Nourish Your "Mercedes"
by Karen T. Davis, Nutritional Coach

Well let‘s pretend that our bodies are "Mercedes," are you fueling your "Mercedes" with diesel gasoline or regular? If we fuel them with the proper foods, our bodies can run for years with plenty of energy and no excess baggage (fat).

A friend of mine bought a new Mercedes a couple of weeks ago, a diesel. It’s the newest, best, trendiest car he could find. It ran smooth, and looked great. He loved to drive it. The problem with our friend is that despite the fact that he likes showy cars, he is extremely frugal and impatient. He doesn’t like searching for gas stations that sell diesel gas, and he definitely doesn’t like paying for it. For this reason if my friend is running short on time, or wants to save a few pennies, he stops at the most convenient gas station, even if they do not sell diesel. Over the past couple of weeks my friend has bragged to me about how much using a lower grade of gasoline has saved him in both time and money. I saw my friend just the other day. He was on the side of the road. There was a tow truck in front of him loading his car. 

So what does this story have to do with us? Well let‘s pretend that our bodies are "Mercedes," are you fueling your "Mercedes" with diesel gasoline or regular? Our bodies are magnificently built machines that are able to not only run efficiently, but look attractive. If we fuel them with the proper foods, our bodies can run for years with plenty of energy and no excess baggage (fat). If we choose to fuel them with cheap, convenience foods, than our tow truck may arrive sooner than we’d like.

Not only do we live in a fast paced world, where things are quick and convenient, but we are told from every angle that fast, and cheap are still good for you. Macaroni and cheese and hotdogs are part of a healthy meal as long as they are accompanied by canned green beans

If this is true than why are over half of all Americans now considered over weight or obese? A third of these are children or adolescents. The weight loss industry is a multi billion dollar industry, yet these numbers continue to increase. If counting calories, or trying the latest "fad" diet worked than these numbers would be decreasing each year. The fact is there are no quick fixes, or magic pills (regular gasoline). Just education. Education is the key to healthy changes. Think about this simple question: What kind of fuel was my body designed to use? I think you‘ll find the answer lies with nutritious, whole grain foods. 

Here are some ideas: (Diesel fuel for "Mercedes")

*Switch to whole grain breads, brown rice, whole wheat pasta.

*Eat fruit or vegetables for snacks.

*Add more beans and soy as protein to your diet.

*Eat less prepackage foods.

*Read labels. If it contains the words "processed" or "enriched" put it back.

*Avoid all artificial sweeteners.

*Avoid foods that have ingredients that you cannot pronounce or sound like a chemical.

*Eat a variety of foods. Whole grains, proteins, fruits, vegetables, etc.

When we start nourishing our "Mercedes" with the fuel it needs, it will run with high energy and the sleekness it was designed for. 

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