Eat For Your Life

The Benefits of Healthy Eating and Massage

GSMC healthy Food heart

Though it is a painful cliché, “You are what you eat” couldn’t be any more accurate. Though there is still a lot of research to be done in how nutrition eating certain foods can aid you in recovering from an illness (or avoid getting one!), eating a balanced and moderated diet is an essential to maintaining one’s health overall. Your behavior, state of mind, and physical health are all impacted by your eating habits and the food that you eat.

Think of your body as a car. The inside parts need to work to make the entire car move and transport you. You wouldn’t want to put some random junk in your car to make it move knowing that it will potentially cost thousands of dollars to repair if it causes damage. So why would you do that to your body? If your inner organs are stressed and/or not functioning properly because of the junk that you put in your body, it can negatively impact your physical and mental health and lead to chronic and stressful diseases. For example, regularly consuming too much fat may lead to weight gain and fatigue. Though we need some in our diet (especially the healthy ones!) to produce hormones in our body, too much can lead to several unwanted problems.

However, you shouldn’t approach your life as a series of limitations on what you should or shouldn’t eat. This shaming and evasive way of living life only causes additional anxiety. Instead, try approaching life with the perspective of what will benefit you most in the long run.

There are several tricks to help yourself consume as much as you want or need without stressing yourself out or overdoing it in the fat, sugar and salt departments:

Eat whole foods when you can. Compiling chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini, a serving of avocado, a serving of hummus, and rice (add nuts for extra protein!) and you’ve got a balanced meal of vegetables (also known as nutrients), carbohydrates and protein that is comprised almost entirely of whole foods.

- Eat smaller portions more often. Eating more often can increase your metabolism, or at least maintain it. However, it is important to continue to choose healthy options and still pay attention to portion size. In addition, eating smaller portions makes it easier for your body to digest properly, which subsequently prevents problems like heartburn and indigestion.

- Prepare your meals ahead of time. In our fast paced society, it is incredibly hard to eat healthy on a budget, especially if you also have a family. Preparing your meals and/or snacks ahead of      time not only saves you money, but saves you time. Check out these great websites for a start if you need a creative boost for your meal prepping ideas!

 - As always, if you have a concern or are experiencing chronic problems, it is best to talk to your doctor and/or nutritionist.

If you pair eating well with regular massage, it is probable that you will see a steady increase in your overall health. Taking care of your insides is just as important as taking care of the “outsides”. Since both massage and a healthy diet have been known to increase positive mood, why not take the extra step and also improve your diet and eating habits? G-Spa massage will be offering a massage and nutrition package for the month of June. Be sure to ask about it at your next appointment! Click HERE for the June Massage and Meal promotion