You Are What You Eat
Let’s talk about “you are what you eat”. It is the notion that if you want to be a glowing example of health you need to eat good food, and if you eat bad food, well that will attest to your welfare too. I will say that there is no such thing as good or bad food, as all food can be broken down into macro and micro nutrients and should be viewed as fuel for your body, but there are certain foods that provide more nutrient density, wholesome ingredients, and better energy than others.
Somewhere in 1826 France, an author by the name of Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” This was in French of course, but it didn’t become popular in the English language until the American nutritionist, Victor Lindlahr, brought it to the attention of the general public for his Catabolic Diet. Later Adelle Davis, spokesperson for the organic food movement, adopted the phrase as a slogan of healthy eating. Now you may hear it from….. well anybody! Today that anybody is me, so now that I have brought it to your attention let’s get down to the nitty gritty of what makes YOU a representation of the food you eat.
Bodies are made differently and depending on your lifestyle and what you put into them they can function and perform differently too. If you compare the performance of a car to the grade of gasoline you put in it, you would expect the higher the grade, the higher the performance, right? The same is true for our bodies, the higher the “grade” of food, the better performance or function. We all have trillions of cells in our bodies that require many different nutrients to function properly, and if those cells don’t get the right amount of nutrients they won’t perform well. Think of high-performance fuel as clean food. And how do we get that high-performance fuel? Well, we eat food that is not full of contaminants or extra stuff that the body can’t use efficiently, and in a sense is clean. Clean eating revolves around more consumption of whole fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats that are closest to nature, and less consumption of highly processed foods, sweets, and other packaged foods. Don’t forget that your body needs water to function properly as well. Dare I say, “you are what you drink!” So, when you factor your performance after eating clean food and drinking plenty of water vs. eating processed food and sugary beverages, you might find that you think and feel better. Athletes practice this when competing and fueling for performance, and everyone else can too. With all that being said it doesn’t mean that some days you don’t end up with low grade fuel in the “car”, and that is not something you should beat yourself up over, but it is something to think about for next time. Besides functioning better, clean healthy foods will make your skin look better too. Many healthy foods contain omega-3 and omega- 6 fatty acids, vitamin E, and antioxidants that are beneficial to skin health. Again, don’t forget to drink water, hydration is so important to the health of your skin and the rest of your body.
So just like a car on dirty motor oil and low fluids, a body on junk food and little water acts accordingly. It’s your body talking to you, and yes, the people around you. When you want to feel, look, and think better, pay close attention to what it is that you are putting into your body, and be mindful of the times when you don’t. And like the saying goes, “you ARE what you eat!”
Healthy Eats to YOU!
Colleen Orbegoso
You can follow me @colleencompletehealth on IG