I have often been asked 'What is the point of always making a 'healthy' choice when we are all going to die anyway?' In fact, when I think about it, I might get run over by a bus tomorrow and then what would I care about being healthy?
The most compelling reason I have for making healthy choices is how good these choices, accumulatively, make me feel both physically and mentally. As far as I am concerned, there is simply no substitute for feeling well; there is no drug or magic pill that has the same effect as a simple, healthy lifestyle. I also know that, as I get older, I want to have a good quality of life and to die healthy and strong and in control of all my faculties. There are no guarantees of course but the healthier I live the more the odds increase in favour of a healthy old age.
So, returning to my diet: along with reducing saturated fat and eliminating trans fats, I also reduced and finally cut out all processed foods including sugar. I included instead complex carbohydrates like whole grains, brown rice, oats etc. as well as lots of fruit and vegetables. Gone are the days when I would gorge on a cocktail of saturated fats and refined carbohydrates dished up in fancy-looking confectionery.
At first I had to exert a certain amount of will power to resist a slice of cake or a baked pudding laced with sugar and refined carbohydrates. Now, I do not even want to put the stuff into my mouth! I would much rather have a slice of pineapple or an apple than a slice of cake.
The increase in my energy levels since I started exercising and eating properly is remarkable. On a scale of one to ten I would say I used to have an energy level of about 2 - 3 and now it is about 9 - 10! I am convinced!
Nothing beats regular exercise and eating properly. By eating properly I mean ensuring that I eat what my body needs in the way of nutrition; I usually manage to avoid eating empty calories with no nutritional value.
Diana Elsmere
