How balanced is your diet?

"Oun tí ẹyẹ bá jẹ, ni ẹyẹ gbé fò."

Meaning: What a bird eats, it flies with.

It is common knowledge that the fundamental reason why we eat is to gain energy for our daily activities. This knowledge is reinforced by our cultural environment and value in reference to the above Yoruba adage. It is believed that we are only effective when we eat. This is of course true because when our body lacks glucose (energy), particularly our brains it has drastic consequences.

However, this knowledge has also made us negligent about every other benefit of eating to our body and everyday life. Hence, we don't seem to pay enough attention to the constituents of meals; not minding whether they are healthy or not. The importance of (healthy) eating cannot be overemphasized because its benefits go a long way beyond gaining energy. As a matter of fact, from elementary training, we have been taught, the basic components that make a meal healthy _(balanced)_ in terms of its nutritional value: Carbohydrates, Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals, Fats, and Oil and Water. But with growth into adulthood, the application of this began to grow vague thus making us miss out on a lot of benefits of a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.

Excessive intake of unhealthy diet has been seen to be one of the leading causes of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. It also leads to unwanted weight gain - ( obesity), which is a contributing factor to osteoarthritis. In addition to many other nutritional deficiencies, -, unhealthy eating has numerous harm in contrast to the intake of a healthy diet.

Eating healthy does not have to be flamboyant or extra. Simple actions and adjustments such as limiting sugar intake, taking enough water, ensuring at least an intake of fruit each day, making an effort not to skip any meal, taking time to eat without rushing, and paying attention to the contents of everything we consume. These and many more are pathways to a more productive lifestyle as well as healthy living.

As it was once said, never forget, "You are what you eat."

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