Eat Well: Every Bite Counts

Eat Carefully

It’s important to view every meal you eat, even every bite you take, as a choice. To put it simply, each dietary choice you make moves you toward wellness or away from it. Everything you eat has an impact on you, whether positive or negative. It’s easy to forget this fact: you have a choice! We must choose wisely because we can’t take it back; our choices are permanent. Our culture promotes foods that are full of sugar, salt, and fat. It’s much easier to sell these addictive foods, keeping people coming back for more. Make sure that you’re not on autopilot; don’t let your diet habits control you instead of the other way around.

Eat Consciously

Experts have estimated that the average adult makes 35,000 choices every day. Of these, 226.7 are food choices according to this Cornell study. If that sounds like too many, consider that many of these choices are unconscious; they are defined by our habits. To save burning mental energy, we tend to avoid making conscious choices. Recall your last visit to the supermarket. As you walked down the aisles, did you consider buying every one of the thousands of food products? Of course not, there’s too many! We cut down on this sensory overload by sticking to what we know. For better or worse, we let our habits guide us to familiar comfortable foods. However, you shouldn’t be compulsive. Evaluate each item carefully.

Eat Purposefully

Ask yourself this simple question: “Will this food help me or hurt me?” If you choose sugary soda over water, that’s your loss. If you choose mixed vegetables over fried food, that’s your gain. Keep the end result in mind to achieve better health. You must view your food as your fuel. It’s dangerous to eat focused on flavor alone. A poor diet can drag you down just as quickly as a good diet will lift you up. Diet is one of the primary keys to achieving good health. Without a balanced diet, you lose the energy that you need to live well. Making better dietary choices empowers you to reach your goals in life, whatever they may be.