from the food and drink we consume.
Moreover, the buiding block of a human body depends largely on protein. Proteins are required in large quantities because without it the body cannot grow maximally. These proteins are used by the body in different ways. When you are growing, for example, you are indirectly adding new building blocks to your body and the body is also repairing itself i.e. taking out old block and replacing them with new ones.
As mentioned earlier, food is the primary source of fuel for the body. This fuel is measured in calories. Sadly, however, today’s society is characterized by excessive consumption of calories from all kinds of junks we call food. Calories are everywhere these days with the ever-increasing spate of fast food joints being opened in every nook and cranny of our society.The trend is that they have little or no time to cook real meals for their families,so they resort to these joints.
To further compound the problem is the fact that most of the new products coming into the markets are mainly candles, snacks, baked foods, soft drinks, ice creams and similar items. Immedaitely these products find their ways to the store or supermarkets, various advertisement flood the mass media portraying them to be wonderful and healthy.A lot of money is normally spent on advertising these products yearly not minding the harm done to consumers.
A critical analysis of a single peanut shows that it contains about 12 calories.A sizeable snack,most times,contain about 500 calories.Meanwhile,most children need less than 1500 calories per day.This explain why obesity has become a problem today all over the world,particularly among very busy,always-on-the-go families who frequent junk food joints.Unless an individual is very careful,one may unknowingly take in much more calories than is needed for the body’s and when there are excess calories they can lead to serious health problems.

What to Eat.
We must be conscious of what we eat because our bodies suffer and we will eventually pay the price if we feed it with the wrong kinds of food (fuel). We need to eat a diet rich in what we call “living foods”that consist mainly of raw foods such as vegetables and fruits (whether juiced or not). These raw foods produce living fuel, which in turn reproduces living cells for a healthy body.
For effectiveness, the ratio for preparing our daily meals should be 85:15.This presupposes 85% of living foods and 15% of cooked foods. The Bible says in Genesis 2:9.”And out of the ground made the lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,and good for food,the tree of life also in the midst of the garden,and the tree of knowledge of good and evil”.



God grew all manner of nutritious fruits and vegetables for man for food.These raw
foods contain nutrients to nourish the physical body of man and there is an impetus in man that naturally draws man to such foods.

However, for cooked foods, one can enjoy a variety of foods such as cereals, brown bread and other grain products apart from vegetables and fruits. It is advisable to cook food fresh from the garden or farms..Food fresh from the farm is more nutritionally balanced. Processed food lacks the much needed fibres and roughage’s that help to protect us from certain deadly diseases. Processing food to the point of canning does three negative things to the finished product:(1)It adds calories(11)Subtracts from the nutritional value and(111)Introduce myriad’s of chemicals additives.
You may also choose to cut down on your refined sugar intake and other sweeteners. Sugar adds to our weight gain and its attendant diseases. Salt is a little member in every meals little as the quantity used each time appears,it is often too much in comparison with the quantity the body requires.So,deliberately reduce even the small quantity you use in your meals.
High calories starchy food like “foofoo”, pounded yam and semovita, should be taken only when we have opportunity to burn them off through physical labour or exercise diet rich in protein is good, but avoid red meat and dairy products as you are aging. Remember that too much of anything is bad.
As already pointed out, snacks are junk foods. They are foodless foods. They should be avoided as much as possible.
A team of expert nutritionists has summarized the foregoing tips thus:

• CHOOSE A VARIETY OF FOODS FROM ALL FOOD GROUPS EVERY DAY.

• FRESH VEGETABLES ARE BETTER THAN COOKED OR CANNED VEGETABLES.

• NOT MORE THAN AN EGG A DAY.

• MAKE CHOCOLATES A LUXURY AND NOT A ROUTINE.

• 50 to 60% OF YOUR DIET SHOULD BE CARBOHYDRATES.

• 15 to 20% OF YOUR DIET SHOULD BE PROTEINS.

• FATS SHOULD BE ABOUT 20 to 25%.

• STAY AWAY FROM FRIED FOOD.

• INSTEAD OF FRYING THINGS TRY BAKING THEM WITHOUT FAT.

• GO EASY ON TEA AND COFFEE.

• QUIT SNACKING BETWEEN MEALS.

• SNACK ON VEGETABLES IF YOU MUST.

• STAY AWAY FROM SWEETENED DRINKS, ESPECIALLY SODAS.



• INCLUDE IN YOUR DIET THINGS THAT CONTAIN MORE WATER LIKE TOMATOES AND WATERMELONS.


• EAT FRESH FRUIT INSTEAD OF DRINKING FRUIT JUICE.

• FRESH FRUIT JUICE.

• CHOOSE WHITE MEAT RATHER THEN RED.

• HIGH FIBER, MULTIGRAIN BREADS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN WHITE BREADS.

• EAT FOODS IN SEASON.

For more information on diets and healthy living, you may also consult your dietician.

How to Eat.
Now that we have an idea of what to eat, how should you do your eating? Here are some tips:

 Be sure to see what you eat. Put your food on a plate instead of eating out of the jar or bag.

 Sit when you eat.

 Take your time with your food, consider your mood, keep phone calls, conversations,
Movies etc Out so you can concentrate on your meal

.

 Don’t be carried away with the advertisements on food and their labels. Make sure your
Food serves as medicine to your body


 Enjoy the process of eating.chew your food enough, don’t swallow foods not properly chewed so that the digestion processes could go on smoothly and food would not be blocking the colon, causing indigestion and bacterial overgrowth.

 Always plan your meal combinations. Follow your guide, know your inner self and

your Digestive tract. Understand the working of your body and you’re feelings-what
Foods give you Energy, what foods make you feel weak. These are questions
known only to you. Test these out and know how your body reacts to the foods you
eat. If need be, get professional

 Fix times to have meals and stick to it.

 Don’t eat anyhow.

 Don’t eat a large quantity of a heavy meal and go to bed immediately.

 Take plenty water(1.5 litres) thirty minutes before and after each meal.The amount of water

You take matters a lot because your digestive tract must be properly hydrated. Besides, the human body needs a lot of water to function aright. Water removes obstructions in the system
And lubricate the entire body thereby making a person very healthy round the year. Don’t
Replace water with beverages or soft drinks before, during or after meals.

Effects of Bad Eating Habits.
The neglect of our health due to abnormal feeding habits or ignorance could bring about consequences. These consequences include malnutrition, chronic depression, difficulty with relationships, ailing body and lack of drive to achieve the desired goals in life and attain the spiritual heights God wants for us.

Poor nutrition has negative effect especially on children as they develop physical and psychologically. Critical growth periods need proper nutrition’s; so if a child is not well fed with the right kind of food items, there will likely be stunted growth, chronic medical problems, inadequate bones and muscle growth and lack of neurological development (brain development). The effect of this is that the brain will be negatively affected in its functioning and information processes. Such children will find it difficult to understand social relationships and academic tasks which, under normal circumstances, they are supposed to appreciate. They will, from time to time, need assistance or interventions from others to do such tasks.

Neglect of our bodies may also result in long –term health problems and complications. So, it is safer to be wise and invest now in our meals, particularly for our children. Most of the fruits and vegetables mentioned earlier come in season and it is expected that a wise believer will allow reason to influence his or her choice so that heathaches, pains, hospital bills and unnecessary use of the care health services and unwarranted death would be avoided.



If only we will take heed unto ourselves! You may think that eating well is costly; no, not at all.
Hospital bills could be costlier and they come with associated pains on the patient. Rather than wait to become a patient,”take an apple a day to keep the doctor away”. Eating well can help you to fulfill your days on earth, keep a healthy family and fulfil your ministry of evangelizing the lost world. In a nutshell, by adopting a better diet and a wiser lifestyle, you can by your own choice live longer and enjoy a healthier and more productive life.







Finally, bear in mind that, ultimately, God is the giver of life and sound health. Trust Him for yours. Are you often ill, perhaps you are a victim of a major tragedy? Don’t be withdrawn, or give up on life. Cheer up; believe Him who said He will bless your food and water. God still does miracles. You can be one of those to show forth His marvelous power in our world today. Have faith in God.If you have not known him, acquaint yourself with Him now and taste of His miracle of mercy.