Voloshen Week 7- Good Food

     I absolutely love food. It can increase your mood, make you feel more energized, and it can even help you explore different cultures. I truly believe that food has away of bringing people together and lifting the mood of an event. I haven't always viewed food in this light though. As a kid, I had never paid any attention to what I was eating, but if it looked good I would eat it. Once I entered my freshman year, I realized that I would have to start eating healthier in order to run as competitively as I wanted to. So, my diet did a complete 180 over the summer of 2018. I began eating more fruits, vegetables, seeds, oats, nuts, and healthy proteins and I immediately felt a difference. Not only did I feel sustained and healthy on my runs, but I would feel that way as I was eating too. After a few weeks of eating healthier, I began to notice that my body started craving fruits and vegetables over sweets and fried food. 

    I knew that my body was craving these food for a reason contributing to my health, but I've always wondered what the exact benefits were that these foods provided. I decided to research some of my favorite fruits and see how they affect our bodies over periods of time. For example, mango is rich in Vitamin C, which our bodies need to form blood vessels and heal injuries. It is also a great source of potassium and magnesium, which play an important role in lowering blood pressure. Additionally, mangoes provide fiber to stabilize our digestive systems, folate for DNA replication, and antioxidants to fight cell-damaging free radicals.  

As I said before: I love food. It's nice to know that some foods love our bodies just as much. 

Benefits of eating mango: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-mango#1