by Brett Blumenthal

Ugh.  I feel like crap right now.  The reality is, I haven’t eaten anything that bad, but I had lunch from P.F. Chang’s and a handful of Cheez-Its.  Lunch was relatively healthy, but there was a little fried chicken in one of the dishes, and let’s face it, Cheez-Its aren’t the best for you (Ingredients include enriched flour and partially hydrogenized soybean 0il), and boy…do I feel it!

Looking back 10 years ago, I don’t know that I would have been nearly as sensitive to some of the things I ate.  However, the older I’ve gotten and the healthier my diet has become, the more my body reacts when I DON’T eat healthy.  Typical ways my body lets me know that I made it unhappy: gassiness and bloating.  Ugh is right!  I feel like an over inflated balloon that is about to pop!

In my mind, as uncomfortable as the feeling can be, I’m somewhat thankful for this biological phenomenon.  My logic behind this is as follows:

1. Pavlov’s Theory: Feeling like this gives me a memory of pain and discomfort that I don’t want to repeat.  As a result, I have incentive to pass up on foods like Cheez-its when they get passed around.  The incentive isn’t around counting calories and being anal about my diet, but instead, it is around the fact that crap food makes me feel like crap…so uncomfortable that it isn’t worth the pain for the seemingly yummy, salty, cheezy treat. 
2. Rewards of Good Behavior:  There is a positive side and added benefit of not eating food that makes me feel terrible: I eat healthier and as a result, AM healthier.  This can only result in positive results!
3. Fine Tuned Machine: Having a physical response to unhealthy food tells me that my body is used to, and as a result, craves healthier foods…foods that provide real valuable nutrition, as opposed to empty or fatty calories.  In a sense, eating bad food is like putting cheap motor oil in a high-end race car.

Ok, so maybe some people think this is a load of ‘crap’, but I tell you…the healthier your diet, the more healthier you AND your body will want to be.   Have you ever had an epiphany of ‘crap’ food taking its toll? 

Related Topics:

• Healthy Eating Guidelines
• 5 Ingredients to Avoid
• Is Healthy Eating a Diet or Lifestyle?
• 8 Ways to Stay Honest at Eating Healthy
• Good Fats are Still Fat