What it Means to Eat Right
By Angelena Bosco
You do not have to be tired or have pain just because you are another year older. You do not have to have a heart attack or cancer because you turned 60. You do not have to be sick! We are meant to be lean, happy, healthy, energetic, athletic, peaceful and compassionate people. These positive changes can begin with changing your diet.
This is also where the problem lies. We are told to eat right and exercise, but do we know what eat right means? I bet most of us would be happy to think that eating right means eating anything we like that is loaded with new buzz words like zero trans fats, sugar free, low fat, heart healthy, lots-o-fiber, etc…
Eating right means to eat fresh foods - fruits and vegetables! Do you add the token boiled broccoli to your plates? The leaf of lettuce and slice of tomato, loaded with ranch dressing that you call a salad? When you are asked to eat more vegetables and fruits, what comes to mind? Do you know how to prepare veggies? What would you do with bok choy? It is a lovely leafy green vegetable that is often used in Asian cuisine. It can be added to soups or used in a stir-fry. It is delicious raw – the stalk is full of water.
It is important for us to get back in the kitchen and prepare meals once again. It does not have to be a complicated recipe or more than one or two items. A nice salad loaded with mixed vegetables, an easy stir-fry with steamed rice, or perhaps a giant fruit salad topped with granola or chopped raw walnuts would be a good start.
Beware of the quick fix trap of cleansing and pharmaceuticals. Do you really believe that if you load yourself with vegetable powders, fiber and “super foods” for a week or two, that you will literally flush out your system and have the abundant health that these products promise? Yes, toxins do build up and make us sick, fat and tired. But two weeks of cleansing to undo 20, 30 or more years of abuse? Come on. Take a look around. Do you see vibrant people in line at the pharmacy? Drugs only treat symptoms. You cannot continue on the path you are currently on without suffering the consequences.
It is important to begin to add new fresh, raw vegetables and fruits into your diet often and throughout the day. That is what your body is longing for. That is what your body needs to thrive. You need foods like bananas, oranges, and peaches; raw, unsalted, unroasted sunflower seeds, almonds, and Brazil nuts; kale, cucumber, celery, and spinach. When you eat these foods you feel alive, energized, and clean. They are made just for you!
Illness does not inevitably come with age. Hopefully, increased awareness and wisdom do come as we get older. If you want to be healthy, not just feel better, but truly be healthy, then it is time to take responsibility for your own-well being. It is that simple.