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Eat Well, Think Well


Foods and water are important to our survival. In Moslow's hierarchy of needs, they are in the base of human physiological needs pyramid.

Without foods for three (3) weeks and without water for a week, we can hardly live. According to Business Insider. Mahatma Gandhi survived 21 days of complete starvation as part of his non-violence advocacy. That was his longest fasting in 1924.

Have you watched the movie "The Roman Empire"? In old times one of the strategies of early warriors to defeat the opponents was to starve them by burning stock of grains so they would lose strength to fight. Needless to say, for us to win our individual and group wars, our stomachs must not be empty. Foods and water fuel our body to function properly. Even if the fighting spirit to win is very high, if the body is weak, what can we do?

For some months I have heard some friends around complaining about late releases of salaries. It is really tough times and I advised them to just patiently wait as it better than being jobless. But they lose motivation and energy while waiting. Employers must realize that salaries and wages of their staff / workers must be their top priority because they morale and productivity will go to the lowest point. Same is true with some freelancers who were not paid on time or not all by their clients without considering that every minute of living particularly in a foreign has a high cost. They lose energy.

But there are also those who are provided with healthy meals for free by their companies. That factor of taking their employees' wellness into a consiseration is a big reason for employees to stay and squeeze their best to perform their jobs effectively.

According to Virginia Woolf, English novelist, 'A Room of One's Own', "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

One time I took a taxi and the driver was hot tempered but he apologized. "Madam, me no eat. Sorry." I gave him a tip and told him to buy something to eat. What do you expect when you talk to a hungry person? Most starving people's minds do not function well.

We must not skip eating the right foods, unless we do fasting. Sometimes life throws us problems like sickness or death of a family member, loss of job, divorce, natural calamities and others that will make us financially drained. No matter what happens, do something to have foods to eat.

What are your food choices? Per Dr. Nicole Avena of PsychologyToday.com, "Our daily food choices are influenced by a variety of other factors including the social situations we find ourselves in, our budgets, sleep schedules and stress levels, as well as the amount of time we have to prepare and eat a meal."

Here most expatriates resort to instant foods normally because of less preparation time as most of them are busy at work and on sharing accommodation so use of kitchen things like gas range / stove and others are shared, too, that they have to wait for their turn to prepare the ingredients and cook. Instant noodles, oatmeals and soups are their common picks. Or they go to food courts and buy ready-to-eat foods. Many people also order foods via phone or online for home delivery of 'quick' meals, which we know, are not that healthy.

I recommend that you always include healthy foods for the brains. Per Healthline.com, the following are the best ones -- fatty fishes (salmon is my favorite), coffee, blueberries, turmeric, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolates, nuts, oranges, eggs and green tea.

Do you passionately make good foods and delight your family members, relatives and friends with your recipes? For sure the sweetest and brightest smiles will be seen on their faces.


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Photo credits:  Pixabay

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