Body repair
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The human body is amazing, it knows how to heal and repair itself. This healing is essential both when we get injured, as well as for daily wear-and-tear. Damaged and dead cells are replaced daily in huge numbers in various tissues. Our red blood cells are completely replaced by new ones every 4-8 weeks, our stomach lining gets replaced every 4-8 days, we get a completely new set of taste buds almost every week, in fact, we get a completely new skin every month!
And we have an amazing ability to heal from all kinds of injuries. From minor cuts on the hands to fractured bones, we recover and move on. For decades we, as doctors, considered that the brain and its nerve cells could not recover, could not heal, but in recent years, we have learned that we were wrong. Our brains can bounce back from even serious injuries, with nerve cells bypassing dead/damaged areas and forming new connections to get back to (almost) full function.
And one of the easiest ways to maintain and improve our bodyâs healing abilities is to eat a healthy, nutrient-rich diet.
As we continue to age, we get a buildup of DNA damage, and our immune system also gets weaker and weaker. This predisposes us to cancer and degenerative diseases.
Receiving the right anti-oxidants in the food is the key to help our body fight against the build-up of damage. What we eat is vital to this aim.
Your recipe for health, confidence, and aging gracefully
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Nutritious food makes us glow, keeps our hair healthy, and gives us sustained energy and confidence. Possessed with these tools, your chances of success in any situation and challenge, whether it's personal or professional, are higher.
All these attributes will be even more critical in the face of senescence (ageing). Have a look at your grandparents/parents, what do you see? Healthy, functional, active individuals, who glow with calm, experience, and happiness, or people who are restricted to their bed most of their waking time, and pop 10 pills a day?
The process of ageing speeds up significantly by the time we are 40. This leaves us with another 30 years of our life (considering average life expectancy), and itâs in our hands to decide how we want live those years. Lifestyle modifications can significantly slow the process of ageing of our organs, and food is a major influencer. Whatâs more, the wrong kind of food can accelerate the process of ageing. So, food can be your weapon against ageing, or your nemesis.
Decide what you want it to be.
Food as Pleasure
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Yes, food is pleasurable. Once you truly understand the concept of what nourishes our body and mind, and what truly healthy food should look like, you will be amazed by the number of nutritious food items that taste amazing. Just give some time to your palette to adjust đ.
It is possible to have unadulterated, sustainable food that is healthy as well as delicious if we keep our mind open and are willing to learn.
Home-made rajma and kadhi are my favorite dishes in the world, nothing can beat them. I also love my green smoothie and relish all kinds of nuts.
So, the pleasure, the âfoodieâ label, can still be maintained; you just have to approach food with a different mindset.
Ok, so letâs recap:
In the end, you would have to consider: is the pleasure of eating tasty but proven unhealthy food worth the suffering you would undergo later? Are there ways to still maintain our emotional connect with food while ensuring that the food maintains our body and mind at the same time?
Would you start eating consciously now that you know how profoundly food can affect your life? Will you control your food or let the food control you? Knowing that conscious eating can be your path to creating a dynamic and joyous life filled with energy, are you ready to take the plunge?
If you are able to cultivate this new mindset and start seeing food in this new light, trust me, the rest will come easily.
We all have one body to last a lifetime, let's show the love and respect it deserves! Hereâs to a healthy food paradigm!