Eat Intelligent Food

a) What Are Intelligent and Unintelligent Foods?

Food is the fuel of the human brain. What we feed our mouth, feeds our mind. Our mental health is only as good as our physical health – the richer the input we give our body, the superior the output the brain produces.

Most people are oblivious about the quality of food that they consume. We sacrifice long term dietary health for instant gratification. Knowingly or unknowingly, we feed our body with junk that only makes our stomach full, but has little to no nutritional value.

We live in times where such “unintelligent” foods are becoming more and more accessible. The demand for such processed food items is high since they are quick and easy to eat – and there is no shortage of supply. Which is why it is becoming increasingly important to know about and consume “intelligent” foods.

So the question arises, what are intelligent and unintelligent foods?

Intelligent Foods

Intelligent foods are, simply put, foods that enhance our brainpower and prolong our life. Regularly consumed, they ensure the most efficient functioning of our body and mind. These intelligent foods are unprocessed, unpackaged, naturally occurring gifts from Mother Nature that are free from growth-enhancing chemicals, added flavours and artificial add ons. Consuming such organic foods is a sure shot way of living a long, happy and fulfilling life. They provide consistent nutrition for our body and nourishment for our soul.

A few examples of intelligent foods are organically grown farm-fresh colourful fruits, leafy vegetables, whole grain foods (bread and oatmeal), “good fats” containing fish oils (cod liver oil), rice cakes, dried fruits, yoghurt and organic beverages such as green tea and fresh water.

Unintelligent Foods

Unintelligent foods are junk dietary items that diminish our brain power and worsen our health over time. These usually involve packaged, processed and pesticide-infested foods. It is quite “unintelligent” to consume these items, yet ease of convenience and lack of awareness makes us repeatedly take this unwise decision. Unintelligent foods include eatables that are taste focused, but are severely lacking in nutritional benefits. They serve as fast foods that give us instant gratification and do little more than fill our appetite.

Examples include all junk foods (burgers, fries, potato chips, etc), high sugar consumables (soda, bakery products, packaged fruit juice), white bread, industrial vegetable oil, high-calorie coffee and all pre-cooked and processed food in general.

b) Why Eat Right?

1. Eating Is A Choice. Would You Choose Short Term Gratification – or Lifelong Fulfilment?

If we observed the lives of the people who left earth due to natural causes, one thing will become increasingly clear – those that live a long and happy life always have a healthy diet, while those that don’t often do not.

The food we consume is a choice we make at least thrice a day, every day, all our life. It is the essential power source that makes us run. So many smart and successful people emphasize greatly on paying attention to what you put in your stomach; they deeply realise how important a role it plays in their day to day performance.

Here are 4 key reasons why you should consider revamping your diet for a better tomorrow:

To provide vital nutrients that quicken cell growth and repair cells faster as well as to increase the rate of removal of toxins from the body.
Eating healthy means reduced risk of life-threatening diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
You will experience elevated moods, increased energy and more alertness throughout the day.
Your life expectancy and productivity will improve drastically.

Eating right is a choice that we all know we should make, but we often don’t. We sacrifice our long-term health for the short-term gratification we receive from eating the junk that we eat. We think we are constrained by time, money or just our unchecked desires to be able to make this choice.

But the truth is that it is easier than we think it is. More importantly, it is essential. In today’s times, processed, unhealthy food items have become more accessible than ever. But what’s also true about these times is that our access to intelligent foods, and health experts who can help us tremendously in getting our dietary health back on track – has increased a lot as well.

So it is up to you now to make this crucial choice – would you eat fast, or would you eat right?

2. Disease Starts with What We Eat. Disease Ends with What We Eat Too.

Foods that are high in sugar, trans fats, artificial flavours and additives are all linked to a variety of chronic diseases that drain us of our life force. When we eat out, especially in cheap outlets that serve fast food, we make ourselves vulnerable to all sorts of foodborne diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Big commercial outlets might be more hygienic, but the fried and junk foods that we consume there has little to no nutritional value and serves only to satisfy our taste addictions.

It is evident that the food we put in our mouth plays a major role in whether and how often we fall sick. What we often do not realise is that we can easily avoid these diseases just by having organic, home cooked meals – which can be made just as delicious as the junk we eat out. That is food that nourishes not only our body, but also our soul

We spend billions of dollars on pharmaceuticals for the prevention and cure of diseases every year, severalfold more than what we spend on an organic diet. Just imagine how much of our hard-earned money we can save in our lives if we start eating healthy, today.

3. General Rules for Choosing Intelligent Food

Below is an easy-to-digest list of intelligent foods that will set you up well for a healthy lifestyle. So, the next time you go shopping for groceries, keep this “intelligent” list handy.

Colourful Fruits and Vegetables – The colour of a fruit or vegetable is directly indicative of a specific nutrient that they possess. Each colour family has a particular health benefit – the more the colour in your grocery basket, the more the variety of nutritional gains So the next time you go to the supermarket try and pick at least one fruit or vegetable for every colour in the rainbow.
Locally Grown Organic Foods – Whenever possible, go for organic foods available in the farmer’s market. Not only do they have higher nutritional value, they are free from harmful pesticides too. You can also opt for organic milk from cows that have grazed on natural, sweet grass like Mother Nature intended to instead of organic feed mixed with produce boosting chemicals.
Fat – That’s right. One of the most misunderstood dietary nutrients is fat. It is just as essential as the commonly known “good guys” proteins and vitamins. Just look out for any products that have “trans fats” labelled as one of the ingredients – they are linked to various heart diseases. Instead, go for Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats (found in fish oils) which are immensely beneficial for you.
Fresh Water and Air – It is imperative to drink fresh water throughout the day and to take the time out to take long deep breaths of clean air. Nothing refuels our energy and replenishes our brain cells better than this habit. Also, try drinking cleansing beverages such as green tea instead of overindulgent consumption of coffee.

4. The Benefits of Eating Intelligent Foods

If your diet consists of a balanced combination of intelligent foods such as fruits and vegetables of many colours, whole grains, good fats and lean protein, then you’ll surely reap the following benefits over time:

Weight regulation
Reduced risk of life-threatening diseases like cancer and diabetes
Enhanced hearth health and reduced risks of stroke
Strong teeth and bones
Better gut health
Improved memory
Improved sleep
Less stress and a better mood

5. The Price We’ll Pay If We Continue To Eat Unintelligent Foods

Processed food, by design, is opposing in nature to what high-intelligence food offers. A lot of their essential vitamins and minerals are lost in the manufacturing and packaging process. Commercial food manufacturers then try to artificially add the same back and sell these inorganic consumables by fooling us into thinking they are high in so and so “x” supplement. Worse, we believe them. We are tricked into thinking that the pre-processed, pre-cooked items we luxuriously take in are having all the desired health benefits they claim to

It is high time we opened our eyes to the truth of these unintelligent foods we eat, knowingly or unknowingly, too much of. If not, then a wide variety of health problems, diseases and a shorter life expectancy are only an inevitability. We must make the essential choice of switching our diet, now. Not only will it considerably improve our lives, it will improve that of our next generation to come as well.

6. Advise, Consultancy and a Better Future

There’s a large variety of wholesome, healthy food options to choose from out there. You might find yourself confused regarding what choices to make, and not every choice will be the right one for you either. While it is better to just start somewhere, it is best if you talk with experts that will help you hit the ground running.

While devising a diet plan, it is important that you take factors such as body type, body weight, family health history and such into account. It is also important to know your current health status holistically and set achievable dietary health goals.

The experts at Ayurvedian can help you set a diet plan that is perfect for you. We take a wholesome approach tailored to maximise your physical and mental fitness with a diet plan that is optimum for you in every regard.

Consider booking an appointment with us. We are confident that we can help shape a better, healthier, happier future for you.