Fuel for the Machine

"I need food... the engine needs fuel."~Henry Chinaski, Barfly

I often find myself, as I did last night, at the grocery store doing some mid-week shopping. As Anne and I make our way around the megalo-mart, I can't help but get cuaght up in sneaking a peak through the carts of the other customers, to see just what it is they are buying. You can tell a litle somethng about a person by what it is they purchase at a grocery store. Let's face it, if you couldn't, why would stores spend millions developing the technology--via shoppers club-type cards--to track what each person purchases!

In light of this, I began to reconsider a recent article I had read, care of DailyOM. Dated August 24, the piece is entitled Fuel That Nurtures: Eating Right To Feel Better and it makes some interesting points regarding diet, health, and state of mind.

At its simplest, food is fuel... Most people are aware that it is vital we consume a diverse assortment of foods if we aspire to maintain a state of physical well-being. However, the intimate connection between diet and our mental well-being is less understood...

We are very much what we eat and while eating poorly can take a physical toll on our bodies (obesity), it is hard to comprehend the psychological or spiritual impact what we eat can have on us. That is not to say, necessarily, that if I eat "product x," I am making a choice to be "good" or "bad," but more of an acknowledgement that what we put in our bodies can have an effect on who we are and, sometimes, how we respond to certain situations (too much sugar or caffiene makes me a twitchy fool!).

A very basic (and extreme) example... I am reminded of a time about 10 years ago during which I taught GED classes to young adults in a very poor rural community. Many of the students would share tales of their past school failres in traditional schools, claiming the reason was that they could not bear sitting in classes and paying attention for the school day. While there are specific learning and emotional disabilities which preclude some from focusing, I must tell you, that I would often observe these same folks coming to class daily with at leats a single 2-liter bottle of soda, staying at class for an hour, and leaving with an empty container. For many this 2-liter bottle represented their breakfast or lunch.

A balanced, natural diet can ease mood swings, panic attacks, anxiety, and mild depression. Intellectual clarity and agility is improved when the mind receives proper nourishment. Even those individuals who are blessed with the ability to consume almost any food can benefit from a healthier and simpler diet. Since the mental and physical selves are closely bound to one another, we must feed each the foods upon which they thrive.

Continuing with the "food-fuel" analogy, if you elect to fill your car's tank with a low grade gas from an unregulated provider, it may be filled with glass, water, or whatever--and as a result your automobile's engine will in likelihood not run properly... similarily, isn't it safe to make the jump to our own internal engine, and the fact that by putting highgrade fuel in, it will run better?

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!