Professionals, no matter how busy, always
take care of the essentials. There's enough gas in the car to get us to
work. Our clothes are clean and pressed. We make sure there's paper in
the printer. We tend to neglect one area only–the quality of the fuel
we put into our bodies.
We rely on coffee and pastries to get us through the day. We go for
sugar boosts instead of healthy snacks. We lunch on processed food and
fatty animal products. If we treated our cars this way, we'd be
walking. If we fed our dogs the stuff we eat, we'd be featured in cuffs
on "Animal Cops Detroit."
Our food choices have predictable and disastrous short- and
long-term consequences. Many of us are struggling to lose weight, and
fully 50% of all Americans will die prematurely from stroke or heart
disease. Some researchers have estimated that 75% of cancers are
preventable, and diet is the main defensive weapon. And the diabetes
epidemic has been well documented. And if we have kids, we know we're
passing our bad habits – and predisposition for disease – on to them.
Despite the conflicting studies that we read about, we all know
pretty well what to eat: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains,
beans, raw nuts and seeds, and small amounts of animal products on the
side if we choose. Knowing is the easy part; it's the doing that's
hard.
So how can we make eating right a natural part of our day? Post your ideas and questions in the comments section below.