Delayed Consequences of the Food We Eat

There can be delayed debilitation, sickness, and unhealthiness from the food we eat. In our evolutionary past when we ate something that made us ill we left it alone after. Even now if we have a food that leaves us feeling sick we may never touch it again. Now, look at the world we live in. We buy food and eat food that we can guarantee is not going to make us ill. If  I eat a couple of jam doughnuts and drink orange juice I will be fine. I won’t feel sick, I won’t have the runs. 

But what about the cumulative effects of refined processed food? When will I be eating the slice of cake that pushes me into type 2 diabetes? What scoop of ice cream will be one that makes it hard to climb the stairs? What was the thing I ate that made my low-level inflammation chronic and noticeable? 

Our food is not poisonous. We do not have immediate or next-day feedback telling us that something is causing us harm. 

Making us less and less healthy... 

This delayed downside can only be countered by thinking about our wants. By knowing what outcome we want in life. By consciously consuming what will meet our needs over the long term. This may seem like hard work. But nowhere near as hard as having to dig it out of the ground with a stick or the possibility of being gored and dying from an infection. 

This abundance we have is wonderful. I shop and cook with my health in mind. It comes automatically after a while. It is not difficult once it’s a habit.  

We only need to act now

The words get in the way sometimes. A habit when we are performing it is a thing we are doing. (Stating the obvious Alex). Here is a definition ‘something that you do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that you are doing it’ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/habit

We do not have to deal with the whole habit, the repetitive compulsion, the big picture. All we have to do is notice the thing which we are doing now. This is why we need to be conscious when we are putting change into practice. We only perform one action at one time in one place. The question is: Is this action taking me to what I want? If the answer is NO, stop doing it. If the answer is YES, do it.

We are always doing something. Here is a scenario: you are sitting on your sofa watching TV. You said you were going for a walk or jog and it may be cold outside. Do you want to be on your sofa watching TV? (yes/no) You said you were going for a 30-minute jog or walk. Do you want to be going for a jog or walk? (yes/no) If you are conscious of sitting on your sofa you can stop doing it and go for the walk.  The yes and no at the moment do not matter. 

Whether you want to walk or you don’t. Whether you want to watch TV or you don’t.  Both are irrelevant. You said you were going for the walk. Are you a person who keeps their word to themself or not?

We do not have to fight an entire habit built up over the years. All we need to do is address that one action in that one place at that one time. The sofa habit will be weakened. The walking habit will be strengthened. More than that we can witness ourselves having power. We can see ourselves change. If we can do it at this moment in this place then we can do it again and again. We can change.

I can build a habit one action at a time