Why Nutrition?

Sophie Maho Chan
Nov 6, 2017
3 min read

"You are what you eat."

I'm sure many of you have heard of this saying before.

It does sound like a bit of an exaggeration doesn't it? But I can assure you with utmost confidence, that this is (or at least very very close to being) 100% true. In fact, you can say that there is no aspect of your life that is not somewhat influenced by what you eat.

I must admit that it took awhile myself, to grasp the importance of nutrition on one's body. When eating becomes a habit, its easy to forget to be mindful of what we put in our system. And although a single blog post cannot really give justice to this subject, today I would like to share with you just few things I think you should always keep in mind - especially when you are having your next meal.

NUTRITION AS THE KEY TO LONGEVITY

Typical 21st century diets are too high in calories, saturated fat, refined sugar and sodium; and this has caused some detrimental impacts on our health as a population.

Out of the top 5 causes of premature deaths, 3 of them are directly linked to unhealthy diets: high blood pressure, high body mass index and high cholesterol levels. This is because these factors have led to an increase in the rates of obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart attack and even cancer of all kinds. In fact, over the last 30 years obesity rates have doubled, and so have diabetes rates over the last 20 years. It is even estimated that unhealthy diets contribute to 678000 deaths in the United States to nutrition: . In addition, a diabetes accounts for a staggering $245 billion in medical cost + lost productivity

Having a healthier diet prevents and cures diseases. It is the key to decreasing premature death, as well as increasing longevity. It also doesn't hurt that it helps saves lots of money.

GOOD NUTRITION = GOOD BRAIN

Every second, there are 10,000 reactions takes place in your brain. Your brain is an absolute machine, working tirelessly 24/7 for the entirety of your life. But like any other machine, your brain needs fuel. And the higher the quality that fuel, the better it functions.

This is why nutrition plays such a big role in your cognitive power. In fact, researches have proved that people with diets consisting of plentiful vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids show better results in thinking and memory tests. In addition, healthier diets have been directly linked to higher IQ.

On the flip side however, poor diets have shown strong correlation with impaired brain function. For example, high levels of refined sugar has been proven to worsen issues such as mood swings and depression.

HEALTHY DIET IS YOUR WAY TO BEAUTY

Let's face it; you were probably not thinking about your blood pressure or cholesterol level when you first decided to 'go on a diet'. Instead, you were probably trying to shape your stomach, and shred the remaining underarm fat.

So we know that our diet affects our looks. And this is 100% accurate. If you are trying to shape your body, you will get much more out of cutting out your cake intake, than doing 200 sit ups everyday. In fact, studies have shown that weight loss in 80% nutrition and only 20% exercise.

But equally, adjusting your diet can also help you with other aspects of 'beauty'. It can be tailored to help you get rid of excess oil on your face, many spots on your skin, or even tangled grey streaks in your hair.

But what people fail to understand is just how the food we eat affects the way our bodies look. And there are many false myths out there, that is probably stopping you from achieving what you want. But let me tell you this: with the right knowledge, you can lose your belly fat while still consuming some of your favourite foods.

Although I won't go into details today, I'll definitely give you more information on this (probably over quite 2 or 3 posts), so keep an eye out for that!

Anyways that is all I have for today. I can go into more details, but I will save that for some other time as I don't want to bore you with a super long post.

But just keep some of these things in mind, when you are about to have your next meal.

Until next time!