In today’s hectic society and pace of life, we often lose track of taking care of our mental and physical well-being.  Fast food takes the place of good food. The work-family balance we strive for is now dominated by the job and career.  And because of these things, rather than prevention, we focus on running to the doctor and getting prescribed medicines to deal with the symptoms of the illnesses that derive from these causes.  

Isn’t it time that we take a step back, and look at the root causes of these imbalances and outcomes to our life style?  

The ideal diet is the one that suits “our” body. There are some general rules regarding food consumption that are applicable to all of us. But, as all of us are different by nature, constitution, and choices, one ideal diet may not suit all.

These simple but practical guidelines will help to choose your ideal healthy diet:

• “All raw foods are good, and all cooked foods are bad.” This is not true for all of us. For example, raw sprouts may suit some, while others might get back pain from its consumption

 

•  Some people are able to tolerate foods that others cannot. For example, one person may easily digest rice while another may easily digest bread and vice­versa.

 

• Your current health situation. For example, with kidney disease, protein intake might be restricted.

 

• Look at your general ability to digest different, supposedly healthy foods.

 

• In order to determine if a particular food is right for you, observe how you feel after eating that food.

 

• Keep in mind that sometimes you won’t immediately feel the effects of eating a certain kind of food until the next day.

 

• Repeated signals, in the form of discomfort, pain, heartburn, or stiffness, from the body about a particular food, will make you understand your diet better.

 

• It may help you to keep a daily food journal of what you eat when you eat, and how you eat. Any discomfort after eating the same day or the next morning should be noted in the journal. Look for similar discomfort with the same food if you eat it again.

 

Pay attention, and you will begin to notice patterns in the symptoms you experience, and thus you can add or reduce that food item as a part of your diet.