Healthy Living

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Eat like crap = Feel like crap

Stomachache

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? 

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Comments 1-3 of 3
  • carvergirl616's Avatar
    Posted by carvergirl616 Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:34am PDT

    This always happens to me - I just wish I would remember that BEFORE I start eating crap food! A lot of the problem is that it tastes so good initially and then I overeat. The truth is that we feel that way because processed food is horrible for our bodies. It's loaded with preservatives and sodium, really nothing nourishing for our bodies. For a grear alternative to eating a poor lunch, check out this prevention blog at http://buzz.prevention.com/community/coffee-boone/healthy-sandwiches-without-white-sliced-bread. It may take a little extra time on your part - but will certainly leave you NOT feeling like crap!

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  • Haley L's Avatar
    Posted by Haley L Thu Oct 2, 2008 9:14pm PDT

    SOoooo true.

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  • Lizbeth's Avatar
    Posted by Lizbeth Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:28pm PDT

    Yes! hahahaha. Um, it's been happening everytime I eat sugar these days. I've been making my own baked goods so even my sweet tooth is getting satisfied on less (using egg whites, whole wheat flour and halfing the sugar or using healthy subs like honey) If I eat just 1/4 of a regular bar of dark chocolate I get instant nausea, dizzy, the spins, almost like a caffeine rush (which I can't do anymore either), thus I almost never eat it and keep my 'fitness brownies' around instead.

    I usually feel sick after movie popcorn too, but I'm never giving it up :)Nothing a little chamomile and cardio can't fix!

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