Diet

One appreciates heaven more once one has seen hell. One appreciates proper nutritional eating more once taught or has seen the bad side effects of improper bodily functioning through over eating processed or synthetic foods. -Andrew Szeto

When I was younger, I improperly defined the meaning of the word: Diet.  The reason is because I would hear this word used by individuals overweight trying to lose weight describing what they eat as eating less food or eating healthier (less fattening or junk food).  Thus I thought the word diet only meant consuming less food or only foods that has no fat or healthy.  It was until I got older that I heard the term diet used to incorporate consumption of fatty and unhealthy foods also.  Yes, eating less and healthier is a form of diet and could be defined as such but there are other forms of diets; thus the meaning of diet can have multiple types or forms.  What does the word diet mean?  In actuality a diet includes everything a person consumes: (including the quantity) the unhealthy, innutritious and fattening foods as well as the healthy, nutritious and fatty.  Before young people are introduced to one meaning of the word diet: the need to eat less unhealthy foods because they are overweight or having health issues they should learn the meaning of diet is everything and how much of it they consume is part of their diet.  A diet effects health and performance.  Parents should learn first, advocate and discipline the need for a more nutritious diet.  But then again most normal young people have a properly functioning body system and metabolism than as we get older.

My diet has always had an intent of being low fat and nutritional full.  In my younger years I have fell short of intent.  My diet as a teenager has always been based on the meals I get at school which I assumed followed the pyramid dietary structure and then it was whatever my parents cooked or bought me after school.  I remember being feed white rice, meats, seafood and Chinese type greens with most meals.  In my twenties I began being able to be free of the school meals and free of parent cooking.  That's when I admit that my diet was at it's poorest.  The reason is because my body structure was built already, I am already raised and healthy; in my twenties begins the plight of drinking, pizza, burgers, fried foods and the such, leaning away from fruits, vegetables and proper protein packed foods.  In my twenties healthy meant a salad and that's it.  The main aspect that kept me well was probably because I was an active person and exercised often.  It wasn't until 26 that I learned the need for the full array of foods in order to maintain good health and yet I still ate pizza, burgers and fried foods.  I still do but much less.  As one gets older, the body doesn't maintain it's healthy structure as one younger including less energy, less testosterone, less bone mass from less time to exercise or eating the proper nutrition that comes from an array of foods.  Sometimes, people just cannot afford healthy foods because of their income, especially college students.  Organic or natural foods are just more expensive or not around their environment.  I am now 31 and have only recently changed my diet to include more whole grain, fiber, vegetables (more greens like broccoli and kale), fruits and healthy protein (been cutting back on red meats).

Ever since I was fifteen I drank soda, many kids do and so do adults (hence the "sugar water" companies being a billion dollar industry full of research and marketing), the worst of it was when I would drink more than a liter a day of Sunkist or Coca-Cola.  My body loved this sugar high and handled it well.  When you're healthy your body should produce enough insulin to convert the high fructose corn syrup into energy your cells use and to aide in muscle building.  If you keep absorbing all that sugar because your body still demands or craves the intake but your body either no longer produces insulin or the body cells no longer respond to the insulin converting the sugar, it's called diabetes.  The recommended daily intake of sodium is recommended at about one teaspoon of salt a day, you need less to function.  Obviously, if you eat commercial foods or foods prepared by others you cannot control what goes in and can easily go over the daily recommended amount, it's called cardiovascular problems, hypertension and can cause muscle cramps.  I had my blood examined in 2004 where everything was normal, my body fat was at 20%.  When I had it checked in 2009, everything was a bit high, so I vowed to eat healthy and I did.  Last month I had my blood and urine taken to the lab and everything about me including my triglyceride levels are fine and my body fat is at 15-18%.  The bad news is test showed my heart rate is a bit lower than it should be and sugar level higher than normal.  I will be going on a lower salt and and lower sugar diet. And I have kept that promise.  For the past three months, I have cut back drastically from red meats and soda, or anything with high sugar content, with only maybe a sip here and there.  I have also cut back on many processed or pre-cooked foods I think may include over kill on salt or chemicals (Nitrates or Synthetics).  I cook much of my own foods now that include greens: Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Mustard/Turnip/Collard Greens with one dash of salt from from the shaker.  I look at almost every nutritional fact list before I bite into it.  Kids that's the meaning of the word diet: consume less sugar and salt to maintain each at a balanced state.

In addition to the above I was looking at men who have always kept their body physique in excellent condition and the number one person that came to mind is Sylvester Stallone.  Sylvester Stallone is now sixty five and still very well built but in addition to the fact that he's well built, his diet and exercise regimen is what contributes to his appearance and health at sixty five.  I was reading his Nutrition and Regimen (part Two of Health and Fitness) and will incorporate some of his hints into my diet and daily fitness.

Sylvester Stallone's Nutrition and Regimen

I have not thus far elaborated on the array of foods that I mentioned earlier.  If you research the different plants we call veggies including fruits, herbs, beans, meats, eggs, fish and the different types of sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, galactose, lactose... etc) you will find that each item mentioned provides a different vitamin or component to them that on the molecular level is part of chemistry.  I am no where near a chemist, I did well in the subject but I don't want to digress further.  Each of these vitamins or chemical components interact with our biology and effects our system.  Along with exercise and toxins in our environment, it makes our health and bodily functions.  There are many sites out there illustrating eating healthier.  Without elaborating any further, here are some interesting reads:

---Natural Vs. Synthetic Vitamins - I highly recommend reading because like many, I use to look for foods in the market that had vitamin supplements or the chemical vitamin equivalent instead of eating natural whole foods.

---whfoods.com - Spinach
---whfoods.com - Kale
---whfoods.com - Collard Greens
---whfoods.com - Vitamin D 
---whfoods.com - Brown Rice

---Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays

---That's it for now