| |
Is a proper
understanding of the goods I eat, important to my good
health ?
Yes of course. It is absolutely necessary to know
about the foods you eat to maintain good health.
Food is the most important single factor in connection
with attainment and maintenance of health. Every drop of
blood in the body is conditioned by the food we eat and
it is blood that every tissue, every organ, every gland,
and indeed every function of the body fundamentally
depends on. The function of food is to supply the body
with the materials necessary for the growth, maintenance,
repair and efficient functioning of its various organs
and structures and therefore ensures harmonious working
of the whole human body. The study of the food-and-drink
requirements of human growth, activity, reproduction and
so on is called Nutrition.
If you analyze the diet of anyone around you whose
knowledge of nutrition is limited, you will be appalled
at the number of nourishing substance or nutrients
essential to health which are either under-supplied or
almost entirely lacking. At first it is even surprising
that such people can be as healthy as they appear. But
careful scrutiny brings many deviations from health :
decaying, dead or missing teeth; pyorrhea, poor muscle
tone causing sagging posture, pale colour of cheeks,
ears, lips and tissue, lack of mental and nervous
stability, poor digestion and faulty elimination, bald
heads and premature aging.
The majority of the people who claim to be in good health
have not the slightest conception of the meaning of
health.
Take the case of Ms. O.D., a young woman of thirty- three
years who called in at my clinic for a consultation
regarding her excess weight. During the course of our
discussion, she boasted to me that she was always well.
Her hair were grey. She lacked enthusiasm, pep and drive.
Fatigue showed on her face. I wondered, as I looked at
her, if instead of never being sick, she were ever well.
Lack of nutritional knowledge manifests itself daily
before our eyes in the way children and grown ups alike,
are ‘allowed to eat’, ‘given to eat’
and sometimes, even ‘forced to eat’, particles
of food which, by anyone would be recognized at once as
harmful to the health of the body. This eating of food
without regard to its suitability ‘as food for the
body’ is undoubtedly the main factor in the
causation of disease, in general, and unsound health in
particular in the world today. Mankind continues to pay
little attention to the question of diet, with the result
the statistics for diseases such as rheumatism,
arthritis, cancer, kidney disease, heart disease,
diabetes and obesity continue to increase yearly.
The only way to build a healthy body is to understand
‘why, we eat’ and ‘what we eat’ and
once the simple fact is grasped that it is by ‘ what
we put into our mouths ‘ that we decide, either good
or evil what is to take place inside our bodies, then the
way is opened up for sensible and intelligent
understanding of the facts which help in affecting good
health, safe weight reduction and permanent weight loss.
The secret of successful eating and therefore the basis
of healthy living, is to have a fair idea of the amount
of protein, starchy, sugary and fatty foods required by
the body, to obtain them from the most natural source,
and to make up the rest of the bulk of the food from
fresh fruits and vegetables.But doctor, I
dislike the taste of foods in their natural wholesome
form such as fresh fruits, vegetables and so on. I am
young and healthy. Can I not subsist on the much tastier
artificial foods ?
One of the biggest problems of modern day is that
food no longer reaches us in its natural form straight
from fields, gardens or orchards. Such foods are
collected and taken to commercial centres where they are
altered, heated, processed, adulterated, preserved,
pickled, sterilized, pasteurized thus deprived of their
most vital elements. Such artificial foods have no
nutritive value. To make these foods attractive to
consumers they are treated with chemical dyes and
chemical flavours. It is unfortunate that we humans are
made to subsists on artificial foods totally unfit for
consumption. We eat these foods because they are
attractive to the eyes and to the palate. But these
foods, lacking essential nutrients, lower the vitality
and sap the health of the people who as a result of this
fall a prey to various diseases.
Take the case of Mr. P.S. an average middle-aged man
about forty-seven years old or so. He could have been
your neighbour or your colleague in office. After
finishing school he stepped into his father’s shoes,
took over the family Leather business and was an instant
success. He married early, his wife gave birth to two
sons, both healthy.
Mr. P.S. pursued a satisfying peaceful life through the
thirties and upto the age of forty-seven.
Lulled by almost complete freedom from apparent illness
of any kind, Mr. P.S. for twenty years been growing more
careless about his manner of living. His digestion seemed
good so he ate all sorts of artificial foods - cakes,
pastries, puddings etc. which were for from nutritious
foods. He travelled only by car, rarely walked and his
body did not get any other type of exercise. Mr. P.S.
hated fresh vegetables and fruits and did not feel the
need to eat them as he considered himself a healthy man.
Overweight and overeating , with a heart gradually
running down, with no reasonable hard work, Mr. P.S.
reached middle-age and then all at once he seemed to lose
what he boasted of as "my good health." He
suffered from a chronic and serious condition which was
the complication of several preventable ailments. It may
have been heart disease, diabetes, gall bladder trouble
or ulcers of stomach. It does not matter which it was for
Mr. P.S. is an illustrative case history. The important
point is that a great many people are saved by prompt
attention being paid to their eating habits.
What you eat today determines your health and well- being
during the remainder of your life. Learn to enjoy natural
health building foods. There are hundreds and thousands
of people in India who have never achieved vital health
because of food dislikes. Thousand are nervous and
irritable because they never learned to enjoy the taste
of foods rich in essential nutrients and as a result are
woefully deficient. Thousands upon thousands have poor
healthy simply because they enjoy the taste of refined
bread and cereals more than the whole grain products. Yet
surely any normal person would agree that health is more
important than the taste of food. "I won’t eat
that. I don’t like it." - Many dislikes are
caused merely by poor food preparations which leaves food
both tasteless and unattractive as are vegetables boiled
in water. According to Mr. Arvind Sodhi chief executive
chef, Welcome group of hotels - Sea Rock Bombay "
Indians eat with their eyes. Hence foods should be
prepared palatably, their natural colour and beauty
retained." The food dislike is usually only
imaginary, and when the food is once actually eaten the
person who thought he disliked it soon discovers that he
enjoys it. Remember that your willingness to cultivate
good habits determines the degree of health you will
enjoy.
Do not sacrifice your health at the shrine of ignorance
and fashion. It may be fashionable to have half a dozen
rich gravied dishes at a meal, but the custom is
injurious to health. We must strive hard to break the
habit of subsisting on harmful artificial foods , and
live on truly nutritious food.
To be healthy and in good condition it is imperative to
eat natural, wholesome foods, making sure that the food
supply is in proper proportion and of a character or
quality suitable for body.
The nutritive substance which are essential for
maintenance of life in man are proteins, carbohydrate,
fats, vitamins, and minerals. A nutritionally adequate
diet will contain all of the essential nutritive
substances mentioned above, both in amount and in
proportion required to maintain the body in full health
and physical efficiency.
[index]
|
