If you get a chance, be sure to check out the two part series that Sean Platt and myself had the chance to share at ProBlogger.  It’s about the how’s and why’s of having a blogging buddy.  Yesterday was part one and today, Darren will be publishing part two.  Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging…

Eat less, live longer?  You can type those words into Google and find all kinds of information on the subject.  But the general consensus seems to be that those who restrict their diet to a more ‘lite’ amount of calories and portion sizes (based on your body size and activity level, of course) may add a few years to their life.  And if nothing else, will probably suffer less health issues during their lifetime.

This, to me, makes absolute sense.  I don’t need to see the research and/or findings of countless studies to believe the idea that our bodies do better when we seldom ‘overload’ their systems.

Eating just enough.

The other night I went out to eat with Liz and her mom.  We decided on that nice chain restaurant, TGI…Forget what it’s called, and had a nice meal.  After that, we stopped at an ice cream shop and had a wonderful dessert.  But the fact was, I had a heavy dinner and a highly sugarafied dessert which left me waking up at 4am.  Now I know this is not quite the same thing as just ‘eating more’, but it got me thinking about the subject.

My grandmother used to always say, “You should always leave the table just a little bit hungry”.  This makes sense because it takes our minds 20 minutes or so to register all the food that we just ate.  But it also promotes the idea of eating a little lighter than our taste buds would prefer.

I used this analogy in last weeks Motivate2ACTION! post, but it’s quite appropriate here.  Our metabolisms are basically our fires burning inside us.  And just like a fire, feed it too much wood and you’ll snuff out the flames.  But if you put JUST ENOUGH to keep it at it’s optimal burn, you’ll have a strong, healthy fire that will produce the best heat possible.

I find that when I eat a somewhat heavy meal (or just a lot of protein) night after night, I eventually start to feel tired and lack the spark that I’m used to.  But as I lighten things up a bit I can just feel my flames burning hotter and cleaner.  I sleep better, have more energy and can even think with more clarity.  In other words, my body gives me a big, “THANK YOU!”

Do different diets make a difference?  Sidebar poll results…

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been adding polls just under the current months M2A! badge in the sidebar that coincides with the topic.  For this month I asked the question, “How would you categorize your diet?”  Then I listed some common categories to choose from.  So far this moth there have been 46 votes with these results:

• Balance of all foods: 35%
• Vegetarian: 33%
• High carbohydrate: 15%
• High protein: 9%
• None of the above: 7%
• Vegan: 2%

Based on those numbers it looks like many of you guys go for a good all around balance or lean more toward mostly/all veggies.  So my question is, “Do you think the type of diet also plays a role in keeping our fires at an optimal burn?”

I’ve already stated that I think protein needs to be kept to a minimum for a clean, hot burn.  It takes a lot more to digest it so, though it’s great for sustained energy, a little goes a long way.

The balls in your court…

I’m intentionally raising more questions than I’m answering because I know that most of you guys have a lot of great insight/opinions on this particular subject and I’d love to hear them.  So take a minute to chew on this post (I couldn’t resist…) and then share your thoughts on the concept of ‘eating light to live right’.