Are You Getting Enough To Eat

             

            Memorial Day just ushered in the unofficial start to the summer.  To those who fell off the New Year’s Resolution Weight Loss Bandwagon, now is the time many people saddle back up for a fast and furious ride to get in shape before summer hits in all of her fury.

            A lifestyle change is always the best choice for proper weight loss, according to most medical professionals.  Still, depending on the latest diet craze, at least one person in everyone’s inner circle is cutting calories, cutting carbs, cutting fat, or cutting nutrition.  I recently talked with a friend who’s on a diet (prescribed her doctor) where her calorie restriction is 500 per day!

            But imagine, if you didn’t eat ANYTHING for an entire week?  Perhaps, just perhaps you could survive on water, but you would become weak.  Now, imagine going an entire month without eating.  NOTHING.  Not crackers, not lettuce.  NOTHING.  Goose Egg.

            I am not a doctor; however, I do think many people who completely cut out food for a month would suffer severe damage to their internal organs.  And unfortunately, some would not survive at all.

            The recommended daily consumption of calories is 2000 to 2500 depending on how active the individual is.  So not eating for an entire month is like having a deficiency of 60,000 calories.

            It is so important to fuel the body with proper nutrition but even junk food will keep it running, even if not at optimal performance.

            On any given day, most people eat each day.  Some eat more meals than others, but unless the baby was sick and the project was due, we make time to eat.  We feed our bodies.

            Yet.

            On any given day, many of us do not feed our minds or our spirits.  Weeks and months can pass by and some of us rarely deposit anything of substance to help us grow. 

            Just like the body would become frail, damaged, and close to death without food for weeks or months, our minds and our spirits function the same way.  Social media does provide some informative discourse and at times, inspirational passages.  But, it’s not a substitute for ongoing deliberate regimen of learning, meditation, and self refection.

            Developing a daily ritual of reading, journaling, quiet time, and focusing within is a necessary part of a balanced emotional diet.  And ongoing educational investments in our careers and businesses are vital for our work livelihood too.

            Got soul food?