Health Priorities for Success: Nutrition

Why is food and its nutritional value so central to our success. The overarching explanation is that food is the fuel source for our bodies. At the very basic level we need food to survive. From there the quantity and quality of our food (fuel source) determines the energy output we are able to generate to go about our daily lives. Most of us are not informed when it comes to our choices and habits around food. We often hear words such as: calories, recommended daily allowance (RDA), carbohydrates, protein etc. What do they mean? We may know what a protein is, but do we know why we need proteins and how they metabolise in the body? What is the difference between a simple carbohydrate and a complex carbohydrate? It can all become so confusing.

We live very busy lives. It has become a lot more convenient to buy ready-made meals. It certainly saves time to do this – shopping time, prep time, wastage etc. Do we even read the labels to see what is in the convenience food we’ve bought? If we have to decide between the convenience of the purchase and taking the time to learn how good the quality of the food is, it’s easier to ignore this nutritional investigation and eat the food. Why work all day where our brains are taxed only to have to go home and do more thinking about dinner? However, it makes a massive difference to our well-being.

We are biological creatures. Fundamentally, we were designed to live in nature. The best food for our bodies is natural food – not processed food or food with artificial additives to give flavour, texture or colour. Often, however, the natural food requires a lot of preparation, be it cooking, peeling, chopping or removal of inedible parts.

The natural food is packed with the natural vitamins and minerals which our bodies need to function. When we get comprehensive nutrition from natural food that was designed by nature to feed and fuel us, our biological cells, blood vessels, muscles and organs are fed in the proportions that are needed. Our hormones become more balanced, our metabolism becomes more stable and inflammation in our bodies decrease significantly as a result. Very low to zero inflammation combats lifestyle diseases such as heart issues, arthritis, cholesterol imbalances, autoimmune diseases and cancers.

What should you do to improve your eating habits to help with your performance and sense of well-being?

1. Do some research on what kinds of food are healthy and what are not (speak to a

professional if necessary, such as a doctor, dietician or nutritionist)

2. Plan menus that are nutrient-rich and have sufficient variety to keep your meals

interesting and simple to prepare

3. Be mindful of your portion sizes and the frequency at which you are eating

4. Be mindful of your food urges and whether you are eating for hunger or cravings

5. Deciding your food choices and portion sizes before going out to eat, helps to reduce temptation to make poor choices.

This is clearly a much bigger topic than can be covered in a blog, but the message I’d like to put out is to start thinking about what you eat. It does not help us to consume all that is edible without thought. Poor food choices affect our health and our bodies’ abilities to think, to balance our moods, maintain strong immune systems to fight diseases, maintain healthy weight and muscle mass and determine the speed at which we age. If you care for your well-being and health you should care about what you are feeding your body.

If you are unsure about taking action in improving your eating habits and if you currently have health issues, I urge you to consult a professional in this regard, so that you do not do yourself any harm. Speaking to someone who is qualified will also start you off with the correct habits that work for your lifestyle, age and body.

Food is a basic biological need to survive but impacts our emotions, moods, clarity of thought, memory and physical output. Food, therefore, has a direct bearing on the level of our performance. Eat quality for your success.