Last Updated on July 23, 2017
We have no idea how the food we eat affects us. Absolutely no idea at all.
Is your life going to be happy? Felt you could do more but your stamina sets you back? Or the lack of energy robs you of a zest in life?
All those years, I have read and heard advice from people, who changed their lifelong bad eating habits after a disease such as cancer, diabetes strike them or their loved ones. It took a life threathening situation for them to do something about it. It never occurred to me what a huge impact it could be until something dawned on me today..
As I mentioned in my previous posts, I had suffer from chronic fatigue all my life. I could not get things done coz I felt tired and drained most of the time. Even when I started seriously exercising, it will bring my energy back for a few hours, and later I will still feel tired. I become an avid gym goer- I have that inner motivation because exercising (which I cannot skip coz I pay lots of money for the membership fees) cured my tiredness, even temporarily. My metabolism was still a bit sluggish.
Then when I start to cut down refined/table sugar and starch from my diet, I started noticing these changes:
- My stamina increases- I have more energy during exercising
- I am losing weight
- My metabolism increased- previously I could to go Body Step class and workout but only sweat a few drops (while I see others literally being drenched). Now a while in the cardio machine made me sweat a lot.
- Even if I miss my visits to my gym, I do not feel that lethargic feeling.
Bear in mind those changes above was not obvious prior to my change in diet- just a change in diet and it gives me results that my one year of intensive gym going did not give.
Therefore, COMBINING EXERCISE & PROPER DIET ARE VERY IMPORTANT. Try your best not to do one without the other.
I want to share on the difference of how the diets taken by my mom and dad affected them:
My Mom
- Unlike many people, she does not eat food because they are delicious but because they are nutritious for her. She eats oats and Ensure almost everyday and instinctively look after her nutrition.
- She came from a very poor family and suffered constant hunger throughout her childhood- when hungry, she climbed up rambutan or jambu trees to eat the fruits.
- I always referred to some of her food choices as GBP (not Great British pounds) but Gross Body Parts. This is the kind of food that is nutritious such as liver, feet, stomach of some animals (till today I still refused to take those food).
- She has high metabolic rate- rise up at the crack of dawn and work all day.
- Sleep early, rise early.
My dad:
- I must have taken after him- both of us basically eat what we liked.
- My dad naturally does not like home cooked food. He had preferred more MSG flavoured food like mamak food, Cantonese and Hokkien fried. So he ate out a lot- and he tended to choose those type of food- no nutrient, deep fried, sugar and carbo.
- He had always felt tired so spent lots of free time sleeping and developed a beer belly (even though he hardly takes alcohol. Does not like to move around.
- Developed high blood pressure in his forties. Then a second stroke attack led to his early demise at the age of 55 🙁
Me:
- Do not like to ‘real’ food either. Preferred processed and fast food anytime.
- Since young, my sweet tooth dictated my food intake- Twisties, Cheerios, Cottage Fries, carbonated drinks, sweets & chocolates. Spent all my ang pau money within 2 months to buy those food.
- As I grow into a teenager, my sweet tooth cause me constant fatigue and led to my eventual addiction to caffeine, namely teh ais, nescafe– and later when I was working- expensive coffee such as latte, cappuccino (people spend their money on clothes or other stuff but I spend as much on coffee). The more coffee doses I put in, the more tired I feel later when the effects of coffee goes off.
- I can drink a Starbucks espresso and latte at night and still sleep.
- When I quit sugar and starch, my coffee addiction drastically reduced.
So especially if you have kids, make sure they do not eat processed or take out food most of the time. Things like cornflakes, cereals and white bread are actually not good for health. Give them ‘real’ nutritious food instead.
So today, I have a very important message:
Watch what you eat, REALLY,
If you are not eating well, you robbed yourself of a life of inner quality & happiness,
You may think “what’s the point of living if I cannot eat what I love”,
But as long as you put junk into your body, you will suffer a host of health problems,
Not to mention not being able to fit into clothes that you love
Or achieve your dreams, due to the limitation that you put on yourself, and NOT what life or circumstances put on you,
Remember, REAL PEOPLE EAT REAL FOOD.
