The Importance Of Healthy Eating & Exercise
The old adage goes, you are what you eat. As physicians, we talk about the importance of healthy eating and exercise with our patients but often overlook our own advice. Through the years, I’ve reflected a lot on the meaning of that saying, and one specific memory comes to mind.
Years ago, we were celebrating a birthday and my kids naturally wanted to share the glory of their birthday cake with their beloved puppy Boomer. As I watched my baby bathe herself in chocolate cake and frosting, she reached to share it with Boomer. I said to her, “don’t feed that to the dog, it’s bad for him”. Those words echoed in my head, and I immediately began to question what sense it made… The cake is bad for the dog, but it was ok for my family to eat?
Bad eating is deep-rooted in our culture and the only way out is a paradigm shift on a cultural level coupled with a dedicated life change on a personal level. Sugar and binge eating is so ingrained in our ways of celebration and requires difficult redefining. We, together, as a society, must critically look at ways to incorporate food that represents celebration, healthy eating, and life.
Through my fellowship in integrative medicine, I learned in greater detail the importance of good nutrition related to overall health. The faculty truly practiced what they preached and fed us delicious samples of tofu steaks and tempeh sliders during lectures. Of course, these foods aren’t to everyone’s taste or budget but there are small changes we can make to start such as adding a fruit or vegetable to your daily intake or drinking green tea (a potent antioxidant) in place of sweet tea.
Through better eating comes improvement in how we feel each day ultimately increasing our health for years to come. In some instances, by decreasing the animal products in our diet and adding whole grains, nuts, and berries, we can even reverse the changes we see in coronary artery disease. By boosting your antioxidant intake, you can slow the wear and tear on your body systems and repair tissue.
It’s of course easy to say just eat better, but without the proper education and support it’s hard to do, especially alone. The first step is making the choice that your body deserves better! The key is changing lifelong ingrained habits and giving yourself grace. Change takes time and spending time at a meal with your family or sitting alone with a quiet purpose is an important start. Take time to taste every bite and appreciate the colors and unique textures on your plate. Experiment with dishes. Play with the foods of the world!
Eating right should be a fun culinary adventure not a torturous path of deprivation. Come see your Ms.Medicine provider and learn more about our approach to healthy living so that the next time you think you are what you eat, you can feel great about it!
