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Today’s world brings a variety of choices of food, from preprocessed supermarket goods to eating out or even the “I can’t be bothered to get off my couch so I’ll just order some pizza” option. So what’s in it for me if I decide to eat healthy?

What is healthy food? Is it less tasty than other food, and how come it is called “healthy”? Any food can taste great if it is cooked properly and it doesn’t take a degree in culinary art for that. And, it is called healthy your body will benefit from it instead of making you feel lazy and adding a few more pounds. It is very important what you eat and how much you eat, so the main factors here are quality and quantity and both of them are equally important.   

The quality of food translates in providing your organism with the necessary ingredients for an optimal function and to increased energy levels instead of feeling sleepy and drained. This is done through carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, water. Quantity of food translates into a good weight management; a slight decrease of the caloric intake over a certain time period will lead to losing weight, while an increased caloric intake (more than your body usually ‘burns’ during the day) will lead obviously to gaining a few pounds.

Whenever you find yourself at the table you have to remember that whatever you put in your mouth (your body) is very important; to understand better let us make a very simple analogy: if you have a headache or any small pain you take a painkiller, if your body temperature gets higher than normal you take a fever reducer. So if you want to feel full of energy you will watch what goes into your system, right? The message is pretty clear, treat food like medicine, for getting the desired benefits use the right choices. Don’t eat anymore when you are full already just for the pleasure of it; you might get some satisfaction on that particular moment but you’ll feel drained soon after as your body’s energy will be focused on cooping and digesting all that excess of food.

Now which is the ideal food to eat is a whole different story and there are tons of articles and books written on this topic. The human body needs all the food groups and nutrients, meaning our daily eating habits should include carbohydrates (whole meal bread, whole grain cereals, brown rice), protein (fish, meat, egg, beans), fats, minerals, vitamins and water. Out of each food groups there are good choices, bad choices and the fair/moderate ones. It is up to you to fuel your body with the top choices and enjoy the benefits. Or you can eat non-nutritional junk food and become a successful couch potato.