Along with exercise, food you consume has the greatest effect on your energy and the level of your health awareness. Paying close attention to your diet will support your physical well-being while, at the same time, making it easier for you to find the mental, emotional and spiritual harmony you are seeking. The statement “you are what you eat,” is very true, in that you take on the energy of the foods you ingest.

Heavy foods such as red meats, or dishes loaded with fat, tend to weigh heavily on an individual, making you feel lethargic. They also use up quite a bit of energy in the digestive process. These types of foods surely fill you up initially, but have you feeling empty later on.

Foods lighter to the body such as fruits, veggies and grains put less stress on your digestive tract. These nutrient-rich foods full of vitamins and minerals require very little energy to digest. This is one reason why vegetarians tend to have consistently higher levels of energy and endurance. The only effect of eating these foods that encompass a diet filled with fruits, veggies and grains, is better health. On the other hand, too much refined foods, meats and processed foods can lead to definite health risks.

To find the best diet for you, keep a daily journal of everything you eat for a period of several weeks or longer. What you eat certainly affects your energy and health. The simpler the diet, the easier it is for the body to handle it. This simply means that you will be putting less stress on your digestive tract, less energy taken up in digestion and more energy for normal daily function of activities.

Make sure to consume the most important meal of the day, breakfast. This meal begins your day with glucose being pumped from the blood stream into the brain as energy to carry out your daily functions. For clear-headed thinking and sustained energy, eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein – like a bowl of cereal with low-fat milk and a banana. Or even make a fruit smoothie with real fruit and milk or yogurt. You also want to keep snacks with you to provide energy during your day. Choose the healthy and light on calorie snacks. Try to incorporate veggie sticks such as bell peppers, celery or zucchini, yogurt and fresh fruit or peanut butter and whole-wheat crackers into your snack rotations.

With food it must be remembered that it’s not only what you eat that’s important, but also the way you eat it. Food that is selected intelligently and eaten consciously – which means chewing it well and not over-eating – has beneficial effects far beyond those of nutrient value. You are taking in energy in the form of food, and you in turn are enlivened and energized. Although the changing of ones diet is one of the hardest things to make, it is very possible with the will power and respect for self to change. Being guided by a vision of radiant health and energy, you will soon forget about your old dietary habits.