Healthy Living

The consumption of food is the consumption of food by an organism, typically in order to support development and to give an organism energy. Most of the human body is composed of cells which are capable of producing energy from various sources; such as the food that we eat. When the energy obtained from eating food and using the body’s energy production systems is not sufficient for our body to sustain life then we are said to be in need of a source of energy.

The amount of calories (calories that is taken in) that we consume from eating food depends on the type of food that we eat. The foods that we are eating today may be of very high calorie content; or the foods may be very low calorie content. Therefore, we should know that the amount of calories that we eat determines the amount of calories we expend, and the calories that we expend depend on the total amount of calories that we consume, and the rate at which we consume them. There are several factors that control the rate at which we expend calories; these factors are known as the metabolic rate, the speed of breathing, the pace of digestion, the rate at which our muscles contract and relax, and the rate at which our digestive tract absorbs food.

Metabolic rate is considered to be the rate at which the calories used up in our body are utilized during our food intake, and the rate at which our metabolism can convert the stored calories that we ingest into active energy. All other things being equal, if the metabolic rate is high then the rate at which our body expends energy will also be high, and this means that we are consuming more calories than we expend, thus causing a deficit in our body. However, there is another side of the equation when it comes to controlling our weight. When the calories that we consume are very high then our body will not be able to convert the calories into energy, resulting in a negative effect on the metabolism of the body.

The rate at which our body uses food depends on certain rate of breathing that can be associated with our brain, which is called the ventilatory drive. If the rate at which we breathe while eating is slow then our metabolic rate is decreased.

The next thing to do is to eat healthy, eat right and eat nutritious foods that are rich in nutrients and vitamins. By eating healthy foods, and eating nutritious foods we will help our body to use up the stored energy that it takes from the food that we eat; and this will help us in burning up the calories that we have consumed.

Effective ways of losing weight involves changing the way we eat. By practicing the five essential elements of an effective weight loss program, and also following an appropriate diet program, one can shed extra pounds and gain the energy that you need to continue to live.