Years ago, there was a saying that went something like this, “We are what we eat.” For years I struggled with what that meant. It just didn’t make sense to me. So, if I eat an apple then I am an apple or if I eat a cheeseburger then I am a cheeseburger? Later in life, as I became more health conscious, it became clearer to me. What we eat has a huge impact on how we look and feel. Itsignificantly influences our life span, which is how long we live, and our health span, which is how healthy we are during the time we live. Health span includes physical health along with how vital and robust we are during the years we live. – a life well lived. Just recently I heard that the most powerful weapon we have is at the end of our fork. It can be a destructive weapon, or it can be one that can add quantity and quality to our lives.
Research is clear that eating certain foods can have a negative impact on our body and mind. Also, science reveals that there are certain foods that have a protective and even a regenerative component. In fact, certain chronic illnesses can be reversed simply by nutritional changes. Food as medicine is a common phrase in the health and wellness field. We can heal our body in many ways with the kind of foods we eat.
What foods should we avoid? What foods are healthy? Most of us have a good idea of what foods to avoid and the ones that are healthy, especially when we listen to our innate wisdom. Listen to your body after you eat certain foods. Also, it could be beneficial to contact a nutritionist. Dr Mark Hyman, best-selling author and a leader in Functional medicine was asked what kind of foods he recommended for people to eat to improve their life and health spans. He responded that he got paid lots of money to offer easy, simple, basic advice to people- start by reducingconsumption of sugar, starches, and processed food and increase the consumption of healthy fats, vegetables, and quality proteins(Forever Young, 2023).
So if we are what we eat does that mean we can become who we want to be by what we eat? I wonder. What do you think?
