Been in the mood lately to watch others taking on deathly adventures. Not sure what that means…but I recently watched the film Meru and just finished the book The Martian and loved them. Highly recommend both if you are a wanna-be-adrenaline-junkie like myself. Wow! Both describe unreal events….climbing uncharted territory and hanging from a mountain during a storm in a portaledge which scares the heck out of me (this picture says it all and takes my breath away) and surviving being stranded on a freezing desert planet….on another planet…by yourself! (I realize the book is fiction but listening to it on Audible, I really felt like I was right there with Mark Watney, holy moly)
Anyways, I digress, back to my point! What is my point? Right. My point is, in both of these insane stories, it all comes down to food. See how I did that? The nutrition nerd cannot help herself! Having enough food for fuel. And using food for just that – fuel. Fuel to keep your body running so you can function and do incredible things, like climb up a mountain or survive Mars.
We have all heard that term before – “Use food for fuel!” but how many of us actually think about it? We are so fortunate to have food available to us at all times. The majority of us are not starving nor hungry out of lack of resources. There is food accessible 24/7, food will be delivered right to your door, food is plentiful no matter the season, weather conditions or life circumstance. And how often do we look at food as fuel? We look at food and consider flavor, satisfaction, satiety, emotions, memories, comfort, cravings, social situation, price, status, preparation, convenience….but how often do we notice that food is fuel for energy?
The truth is, the number one thing that food provides is calories, which is energy. It is essential to our survival. And only when we hear incredible stories such as the guys on Meru or a man surviving Mars do we see how it really comes down to what you eat to survive a day.
Shall we all quasi starve ourselves and only eat the minimum to survive? No.
Shall we never enjoy a treat for celebration? Of course not.
Shall we never go to a comfort mood simply because we want to? Nope.
But, with each bite, appreciate what you have. And look at your plate and notice if you are eating a nutritiously dense plate of food with proteins, carbohydrates and fats so you are truly fueling yourself. Be grateful that you are not counting calories to survive, but use food to fuel the wonderful things you want to accomplish in a day.
Remember, your brain survives off glucose, which is sugar! So when you are deep in thought or highly productive, know that your food provided that moment.
Your eyes need sugar to see. When you are looking at something beautiful, thank your food for fueling your eyes to see.
When you accomplish a physical challenge, whether it be your morning workout, playing with your kids, trying something new or climbing a mountain, thank your food for giving your cells the fuel to take that step forward.
Be mindful, and appreciative for each bite. Use food to fuel you forward!