Food is Fuel

I met with a friend of mine the other day and during that visit he drank a few diet sodas, and I asked him, “What grade of gas do you put in your fine car?”  He said, “supreme gasoline.”  “And, what would you think if I told you to put regular gas in your tank?”  He said, “I’d say, that wouldn’t be very good for my fine car.”  I said, “That’s right, so is your body not more valuable than that car?”  “Of course it is.”  Then why are you putting low-grade food in your body?”  End of conversation.

I’m sure that friend of mine is still drinking diet sodas but, maybe he’s cut back to one a day because he’s thinking food is fuel and this “chemical cocktail” isn’t really that good for my engine.  Silly story I know, but you get the point. Food is fuel…that is a fact.  Our human fuel comes in the form of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, good fats, healthy protein, whole grains and a rainbow of veggies and fruits to give our body what it needs to do all that it has to do to keep our engines humming along.  (Of course, a lot of good lovin’ fuels us as well!)

I believe that it is hard to do anything really well in life if we’re not taking care of ourselves to some degree.

Good sleep, for one, is critical to our well being.  Sleep is the number one fuel upon which we need to focus.  Apparently, we will die of lack of sleep before lack of food or water.  And we all know that a good night’s sleep makes us feel like “new money.”  But, if you want to have good and restful sleep then you need to support your body with satisfying and healthful foods so that it can repair itself while you sleep.  It is a real good “catch 22.”  Eat/fuel up well so you can sleep well so you can repair well, then get up and do it all over again. I know when I wake up the next day and feel groggy and have low energy then I immediately look at what I ate the day before.  And, the reason for my “low mood” always points back to too many carbs and something sugary to boot.  Bad fuel equals a bad night’s sleep and then I wake up with a “food hangover” because I didn’t focus on top fuel and give my body what it likes to feel nourished so I can sleep well. 

So why should you bother to “fill up with supreme food?”

To live a healthy and happy life for as long as you are able.  I know that real food won’t cure everything that ails us but, it’s a great start towards better health and your well being. One of the greatest gifts we’ve been given is the ability to choose…so choose well.  

Be thankful that you can choose to eat in a way that keeps you running smoothly and not choking out by the side of the road waiting for the wrecker to come and get you.