Eating is an essential part of life, and we cannot sustain life for long without eating. So, it is important that we take the time to learn how to eat well, because eating well will help us to live the best life possible. Our views on what we should eat and the eating practices we adopt affect our lives and our health in significant ways. Eating well can literally make all the difference.
Many people struggle with eating because they cannot keep a healthy balance. They end up eating too little, or they eat too much, and they do not live healthy lives because of it. Probably everyone has at least one friend who struggles with an eating disorder of some kind. You know, that friend who just cannot seem to get a grip on their eating patterns, and they think about or talk about food almost constantly.
We all know the dangers of eating too little. Anorexia: the disease that leaves people with such a small amount of weight on their bodies that their bones protrude. An extreme desire to be thin, fear of gaining weight, and seeing themselves as overweight even though they are literally skin and bones.
And at the other extreme is people who struggle with eating too much. Eating more food than we need to live is something that the many people across the globe struggle with, especially in the West. Eating is associated with many types of social activities, so people often eat for reasons other than being hungry. For many people, eating becomes a way to experience pleasure or to numb the pains of life.
At the end of the day, whether people struggle with eating too little or indulging in food too much, they are not using food in ways that are healthy and life-promoting. Eating is primarily a means of sustaining a healthy life, although it is definitely meant to bring people pleasure and satisfaction. The problems begin whenever eating is overly restricted or excessively consumed beyond what is necessary.
Take a look at your own eating patterns. While they may not be to the extremes described here, you may be surprised to see that you have established unhealthy eating habits over the years. Perhaps your schedule for each day is centered around when you can have meals or a snack, which may mean that food has become a bit too high on your list of priorities. If you find that your thoughts are consumed with food, whether it’s with restraining yourself from it or eating more of it, you could be thinking of eating and food in unhealthy ways.
We must give eating a rightful place in our lives without allowing it to become all consuming. That is the key to a healthy relationship with food. Keep your perspective about food and eating balanced and healthy. Your life will be better and longer as a result.
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