TT15 - Why I Care About Nutrition (And Why You Should Too)

Nutrition is something that has had a major positive effect on my life. Through years of trial and error and a lot of evaluation, I've learned to associate what I put into my body with how I feel both mentally and physically. But is nutrition that important? Does it really have the ability to drastically affect how you feel?

When I was in high school, I started to experience some major stomach issues. I remember the first time very vividly; I had just gone on a date with a girl, and after leaving the restaurant, I started to feel extremely nauseous. This nausea left me sick to my stomach in her bathroom with absolutely no idea what was going on.

Flash forward to late high school and college; whenever I was put in social situations that made me uncomfortable or nervous, I found myself with this same sick feeling, which I decided to define as anxiety. I found that no matter what I tried, the only way that I wouldn't get physically sick when anxious was to starve myself for a few hours before any social event.

Years of trial and error ensued. I tried therapy, I tried prescriptions, and at the end of it all I was still left with this feeling. As much as I wish I did, I don't remember the exact moment that I made the connection, but what I eventually realized was that what I put in my body had a direct effect on the way that I was feeling.

This realization forced me to become more in tune with my body. I would eat certain foods, and then see how those foods made me feel. With every trial and every experiment, I slowly started to zone in on the types of food that were causing these types of feelings. Not only did I realize that food had a direct effect on my anxiety, but I also realized that it had a direct effect on the emotions that I was experiencing as well.

I would be in a great mood, and once I ate a food that didn't agree with my body, I would find myself extremely upset for no apparent reason. Once again, this realization forced me to be even more careful with the foods that I was putting in my body; it forced me to realize my 'why' of eating healthy. Then, when I was put in a situation where I could decide between foods, it was an easy choice for me to choose the option that agreed with my body more.

To top it off, I was always motivated to perform my best at the gym, and I found that what I ate the day of and the day before my workout had a direct effect on my performance. If I had something that didn't agree with my body, I would not only be sluggish, but I also would be somewhat nauseous. 

These realizations about nutrition were all discovered before I read that 95% of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut(1). I figured this information out before hearing about the enteric nervous system, otherwise known as the second brain (which is located in the stomach)(2). But once I found out these facts, all of it started to make sense; what we put in our body has a direct effect on how we feel both emotionally and physically.

Because of pushing myself to feel the best that I could feel, over time I began to put a huge emphasis on the foods that I fed my body. The better I felt in public and the better than I could perform at the gym, the more it motivated me to be even more strict with my diet. Over time, I truly developed a passion for nutrition.

But why is this story important? Why do I bother opening up about a pretty dark period of my life? I'm telling you all of this because I truly want you to make the food-feeling connection. If you haven't already, it's time to be more strategical with the food and drink that you're putting into your body. It's time to evaluate; if you feel nauseous, tired, or even anxious or depressed at some point during the day, what foods have you consumed for the past few meals that could have caused this? Be your own experiment. Try foods, see how they make you feel, and based on your findings, adjust your diet.

If you truly take the time to do this, and you truly take the time to understand this connection, you are going to see amazing changes in your health, and even your happiness. And maybe, if you see a powerful change, you may become as invested in nutrition as I am.

Sources:

(1) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/
(2) http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/basics/gi_nervous.html

Connect With Me On Social:

Quotes To Share: