With so many foods available to us
these days and so much conflicting advice on what to eat and what not
to eat, it can be hard to know what to do when it comes to diet. Not
to mention, people's bodies react differently to food so a certain
diet that works for one person may not work for another. I am not an
expert on nutrition but I have studied it over the years. I have also
noticed patterns in how certain foods affect my health. In this
article I will go over my finding in relation to sodium, saturated
fat, sugar, and water.
In the past I used to eat a fair amount
of processed foods that had a lot of sodium. I would pick
these foods because they were easy and convenient, but I noticed they
did start to have an effect on my health. My blood pressure began to
get too high. I could also feel it physically as my heart would beat
harder and I would start to feel twitches in my feet.
To fix these issues I started to cut
down on the amount of sodium in my diet. I stayed away from salty
foods and highly processed foods that have a high amount of sodium. I
also steered clear of sauces that tend to have a high amount of
sodium. As a result of these changes, my blood pressure dropped down
to a healthier level and my body no longer had the twitches or
feeling that the heart was pumping too hard.
Another element of nutrition that I
have been better at managing over the years is saturated fat.
This is the kind of fat that is thought be unhealthy and one that can
cause issues such as clogged arteries. I tend to be pretty good about
avoiding foods that are high in saturated fat, but every once in a
while I may have something that is high in this fat content.
After I eat foods that are high in
saturated fat, I have noticed it has an effect on my circulation.
Often that night or the following morning I will wake up with a limb
that has fallen asleep with the pins and needles feeling. This is
often because the circulation is not good and I believe it is due to
the increased amount of saturated fat. Sometimes I also notice mild
pain in the chest area after eating too much saturated fat which I
think is also related. When getting back to my diet which is low in
saturated fat, these symptoms go away.
One of the other ingredients in food I
tend to get too much of is sugar. It can be hard to avoid
because sugar is one of those ingredients that seems to be added to
almost everything. I never really felt any health issues directly
tied to sugar, but nonetheless I decided to try to cut down on the
amount of sugar I have been eating.
Since cutting back, I have noticed a
decrease in desire for sugary foods. Before I would always want
something sweet with a meal or a dessert afterwards, but since I have
been trying to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet, I have less
desire to eat sugary foods. Physically I don't know that I
necessarily feel any different, but I believe it is healthier to keep
sugar intake to a minimum.
Water intake is another
important part of diet and one I have been observing and studying
recently. From doing research I realized I may not have been getting
enough water in my diet so I started to keep track of my water intake
to try to improve it.
With the increase amount of water each
day, I did notice a reduced amount of headaches. In the past I would
tend to get headaches on days where I would be out and about and not
getting enough water. When I follow my regular schedule and get
plenty of water, I tend not go get any headaches. So for me it seems
to be related where if I do not get enough water, I start to get a
headache.
These are just a few of my personal
observations on how changes in diet have affected my health. Feel
free to take these findings into consideration when looking to make
changes in your diet. Keep in mind this is not a substitute for
professional advice but can be used as a supplement.
No comments:
Post a Comment