On Nutrition and Good Health
The topic of health, particularly in what we eat, is sometimes a difficult one to discuss. This is because being healthy is demanding, and we certainly want to enjoy some amount of pleasures, some of which are absolutely terrible for our health. However, I would argue that it is absolutely possible to enjoy some amount of what we indulge in while focusing on a more beneficial path.
Last year, when I was rather unhappy and not motivated to exercise much, I weighed about 214 pounds, the heaviest I’d ever been. Since then, I began playing handball occasionally, doing exercise at home, and attempting to restructure my diet. I started taking cold showers daily, and occasionally I’d drink some tea or coffee and fast for the whole day. This combination of factors has effectively brought me down from 214 lb to 182 lb in 12 months. That means, even with fairly inconsistent periods of cardio, that I lost 32 pounds using entirely simple changes to my overall lifestyle.
First of all, good nutrition is not an easy topic to discuss because, unfortunately, a lot of unhealthy food tastes great. The same appeal exists with alcohol, which, though offering empty calories and a lot of headache, is something many people cannot stop having. Unfortunately, following one’s desires is a surefire way to end up unhealthy, and most foods with high calories and low nutritional value are worth avoiding. There’s a lot to unpack about this subject, so I will try to analyze it slowly and patiently.
Note: If you want to get excellent and comprehensive information on health, I would recommend watching Dr. Berg’s videos on YouTube.
Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats
Thinking back to when I was still in high school, I could vividly remember the food pyramid hovering over me, and eating all that mediocre lunchroom food at the time. The food pyramid was made by the USDA in 1992, and suggested as follows: grains are essential and should make up a lot of your diet, fats and oils should be used sparingly, and you should have some fruits and vegetables, some milk products, some meat, beans, poultry, eggs, fish, etc. (based on the serving sizes given). Nowadays, this pyramid looks laughable and horrifically inaccurate, mostly because carbs are much less beneficial than the pyramid would suggest, while fats/proteins should be seriously considered.
Carbs in moderation seem to be a good option. However, it doesn’t make much sense to eat carb-rich food if we’re trying to lose weight, since they are quite caloric and not nutrient-dense. On the other hand, someone could eat a salad entirely composed of vegetables, eggs, and meat, and get all the nutritional value they could imagine, and they will feel more full as well. The point is that there has to be a good calorie/energy ratio in the food, meaning that some food offers more calories than energy, and vice versa.
Another significant problem with the food pyramid is that it demonizes fats, when fats are actually one of the most important parts of good nutrition. High-fat foods contain fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K, and these foods can generally help us lose weight. The problem is when we have something that is high in fat but also in carbs, such as cake or ice cream, and this is most attributable to sugar. It would seem that unsaturated fats are particularly healthy, such as those in nuts, avocados, and fish, but I would argue that saturated fats in some amount are fine as well. We could have some sour milk-based probiotics at night, such as kefir or Greek yogurt, and anticipate that our body will feel better, and we may lose some weight as well. I also try to eat almonds/peanuts at night, so as to get some good unsaturated fats in.
Proteins are also very important, since they are necessary to help the body repair cells and build new ones. Furthermore, there are several foods that are known as ‘complete proteins’, since they contain all the necessary amino acids for making new proteins: these include meat, fish, eggs, milk products, soybeans, and quinoa. Some foods are called ‘incomplete proteins’, such as legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. This essentially means that we must combine them with other foods that fulfill the amino acid deficiency, but they’re still perfectly healthy and worthwhile.
On top of what we eat, one can try various ways to intensify their health process. There were days when I would eat one egg sandwich or beef patty with cheese for the day, and then play handball for 5–6 hours straight. This not only caused me to lose a lot of weight, but it also reduced my caloric intake. At home, I try to do pushups, planks, and oblique mountain climbs. Certainly, I feel hungry after the workout, but that doesn’t mean much when I am at a calorie deficit for that day. It’s also notable that, on days when I wasn’t physically active, I could trick my body by drinking coffee, which suppresses my appetite, and then I would try fasting for the day. I try to have water mixed with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar before I go to bed. It’s also helpful to eat foods that keep us full for longer, such as proteins, because people tend to eat a lot of extra food they probably don’t need.
A simple salad consisting of lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, eggs, and chicken, along with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, will probably be enough to survive half a day. That is something like 500–700 calories, filled to the brim with K vitamins and protein. That is pretty good, if you ask me. Some combination of meat/fish, pasta/rice/buckwheat/barley, and a decent amount of vegetables such as peppers, eggplants, potatoes, cabbage, can get you a very healthy and enjoyable meal. You can also add sour cream to those meals, if you’d like, and some people might also like their food spicy.
In summary, I would say that there is a direct correlation between what we eat, what habits we have, and how our health is reflected in that. My weight loss journey was brought upon by a mindset of “I have nothing to lose”, which motivated me to do whatever I can to be more fit, more healthy, and more confident in my appearance. A salad a day keeps unhealth away.
Thank you.
