We have been conditioned here, in America, to focus more on our short-term health than our long-term health. If for some reason you disagree with this, just hear me out first. I will be providing many examples of how we view health from a short-term perspective vs a long-term perspective that you may have never considered. I will also talk about the importance of a long-term perspective due to toxins in the body.
What are Toxins in the Body?
Chemicals in food, products, and air pollutants. This can include metals, plastics, pesticides, chemical additives, and more. There are toxins in food, but foods, in general, can be toxic in large quantities. This is why in my food blogs, I mention consuming less soy (which is usually GMO soy) because when we eat too much it is toxic to our bodies. Also, sugar and processed carbohydrates (wheat) are toxic to our bodies at the rate most people consume them. A reason for an increase in food sensitivities.
The whole concept of toxins can be a bit overwhelming, so I have a whole section on it in my blog: TOXINS. But if you read and applied some things from my food blogs, you are on your way to reducing toxins.
If you have some sort of chronic illness, you could have an overload of toxins in your body. Symptoms of toxicity can be diarrhea, digestive problems in general, stomach pains, brain fog, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and more. Read more here on How Toxins Cause Disease
Now, Focusing on Long-Term vs Short-Term Health
How Your Body is Your Home
Our bodies are the one home we have to live in throughout our lives. We can’t move out of or relocate when they become inconvenient for us. Truly think about this. Do you treat your body as a home?
Your cells in your body are what you are made of – trillions of cells. They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out specialized functions (MedlinePlus, 2021).
So are cells are literally the building blocks of our bodies, and we need to build them with proper nutrition. Because if you build your house with the wrong materials…what happens? You have mold growing in the walls, invasive species, or the house may even collapse on itself. It is important for your home to be built right isn’t it?? I mean you can always find a new place, instead of repairing it. But unfortunately, when it comes to your body, you can’t move out. Instead, you have to work hard to rebuild it.
How We Have Lots of Control
Everything you eat affects your cells which is literally what you are made up of, and your body can fall apart when it doesn’t have proper nutrition among other things. But the good news is, there is a bunch we can do to create healthy cells and repair our cells. And we have more control over our genetic makeup than previously thought. According to epigenetics, our genes don’t doom us. Our lifestyle greatly influences whether or not those crappy genes turn on.
“Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.” – Heather Morgan, MS, NLC
Every choice you make has an impact on not only your short-term health but your long-term, as well.
Caring for Your Body Like Your Car
Many people take better care of their cars than they do their own bodies.
We know that if we use the wrong type of gasoline in our cars it’s not going to run right. If your car requires diesel your not going to put in regular gasoline and expect it to run right, correct? Do you only go to certain gas stations because you’ve had problems with bad gasoline? It works the same way with your body, when it isn’t receiving the proper nutrients and given the care it needs, it’s not going to function right.
You keep giving it bad gasoline over time the car might break down, you keep giving your body lots of sugars, processed carbs, and other processed junk, over time it may break down. Like I mentioned above, these things are determining the make-up of your cells, they don’t just have a short-term effect on your health.
If you read a good portion of my food blogs, then you know the typical American diet is extremely hazardous to our health long-term. But, I’ve also mentioned it’s not really all our fault we have been manipulated by food companies, the food marketers, our healthcare system, the government, and more all in the name of profits.
How About Maintenance?
Do you perform regular maintenance on your car to help improve its longevity? You probably change the oil when it reaches a certain mileage and gets regular car washes to keep it from rusting, and so on. This is all to improve the longevity of the car (the health of the car long-term).
Do you think often about the long-term results of what you are feeding yourself, how much sleep you are getting, how often you work-out, how much stress you’re dealing with, and how much water you’re drinking? All these things matter for the longevity of your health. They are all important components in whether or not you get sick (cold, flu), or develop an illness or disease later on in life.
You probably wash your car regularly to prevent rust, especially during snowy, winter months (if you live in a state with real winter). But, have you considered ways to cleanse your body? Do you detox to keep toxins from accumulating in your body over time? View my blog: Methods to Detox Toxins Including Detoxing Naturally.
The Garbage Disposal
Have you ever treated your body like a garbage disposal? I know I have in the past!
Have you ever ate some junk food you didn’t really like (or expired food) because it was sitting in your pantry forever and you didn’t want to throw it out? Possibly because it feels like a waste. So you eat it, you don’t enjoy it, and it doesn’t do anything good for your body. But, at least it is gone now, right? I’ve definitely done this!
If you weren’t starving to death this wasn’t a great idea. The cost (the purchase of the food) has already been incurred (so it is a sunk cost). And your putting garbage in your body which can harm your body long-term, maybe it even damages the healthy diet you’re currently on. In addition, you didn’t even get some short-term satisfaction from it. But, if you just threw it away honestly no harm would have come from it.
Don’t worry, I have done it too. Because I have been conditioned to think about my health in short-term perspective since childhood. It is not easy to transition to a long-term perspective on your health, or to change the thoughts “we don’t waste food.” But it wasn’t a waste since it was garbage anyhow.
Another Garbage Disposal Scenario
Someone gifts you with some sweet treats that you eat, yet you know they contain way too much sugar (more than your comfortable with), or they damage the diet you’re currently on, or you might not even enjoy them. But you feel wrong not eating them, so you eat them anyway. But really you are treating your body like garbage disposal getting rid of them through consumption. They would be better off in the garbage (I know what a waste). Perhaps other options would have been denying the gift (hard to do, I know), giving them to someone else (I personally don’t feel right with this because I want to inspire others to eat healthily), so maybe the garbage just is the best fit. It all comes down to the circumstance, on which path I would take. However, I no longer consciously choose the path of my body being used as the garbage disposal.
I’m not going to put the wrong fuel into my car because I know it will not run right, it could harm my car long-term. Well your body works the same way!
Thinking Short-Term… Excuses We Make
Eating to Feel Better – A Short-term Perspective
Emotional eater? This is maybe my #1 biggest food struggle. I love food as comfort. Food in the past was often my way of coping with stress. But I’ve definitely improved upon this! I have improved through being mindful of that moment when I consider turning to food for comfort. Then, also realizing other things I can do to work on my stress and doing some of those things instead. Using food for emotional comfort can create long-term problems, like the obvious weight gain or even the effects of not properly handling stress.
Can’t Afford to Eat Healthily – A Short-term Perspective
We can all afford more sleep, stress management, drinking more water. I don’t think I need to argue those. I can’t speak on everyone’s different budgets for eating healthy. It just comes down to… if you don’t pay more now, you will pay more later.
I can’t afford to eat as healthy as I should either. I still feel like I could be doing better, even though I do better than the average American. Every year though I make changes to eat just a bit more healthy than the year prior. Starting small is better than not starting at all. You may find ways to reallocate money once you see the changes that come from eating healthier. I absolutely could have not afforded to eat the way I do now when I was in college, but more salads would have been a great, simple idea. There was also a lot of foods that could have been eliminated from my diet.
I’m in Good Shape – I Exercise – I Can Eat What I Want
I remember back in high school when I used to think this way and I was drinking lots of soda, eating sometimes a pretzel with cheese and chocolate milk for lunch. Yes, that was a full lunch. But I wasn’t even slightly overweight and I ran track and played tennis. Sure I burned off a lot of what I ate, but I can tell you all the sugar and processed crap I ate has affected my current health. I’m sure of it. We accumulate toxins over our lifetime.
It doesn’t matter how great your metabolism works, or how much you work out. Short-term you are going to have less energy if you eat poorly. Long-term you increase your possibilities of developing a chronic illness. Which is roughly 45% of people today.
Other Barriers to Long-Term Health (Excuses We Make)
Not Enough Time to Eat Healthily, Exercise, or Sleep
You eat junk food because it is the only thing available at the time, time won’t allow for anything else. I know we have all done this!
This is something I have significantly improved upon over the years! If I eat junk food it is not because of a time constraint. Yes, most quick or fast-food restaurants are junk food, but there are places where you can get salads and just add your own dressing at home. Restaurants are adding a lot more options that are healthier these days such as zucchini noodles at Noodles and Company. Also, a lot of the time you can view calorie counts online and ingredient lists for many major fast-food chains.
There is no need to go through the McDonalds drive-thru because you don’t have time – that is just not a great excuse. That’s the very last place you will find me eating. There are also quick meals you can cook at home in a crockpot in advance, an instant pot, or just through some meat in a skillet and some veggies to go with it.
If you thought long-term, you might choose something different. Also if you are really busy, you need something healthy to help you with the energy to not only get things done, but focus to do things the most effective way possible.
Tools for Quicker Meals
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Sterilizer, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 6 Quart, 14 One-Touch Programs My husband and I have found this Instant Pot helped us cook rice, quinoa, meat, vegetables, and other foods faster. We have made some delicious recipes in 1/2 the time it would normally take.
Planning for Travel
When I go on road trips, I plan a list ahead of time of healthy snacks or even meal foods I can bring to eat in the car. That way I’m never so hungry I settle for whatever fast-food restaurant chain is nearby. Then, I will often stay in Air BnB’s because not only are they usually cheaper, but I can also cook my own breakfast in the morning to eat healthier, save money, and even time! If I fly, I always pack some healthy snacks so I can eat them when we can’t find food right away. It also not ideal for me to become hangry!
There is always time for sleep and exercise. You might just need to switch out some of your other priorities. But if you really are that swamped with responsibilities, you should reach out to family, friends, a church community, or someone else who can help with whatever is keeping you from prioritizing your health.
I Don’t Like Vegetables
Um, nobody does! Okay, some people do, but most of us don’t eat them because we love them, we eat them because we understand we need to!
Most of us would love a bowl of ice cream, some fried fish, or our favorite bag of potato chips over eating vegetables. So just get over that. Not to be mean, but you just learn to like them, I did. Ten years ago there was no way you would find me eating raw vegetables like carrots or green beans as a snack, but today you would. For some people that might sound incredibly unlikely. But for me, if my body feels off and I know I haven’t eaten enough vegetables, I will snack on them plain and raw to get my body to feel better again. I have found ways to really enjoy vegetables.
The best way to eat vegetables for some people might be finding flavorful recipes that center around vegetables or integrate vegetables. Juicing is one great way to incorporate more vegetables into your life. Then, it won’t seem so painful. Plus, I have found the healthier I eat, the better my body works, and the more my appetite increases for vegetables.
With a juicer you get more nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes from fruit and vegetables than you would just eating them whole. It also helps with detoxing and providing your body with lots of energy! This juicer is easy to use and clean. I can tell you they are not all easy to clean. Mueller Austria Juicer Ultra 1100W Power, Easy Clean Extractor Press Centrifugal Juicing Machine View Item.
Here is a great book to get on juicing (I don’t get any commission on this), but I’m still going to recommend it: The Big Book of Juices: More Than 400 Natural Blends for Health and Vitality Every Day. I love it has some very simple recipes and says whether each will help with energy, digestion, skin, immune health, detoxing, etc.
I Don’t Like to Cook
No problem, just hire an in-home chef. No, I’m just kidding. I personally can’t and probably will never be able to afford that. So in all seriousness now…
I feel like that is just a skill you have to learn like you have to learn how to do laundry, dishes, or fixing stuff in your house (if you own one). If you are one of those people that will eat whatever someone puts in front of you, if you can eat the same stuff for days, then you can just learn a couple of simple recipes. In addition, just find a very health-conscious restaurant and order the same super healthy meals every time. You can also cook huge meals when you do cook and freeze them to eat at a later time. Cooking can be super fun if you find recipes you really enjoy!
Here are some recipes that may help you to enjoy cooking with loads of flavors and healthy ingredients. Plus, easy instructions. One-dish meals also make for great leftovers. Unbelievabowl Paleo: 60 Wholesome One-Dish Recipes You Won’t Believe Are Dairy- and Gluten-Free View Item
Eating Junk at Friends Houses or Family Gatherings
If you know your friends or family normally serve or will be serving foods that are heavily processed, or food that just doesn’t fit into your diet, you don’t have to just smile and eat it. You can choose to eat before you go over there, bring a healthier dish to share that you enjoy, or explain that you are on a special diet for health reasons and bring your own food. It is perfectly okay to be selective about what you put into your body. It is your home, you have to live there – they don’t. Most if not all of our friends and family know how health-conscious my husband and I are and are pretty accommodating.
In Conclusion,
Although I’ve focused mostly on food, all aspects of our health are important in the long-term. Food is just the thing we have been most conditioned to view wrong. There are not too many lies around sleep or exercise.
If you don’t sleep enough it will harm your health in the future, your body does physical and mental repairs while you sleep.
For other advice on what to focus on for long-term health view my section: Wellness Lifestyle. In short, if you don’t sleep enough it will harm your health in the future, your body does physical and mental repairs while you sleep. You might consciously not be doing much, but your body is doing a lot! Drinking enough water, exercising, keeping stress under control are all just as important as your diet for your long-term health!
If we can condition ourselves to focus more on our long-term health than our short-term health, our short-term health will improve, as well. Our health overall will be exceptionally better.
The ultimate goal is to just be more conscious of what we are putting in our bodies, and how we are taking care of them.
Here are a couple of great articles to read that address the long-term dangers of toxins:
Common food additives and chemicals harmful to children (of course all these things are harmful to adults too, but are worse for children).
9 Steps to Perfect Health – #1: Don’t Eat Toxins
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Affirmations and Tips to Developing Healthier Perspectives
View ALL my Flaws in Healthcare Blogs:
- Flaws in Healthcare Making & Keeping People Sick
- Perfect Weight Doesn’t = Healthy – Cellular Health Matters More
- ILLNESS is RARELY JUST PHYSICAL Problems
- How to Strengthen Your Immune System & Defend it When it’s Weak
- Facts on Germs & Immune Health to Uncover the LIES
- Cure vs Treatment & The MULTIPLE Problems with “CURES”
- Shocking History of Modern Medicine
- Expecting A Quick Fix & Relying TOO Much on Modern Medicine
- Why We Shouldn’t Wait to Fix Health Problems!
- Health is Deteriorating in the U.S. (Health Conditions Becoming Common)
Resource:
MedlinePlus/What is a cell? Retrieved from: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/basics/cell/
I have a Wellness Coach Certificate, I'm an entrepreneur, an innovator, writer, and artist. My expertise includes over 7 years of marketing, research, and developing content for holistic health businesses. Plus, my own personal journey of becoming chronically sick: understanding what went wrong, and finding a way to heal and live a healthier life. I have a passion for wellness with a wealth of knowledge surrounding: wellness, flaws in healthcare, root causes for chronic illnesses, and alternative treatments.
