Title: |
Eating ... what an interesting subject. | ||
Author: |
Warren Shoeppe | Section: |
General Wellness |
Submitted: |
November 2006 | Expertise base on: |
Experience |
Eating. What an interesting subject. Did you know that the two most popular books sold in bookstores are diet and exercise books, and cookbooks. One book helps you to take it off and the other book helps you to put it on. No wonder everyone is confused with so many people giving their opinion of what worked for them and what might work for you. The problem is that unless the author explains their body zone and what their days are like i.e. single, kids, work, you have no idea if their plan will work for you. So, is there a simple plan that gives you the ability to understand what works the best for you?
As I have stated in previous articles, the first thing that you have to do when you start on a path towards a healthier lifestyle is to first accept who you are and to make a plan that will work for you. The second is acquiring the knowledge of how your body works and what will work just for you.
Historically, we humans have gone through a feast or famine existence for millions of years. The ability to store human fat is a very good thing because, without this ability, we would not have survived as a species when there was no food around.
Feast or famine only disappeared in the industrially nations after World War II but it is still predominant in much of the world and unfortunately even in our own county we still have individuals who go with out food. Ask you grandparents and they will tell you that they could not get some types of food throughout the year and fast food was unheard of.
Approximately 15 thousand years ago we started to farm. Through time and experience we discovered the easiest crops to grow that gave us the most food for the amount of time and difficulty involved in the growing process. Predominant foods were grains, potatoes and corn. These foods supplied a vast amount of fuel in a storable portable package. I always relate a potato to a high packet of fuel that you could live on for a couple of days.
Now we have access to basically an unlimited supply of food and the genetic make-up to consume and store what we can for the next famine, which does not look like it will be anytime soon. Your genetic make-up is your predisposition to store fat. So do not beat your self up if you struggle with your weight. Remember, everyone stores fat and it is a good thing that you have that ability, but it is not a good thing to store too much fat. So how do we store fat?
The food we eat is to build and maintain our body. In order to do that the food must supply us with fuel to give us energy for our mobility, computer (brain) and our manufacturing plant which produces tens of millions of cells every hour of every day that we are alive. We also need building supplies to build those tens of millions of cells every hour of every day. Wow! Just saying that sounds tiring. Building supplies are proteins that supply us with the amino acids that we do not produce and fat, but preferably good fat (different article).
Your manufacturing plant has two shifts, one when you are awake and one when you are asleep. When you are asleep you are the most efficient at rebuilding cells. This rate is estimated to be approximately 100 million cells an hour while asleep. When you are awake the company needs to bring in the necessary supplies for your mobility, computer and manufacturing plant. Your digestive system is the receiving, distribution and shipping center for you company. It needs to fill you fuel tanks, which are your liver and your muscles. They do this from the sugar that they get from the carbohydrates that you consume. Once your tanks are full your body will put any excess fuel into storage for those times of famine (bellies, hips, thighs, arms). Once the fuel tanks are full you do not need any more carbohydrates and it is better to switch to the building supplies.
It is very interesting that the best way to help your body function is exactly the same way that we like to organize our work days. When you go to work do you like having nothing to do and then after 4 or 5 hours of doing nothing get slammed with work for a couple of hours? Then do nothing for while and then get slammed again with another 4 hours of work? Or is it better that when you get to work you have a simple task to start with and then another and another and just before lunch, when your mind is into your work, you might get a little more difficult task, then a break and then back to work with simple tasks throughout the rest of the day. Sounds like a perfect work day keep busy so the time passes, is rewarding and very little stress.
Your body is the same eating breakfast starts the company working and then every couple of hours eat small meals. At lunch time you eat what should be your largest meal of the day. These first three meals you really have a wide selection of choices on what you can eat. After lunch no starch carbohydrates for once the fuel tanks are fuel you do not need any more fuel remember that it is all about control of your carbohydrate intake so where you can limit them. In the after noon switch to the build supplies and soluble fiber, which can be found in leafy, raw or lightly steamed vegetables.
It takes time to develop any skill do not make the task to hard try to eat strict Monday to Friday and reward your self on the weekend.
Remember that it is about exercising to burn calories and about limiting the fuel (carbohydrates) that you consume to bring your self in to balance.
