Eat to Live, Don't Live to Eat

 

 I have mentioned more than once throughout my posts that I have read the book How To Eat To Live by: Elijah Muhammad years ago. There are two volumes, Book No.1 and Book No.2. These books are definitely not for everyone. But they had an enormous impact on me. They lead me to eventually look into and study about intermitted fasting. What Elijah Muhammad was saying in his books just made all the sense in the world to me. He was basically stating that as a people were over fueling our bodies. We were eating way more than we needed which in turn had our bodies working overtime, non stop. 

 I like more than likely most of you that read this was raised on the Standard American Diet (SAD). Eating three square meals a day was ingrained into us. Not many people questioned who created the Standard American Diet, or why. People just went along with it and for the most part still do. I remember as a kid I hated eating breakfast. I seldom woke up hungry. But I was made to eat breakfast while being told it was the most important meal of the day. The truth is breakfast being the "most important meal" is debated by scientists, as evidence shows it is not essential for everyone. While it offers key nutrients and helps some manage energy, hunger, and focus, skipping it is not inherently unhealthy. As a young adult I pretty much did away with eating breakfast. Now as an elder I still do not eat breakfast. I rather break-fast between 2 and 3pm every day. 

 I made the conscious decision to rather eat to live, and not live to eat some years ago. If you make the effort to take a few days and just observe people, you will easily notice we have developed an obsession with food. Most people have made food the center of their worlds. Truth be told, “The concept of eating three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was not determined by nutritional science, but rather evolved as a social, economic, and industrial norm that became widespread in the Western world during the Industrial Revolution (late 18th to mid-19th century).” “Before this, most people in history ate once or twice a day, typically focusing on a large meal at midday and a smaller one in the evening.” The Standard American Diet emerged, particularly post-WWII, due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and a demand for convenient, affordable food. It was driven by the rise of processed, high-fat, and sugar-laden products marketed for convenience. It was never about proper nutrition or health benefits. It was more about profit.

 As I mentioned in my last post “Don’t Call It A Comeback” I gained a little weight back while nursing an injury, and also once during a difficult time. During these periods, I did maintain my new healthier eating habits. I definitely consumed well below the recommended 2,500 calories per day. But regardless I gained weight do to the decreased physical activities. Using the example Elijah Muhammad used in his book How To Eat To Live comparing our bodies to cars, you don’t put gas into a full tank. Food is fuel to the body, as gasoline is fuel to a car. You gas up your car, and drive it till you need more gas. You don’t fuel up your car three times a day. Granted our bodies are a bit more complex. But basically, when you consistently consume more calories than your body burns, the excess energy is stored as fat, leading to weight gain. This occurs because the body stores unused energy for later use. It was eye opening to me, that even maintaining a healthy diet, consuming only around 1000 to 1500 calories per day, weight gain was rapid with a lack of physical activities. Had I been following the Standard American Diet I would have most likely ballooned back up to the weight I was when I first began my journey within weeks. Thankfully I was conscious about my inability to exercise as I had been doing. I made the effort to find alternative exercises and also adjusted my food intake in order to get back on track. 

 I am not into counting calories. But I do have a general idea of how many calories I consume per day. I also have a general idea of how many calories I burn working out and training between one and two hours per day, six days a week. I do keep count of my steps and try to maintain a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. 10,000 steps generally burns between 300 and 600 calories per day for most adults. While 500 calories is a common average, the exact amount depends heavily on your weight, walking pace, and terrain, often covering about 5 miles. Heavier individuals burn more calories because it takes more energy to move more mass. I trained myself overtime to not indulge, I rather practice delayed gratification. It’s not easy, but with practice it isn’t all that difficult. For instance I love eating pizza. If I have the urge to eat pizza I usually put it off till say a Saturday. I work hard during the week and as a reward to myself I enjoy eating some pizza. For me it makes it taste all the better than just giving in to the urge the moment it comes. It is very empowering to have control over food, rather than allowing food to control you. 

 We can survive eating one meal per day. I actually thrive eating just one meal per day. I wouldn’t suggest you just dive in and start eating one meal per day starting tomorrow. It’s something you do gradually. I also make my meals count. Meaning they are nutritionally balanced. In my one meal there will be fruit, vegetables, protein source, such as chicken or fish, I omit all processed foods. I created a menu of dinners I really enjoy, and look forward to. A quick look into the benefits of eating healthy makes it a very easy choice to make. Limiting your intake makes burning up that fuel simple with just 30 minutes of exercise per day. Eat like you love yourself and I guarantee you will be on your way to living your best life. Thank you for reading.