Effects of bad eating habits.

The neglect of our health due to abnormal feeding habits or ignorance could bring about grave consequences. These consequences include: malnutrition, chronic depression, difficulty with relationships, ailing body and lack of drive to achieve the desired goals in life.

Poor nutrition has negative effect especially on children as they develop physically and psychologically. Critical growth periods need proper nutrition; so if a child is not well fed with the right kind of food items, there will likely be stunted growth, chronic medical problems, inadequate bones and muscle growth and lack of neurological development (brain development). The effect of this is that the brain will be negatively affected in its functioning and information processes. Such children will find it difficult to understand social relationship and academic tasks which, under normal circumstances, they suppose to appreciate. They will from time to time, need assistance or interventions from others to do such tasks.

Neglect of our bodies may also result in long-term health problems and complications. So, if it is safer to be wise and invest now in our meals, particularly for our children. Most of the fruits and vegetables mentioned earlier come in season and it is only expected that a wise person will allow reason to influence his or her choice so that heartaches, pains, hospital bills and unnecessary use of the health care services would be avoided.

You may think that eating well is costly; no, not at all. Hospital bills could be costlier and they come with associated pains on the patient. Rather than wait to become a patient, ‘take an apple a day to keep the doctor away.’ Eating well can help you to fulfill your days on earth and also keep a healthy family. In a nutshell, by adopting a better diet and a wiser lifestyle, you can by your own choice live longer and enjoy a healthier and more productive life.

How to eat

Now that you have an idea of what to eat and how you should do your eating? Here are some tips:

1.                   Be sure to see what you are eating. Put your food on a plate instead of eating out of the jar or bag.

2.                   Sit when you eat.

3.                   Take your time with your food, consider your mood, keep phone calls, conversations, and movies etc out so you can concentrate on your meal.

4.                   Don’t be carried away with the advertisement on foods and their labels. Make sure your food serves as medicine to your body.

5.                   Enjoy the process of eating. Chew your food enough, don’t swallow foods not properly chewed so that the digestion processes could go on smoothly and food would not be blocking the colon, causing indigestion and bacterial overgrowth.

6.                   Always plan your meal combinations. Follow your guide. Know your inner self and your digestive tract. Understand the working of your body and your feelings- what foods gives you energy, what foods makes you feel weak. These are questions known only to you. Test these out and know how your body reacts to the foods you eat. If need be, get professional opinions.

7.                   Fix time to have meals and stick to it.

8.                   Don’t eat anyhow. One of the things that differentiate us from animals is that we are driven by commonsense while they are driven by instinct. So, don’t just eat something because you feel like eating it. Ask yourself whether your body really needs it. Control your appetite.

9.                   Don’t eat a huge quantity of a heavy meal and go to bed immediately.

10.               Take plenty water (about 1.5 litres) thirty minutes before and after each meal. The amount of water you take matters a lot because your digestive tract must be proper hydrated. Besides, the human body needs a lot of water function well. Water removes obstructions in the system and lubricates the entire body thereby making a person healthy round the year. Don’t replace water with beverages or soft drinks before, during or after meals.