I can think of few more important contributors to how our bodies and minds operate than the food we consume. Depending on what we eat it can leave us feeling slow, sluggish, lethargic, contribute to boredom and impede our brains ability to function on all cylinders or it can leave us feeling more alert, energized and ready to take on the next challenge. Not only does what we put in our bodies matter but the amounts of what we put in also matter.

If we overeat, we’ll need to expend more effort and energy to move around, causing our organs to have to work harder to pump blood and oxygen to other areas of our body. This means it takes more energy dedicated to keep our body in operation such as digesting food when our body requires a certain amount of rest to operate properly. Additionally, overeating can lead to serious health problems such as sleep apnea, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and issues with arthritis. In order to get the most health benefits including energy production from the food we consume, make sure it’s unprocessed or minimally processed. In the last few decades, the food industry has moved to manufacturing highly processed foods that include unhealthy levels of food additives, added sugar, sodium and fat. These additives make the food we eat taste better but many are lacking in nutritional value and when consumed in large quantities can contribute to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

We want to make sure we eat healthy foods, with adequate amounts of vitamins, such as lean carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables and whole grains), proteins (poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts and seeds), healthy fats (olive oil, coconut oil, omega 3 oils, avocados), and make sure we stay hydrated and drink enough water throughout the day.

Tips to keep in mind when trying to eat healthy.

1) Keep healthy organic foods (produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial agents) on hand such as proteins, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and healthy beverages with zero sugar or imitation sugar additives.

2) Stay away from foods that are highly processed, in a box or in cans. Foods with heavy fatty carbohydrates and sugars like white bread, pasta, pizza, burgers, cereal, ice cream, cookies, donuts, soda, chips and other nutrition less items.

3) Cook a fair amount of your meals at home so you can insure you stay away from unhealthy foods and additives and limit your portion sizes particularly in the evening time prior to bedtime.

4) Stop eating food several hours before sleep to give our bodies enough time to digest our food and ensure our body has enough time designated to rest and recovery. Also, avoid eating in the middle of the night if we wake up. By not following these rules, we can often wake feeling slow and sluggish experiencing a food hangover, particularly if we’ve eaten too many heavy carbs and sugar.

5) Only keep food on hand that is healthy and nutritious. Don’t buy foods that include trans fats (an unhealthy substance that is made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils). Trans fatty acids are found in vegetable shortening and in some margarine, crackers, cookies, and snack foods. Trans fatty acids are also found in abundance in many deep-fried foods or sugary soft drinks particularly diet soda. Thus, don’t buy food items like chips, cookies, fried chicken, chocolate bars that are less than 70% dark chocolate, sugary cereals and sodas and store them in your house. Most people will snack on extra unnecessary food throughout the day/nighttime if they have it in the house.

6) If you are uncertain about what foods to eat and what foods not to eat consult a nutritionist. A nutritionist can help make sure we are getting enough vitamins and minerals and can review and recommend lab work for our physician and help us with unsafe misinformation regarding supplements and help us make healthy food choices.