People are fascinated with food. From diet books to cookbooks, everyone wants to know how to eat more, eat less or dine like royalty. Most food-oriented literature emphasizes health benefits and social celebrations, but misses the connection between happiness and food, where food can become a conduit for good mental health and the betterment of relationships.
My goal is not to replace all that has been written on food, but simply to help you understand how food affects your mood and your experiences throughout your day. A few basic principles on how and what to eat will guide you toward the quality of life you are seeking.
Your garden and your shopping cart can replace your psychologist and your internist and help to solve global starvation. It begins by knowing the difference between nutrient-dense foods and calorie-dense foods. You can either eat for nutrients that keep you alive at optimal levels of health or you can eat for sweetness and soothing satisfaction.
When good nutrition is easy and delicious, then you will no longer dwell on the dessert menu or in the snack aisle. Nutrients are the vital substances that create and sustain the health of your mind and body. The micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) should be densely concentrated in every meal. The opposite of nutrient- dense foods are the foods that are rich in calories and artificial flavors. These foods are commonly fast foods, fake foods and desserts. We bundle these items together as calorie-dense foods.
America has become a great proving ground for nutritional protocols. Childhood obesity, behavioral problems and diabetes are skyrocketing since the installation of soda machines and fast foods into the public schools. Our classrooms are filling with overweight children. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the proportion of children ages 6-11 who were overweight basically quadrupled from 4 percent in 1971-1974 to 15.8 percent in 1999- 2002. Adult-onset (Type II) diabetes was historically a problem of the over 40 age group that developed blood sugar problems due to a chronically poor diet .
Today children under 8 years of age are being diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes due to their fast food diets and a lack of exercise. Furthermore, the CDC reports that the proportion of adults who are obese has doubled from 15 percent in 1976- 1980 to 30 percent in 1999-2002. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of adults were either overweight or obese in 1999-2002. This trend of obesity continues to rise.
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1. Discover your five senses and achieve inner happiness
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