How to Be Healthy and Happy

While I do believe that we need to provide our bodies with nourishing food, the quest to eat the healthiest diet can lead to stress and also imbalance in others areas of our lives. Such a quest can become an obsession that isolates us from friends and family. It can cause us to begin to talk about the benefit of our chosen diet with almost religious fervour. Those who become driven by this fixation with ideal diet have been referred to as orthorexics. It is important to be healthy, but it is just as important to be happy.

To be healthy we need to be conscious of what we eat and provide our bodies with the good fuel they need to function effectively. However, stress is as damaging to our bodies as chemical-laden, low-nutrient food. When a person becomes so controlling of what they allow themselves to eat that it begins to cause them ongoing stress then there is a problem. When we are gulping down various super-health food concoctions or forcing ourselves to eat things just because they are healthy then we are creating stress in our body and probably negating most of the benefit we are trying to gain from the food. Here are three ways in which stress can undo the benefits of eating nutrient-rich food:
1. When our body is stressed it shuts down our digestive system. Our digestive system only works well when we are relaxed. If our digestive system is not working well then we absorb and metabolise far less nutrients from our food. Poor digestion can also lead to poorly digested food travelling though our system causing gas, upset, damage and clogging. Long-term, low-grade emotional stress such as constantly worrying about what you are eating can decrease the level of hydrochloric acid in your stomach. Hydrochloric acid is necessary for proper digestion.

2. Chronic, ongoing stress lowers our immunity and causes damaging low-grade inflammation in our body. This can increase our susceptibility to infections or cause conditions such as eczema, acne, cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes. Persistent low-grade inflammation in your body is also a major factor in accelerated aging.
3. When our body is focusing on producing stress hormones it interferes with the balanced production of other hormones in our body. Two significant health issues that can arise from this are estrogen dominance and poor thyroid function, both of which can cause weight gain and severe tiredness.
If you can eat an ultimately healthy diet all of the time without it causing you any issues then that is great. However, bear in mind that stress can be insidious and we are not always aware of it. If your chosen diet is causing you undue headaches when it comes to food buying or preparation, or if you are more concerned with the nutritional value of your food than the pleasure of eating it, or if you avoid social situations where you would be eating food that didn't fit with your regime then may I suggest that your diet is causing you stress.
True health is a balance of many factors. Generally, they simplify down to being active, eating natural foods and connecting with ourselves and others. The three need to be in balance for us to experience full health and happiness. Many people get overly focused on one or other of the first two and neglect the latter. At times, an obsession with fitness or diet, because they are more easily controlled, is actually a way of avoiding dealing with the uncertainty of our relationships with ourselves and others.

If your diet is causing you stress think about what you really want to achieve. Also think about what beliefs are driving your eating habits. Is what you are doing really helping you to feel healthy and happy. The ultimate aim for all of us is to be happy. If you want to be healthy then why? Most of us want to be healthy so that we can feel good and enjoy life. Is your current path delivering that result?

The key to being healthy and happy is to balance consciousness with enjoyment. How you eat is as important as what you eat. Eat natural healthy foods, but only foods that you enjoy eating. Eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. When you eat, stop, sit down, breathe and relax. When we smell or even think about food we like the taste of it stimulates the production of enzyme-rich saliva in our mouth and hydrochloric acid in our stomach. Eating food you like is beneficial emotionally and physically.
Our bodies are actually quite resilient and what we think also has a powerful impact on our health. Unless you have a specific illness or well-being issue then if you have a foundation of feeding your body the nutrients it needs to function effectively you can relax a little about what else you eat. If everything else is in balance and you believe that having a piece of birthday cake at your Mother's party is OK then it will do you little harm. Conversely, if you believe that having one piece of cake will do irreparable damage to your body then that belief will manifest itself somehow.
There is no one perfect diet that will lead to ultimate health and eating is one of life's pleasures, so relax and enjoy it. You can be healthy and happy.




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