Operation Portion Control

Many people have unrealistic exceptions when they first heard the phrase portion control. The most common association is to eat as little as possible the equivalent of starvation. But that’s not necessarily the case, many people hear the common expression when they want to lose weight. Instead of looking at their personal health on all spectrums, imagine you are trying to balance two things on a scale one is your overall health and on the other end is the portions of food you are consuming. It is extremely easy for most people in today's modern society to lose weight but it can be extremely hard to keep the weight off long term. The key to shedding weight and keeping it off is diet and lifestyle. This complementary couple will give you that imaginary certificate called good health. Let's start with the word diet, which means the kind of food you eat. Everything that we consume on all levels affects our body but in this article, we will focus on the more tangible things like foods and drinks. That delicious plate of food you had today is broken down and absorbed. Foods and drinks are absorbed into your bloodstream and support your skin, bones, organs, blood, hormones, neurotransmitters enzymes, and glucose which is used to fuel your body. Everything that we eat determines our overall health some of these influences can cause immediate changes while others can accumulate gradually and won’t show until years or even decades later. Before I continue I would just like to say perfection isn’t a part of having a healthier lifestyle. Actually, your body can handle some occasional junk food but it's not recommended to eat it daily. And there is no shame In enjoining a piece of cake once in a while as long as it's not every day. Because you will be missing out on key nutrients and minerals you can only get from whole foods. It's important to adopt good eating habits and listen to your body. Also, keep in mind what works for some doesn’t work for all, we all are different and have different personal constitutions aka taste buds, food sensitivities, cultural training, budget, and food availabilities. The basic foundation for having a well-balanced meal is, consuming good quality foods like produce, protein, carbohydrates, and fats at every meal and snack. Your plate should consist of half produce, plants provide micronutrients, fiber, antioxidants, and protective phytochemical’s that fight disease, and improves digestion, and body detoxification. 5-9 servings of vegetables daily should be your goal think of stir-fries, beds of greens, salads, and fruits for snacks and dessert. If possible try getting produce locally and organic they taste better and have a higher nutrient density. A quarter of your plate should consist of protein this will help you feel satisfied reduce your glycemic levels and act as the building blocks for structural chemicals in your body. See the full list below for more details. A quarter of your plate should also be carbohydrates that act as fuel. Try to focus mainly on whole foods instead of processed foods. Consume dairy products, meat, whole grain flour, white potatoes, honey, and maple syrup in moderation. Avoid sugar and refined white sugar as much as possible. And last fats this key ingredient is the major component of the cell membrane which affects your nervous system, brain, heart, hair, skin, and nails. Fats also help you absorb nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, K, Carotenoids and so many more. Fats are another foundational building block for your hormones and cholesterol. One of the major principles to having a healthier lifestyle is to work with unprocessed foods as much as possible meaning, if it was made in a lab and not grown or exists naturally you probably shouldn’t be eating it. Most of all remember to be gentle with yourself during this process achieving a healthier lifestyle may not happen overnight but the faster you make these changes the faster you’ll be running to the store to buy new pants.

References

Chevallier, A. (2018). Herbal remedies handbook more than 140 plant profiles: Remedies for over 50 common conditions. DK Publishing.

Curtis, S., Thomas, P., & Johnson, F. (2016). Essential oils. Dorling Kindersley.

Duke, J. A. (2002). The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook: Your Comprehensive Reference to the best herbs for healing. St. Martin's Paperbacks.

Groves, M. N. (2016). Body into balance: An herbal guide to holistic self-care. Storey Publishing.