Fill ‘er up! (with the right fuel)
Most of us know more about the fuel our cars need to run efficiently than our bodies. Fortunately, it’s pretty simple. The only fuel our cells need is a healthy balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat.
Carbs, meaning the good kind… veggies, fruit, whole grains…not the white sugar, white rice, white flour foods that have had all the nutrition processed right out of them (regardless of what the label says) ; Protein in the form of nuts, seeds, legumes, beans and organic meat, fish, eggs, if you choose ; Fat in the form of healthy oils, nuts, avocado, etc.
Our body knows what to do with these. It was designed to break down the carbs into glucose (sugar) molecules that are absorbed into our system then swiftly taken to our cells where they’re fuel tank is checked.
Our pancreas produces insulin to escort the glucose to our cells and check to see if they’re running a little low. If so, they get just enough fuel to top them off, then the rest is sent to our built-in storage tank, the liver. There, the fuel sits until we need it…. maybe between meals, or while we’re sleeping or exercising.
That is, if our built-in storage tank isn’t already crammed full with excess energy (glycogen). If it is, the liver converts the excess into fatty acids, or triglycerides, which then gets promptly placed around our middle. Lovely…. just in time for swimsuit season.
yOr, the excess triglycerides in your system result in higher LDL (the bad kind) of cholesterol, which can cause heart disease and all kind of other problems.
Like your car, you don’t have to memorize the owner’s manual to have your body run efficiently. You just need to know a few basics… like which fuel works best for you. If you use the right fuel, your body will thrive. It is designed to give you the energy, passion and vitality to get wherever you want to go in life. ‘
Learn more about Eating for Energy (including easy recipes) at my workshop at Barefoot Studio on Saturday, March 10th, 2012 at 2:30!
