Food and diet are symbiotically connected: each have a unique and significant effect on health and wellness outcomes. Quality foods provide better energy, imparting sustenance to the body. Yet, the consumption of prepackaged, processed foods (and drink), that are devoid of basic nutrients, is rife throughout modern society. Consistent consumption of these foods is a hallmark of poor diet Through small and sustained dietary changes, marginal health can be improved to optimal levels.
The importance of food in making up the building blocks of diet cannot be overstated. It is often said that one is comprised of that which they consume. To eat is one thing and to live is yet another. There is subconscious subterfuge directed at appealing to the qualities of imagination and desire by stimulating sight, smell, taste through audio-visual means. An awareness of the quality of what one chooses to consume becomes secondary to that actuality acquiring something to consume. Thus, many people eat in response to psychosomatic stimulation.
The quality of the food is important for optimizing health and wellness. The different components of food are important for different aspects of physiological integrity. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They play integral roles in energy provision, tissue repair, hormone production, and nutrient absorption. Micronutrients are essential vitamins and minerals required by the body in small amounts for various physiological functions. They play a crucial role in growth, development, disease prevention, and overall well-being.
Modern society promotes convenience which facilitates consumption of sub-standard foods. The need to rush leads to a perceived lack of time to prepare health food items. A diet consisting of overly processed food is the major avenue of contributing to nutrient deficiency in foods. Deficiencies in of the food nutrients can lead to severe health issues, including impaired immune function and increased risk of chronic diseases.
Consistent consumption of foods lacking proper nutrient concentration can lead to health challenges. Macronutrient insufficiencies (fats, carbohydrates, proteins) can cause kwashiorkor, marasmus, ketosis, growth retardation, wound healing issues, and increased infection susceptibility. Micronutrient shortfalls (in such as iron, folate, zinc, iodine, and vitamin A) can lead to intellectual impairment, poor growth, perinatal complications, and degenerative diseases.
A less than optimal diet can be altered and improved by increasing the intake of cleaner, more nutrient dense foods. A poor diet must, if possible for it, be improved as best can be done. This critical step leads to a the building of a healthier constitution. Better consumption leads to sustainable improvements in health and well being. Food items are the bricks, the components that are used to construct the building. The resulting building is the diet, the structure that gives evidence of the materials used for the construction thereof. One can throw together a ramshackle hut o one can erect a beautiful and fortified edifice. The choice will be made, whether or not it is made.
The distinction that can be made concerning food and diet does not make ineffectual their existing connection. The better the grade of consumed food, the more vitality and liveliness will be exhibited by the body. Society is awash with food products that are low in quality and provide subpar amounts the critical food constituents. The poor health outcomes from said consumption are the result of poor dietary choices. Yet, one’s own individual compromised wellness can be improved by making stepwise alterations toward the intake of better quality foods.
What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?
From a wellness standpoint,
Food is the bicycle. Diet is the path.
Diet:
a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons:
the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats:
Food:
material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy
Poor diet is the habitual consuming of food choices that do not provide adequate nutrition.
Research has linked processed foods to unhealthy weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and autoimmune disorders, among a slew of other health conditions. In today’s busy world, it’s challenging—and may seem almost impossible—to completely avoid processed foods.
Ab-Sutra Wellness and Fitness 