What does "eating healthy
portions" really mean?
The subject of eating healthy portions
seems to revolve around weight loss - which is understandable
since being overweight is a common health situation these
days...
Having
healthy portions doesn't just mean eating small portions
of vegetables! |
The amount of food, or portion, that someone
chooses to eat is certainly a factor affecting weight -
but there's more to the subject of eating healthy
amounts than merely the effect on body weight.
Let's take a closer look at what "healthy"
means and how it relates to eating healthy portions.
Healthy doesn't necessarily mean "low
calorie." (And "low calorie" doesn't automatically
mean "healthy" either!)
When it comes to food, "healthy"
means that the food has nutritional value.
"Nutritional value"
means that the food has nutrients. Nutrients are
substances that the body needs to create energy and to grow
and repair itself; namely carbohydrate,
fats, protein,
vitamins,
minerals
and water.
So then, eating healthy portions
would first mean eating nutritious
food.
Some foods are very nutritious - called
"superfoods" nowadays - and other foods are not
nutritious at all - called "junk food" and "empty
calories" because they have loads of calories but virtually
no nutrition.
Understanding nutrition and
how it affects your body is probably the most important
thing you can do to improve your ability to take charge
of your health and weight.
Why? Because if you aren't giving
your body the nutrition it needs to function, all the "portion
control" in the world isn't going to help you achieve
your health and weight goals.
Have you ever tried eating healthier portions
- thinking that meant to cut down on the amount
of food that you ate - without understanding food and nutrition?
Did you have problems with hunger? Lack of energy? Maybe
got a little crabby?
If so, it's more than likely that your body wasn't getting
sufficient nutrition. That can also happen with overeating
as well. You can eat a ton of food but not get sufficient
nutrients.
Fast food and commercially prepared and
processed food lack adequate nutrition and leave the body
craving what it needs.
It should be noted here too that mass
grown and raised sources of food are generally nutritionally
deficient as well. That is one of the main reasons for the
rise of organically grown/raised food - the nutritional
content is far superior.
Check out this refreshingly simple
and informative site, Start Going Organic if
you want to learn about organic
food and how to incorporate it into your lifestyle.
What do you think happens when the body
craves nutrition that it isn't getting? Do you think it
might send hunger signals? Do you think people might eat
more food to try and handle the hunger?
Here is what I've actually experienced
by improving my diet to be full of nutritious foods: I eat
less because I want less.
Eating healthy portions has become something
rather natural and "automatic" now because I provide
adequate nutrition to my body.
It took some time to get myself educated
about good nutrition and then incorporate it into my life
- but it's been totally worth it in terms of the improvement
in my health and energy level.
There is a whole section about food,
nutrition and health on this site for your inspection.
By understanding nutrition better, you'll
be able to make the best choices for yourself when it comes
to eating healthy portions.
Cheers!
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