08742 Living-Volume 5, Issue 62

Why is it Important to Feed Ourselves Well? by Lynn O’Hara

Why is it important to feed ourselves well? After all, junk tastes so good. It’s also debatably cheaper, easier to find and purchase, and quicker to feed ourselves with. Many, many people eat very poorly. They also may suffer from a variety of ailments and be overweight. Is every person who eats poorly ill and overweight? Not at all but if a person eats poorly for a long time they will undoubtedly become not well. Some of the problem with people feeling the need to eat better is instant gratification. It is hard to avoid the yummy junk food in the moment if the motivation to not eat it is something we are working toward. Great tasting now versus feeling better in a few months? Hmmm. Difficult choice. But here’s the thing. Humans are remarkably able to tolerate discomfort for a very long time. When we eat poorly we may not feel sick immediately (although sometimes we do). What is more likely to happen is that our health starts to decline ever so slowly. A couple pounds added here and there doesn’t often register until we go up a size or two in clothing. The same happens with our health. Maybe we start to have a slightly elevated blood pressure or blood sugar. Maybe sleep becomes disturbed. Maybe we start to have aches and pains or shortness of breath when we walk from a parking lot into a store. Before we know it we are diagnosed with high blood pressure and type II diabetes. The doctor gives a pill or two and off we go with still no motivation to eat well because now we have a pill or two to control things. But here’s a question; how bad does it have to get before you realize you need to make some changes?

Lynn O’Hara, MS, RD, LPC Licensed Psychotherapist Registered Dietitian (732) 899-9312 www.lynnoharalpc.com This isn’t a scare tactic. It’s an honest question and a desire to have people check in with how they are feeling. How do you feel? Are you happy with your health and weight? Are you happy with how you move in this world? If the answer is anything other than yes you’ll want to take stock of what you can do to help yourself feel better. Eating well and not too much or too little of wholesome foods prepared with reverence for your body is the best thing you can do for yourself to affect your health. We seem to have forgotten how important it is to eat well. The food industry doesn’t really care if you eat healthy as long as they keep making money. Did you know that scientists worked on Dorito’s flavoring until they found a flavor that your taste buds wouldn’t get tired of? The more you buy the more money they make. There is no vested interest in you eating well by anyone. It has to be done by you and for you. Each one of us needs to have a vested interest in eating well so that we can feel our best. And if we do that, if we eat well with lots of fresh, organic or farm raised fruits, veggies, meats if desired, etcetera and we avoid the junk, processed food we will feel better-guaranteed. Until next time, eat healthy, be happy!