Visualise your room...
What's in it?
What kind of room is it?
Is it messy or tidy?
I think one could say that a room reflects a person's life.
A book lover's room would be lined with lots of books.
A child-centered household would have lots of children's toys around.
Personally, I'm not very good at tidying up, so I just have the bare essentials for daily life and items to enjoy my hobbies, positioned where I do each activity. However, since I have many "hobbies", things tend to accumulate, so I try to quickly discard anything I no longer need.
If you analyse someone's room, you can understand their way of life.
My sister and her husband live in Tokyo, but as minimalists, they don't even have a table in their room. Apparently they eat side-by-side at a counter by the window.
While minimalism is trendy, there are still plenty of people who want to own lots of things.
To accommodate more possessions, you need a larger room, but then it's harder to maintain order.
My personal ideal is to have just the bare essentials in a reasonably-sized space. Having an uncluttered living environment seems conducive to a richer mind and spirit, don't you think?
In fact, the human body works in a similar way.
If you think your room is messy...
Isn't your diet also disordered, relying on convenience stores and eating out?
If you think you have too much stuff...
Are you overeating or taking too many supplements?
If your room is very business-like...
Are you eating the same thing every day?
Just as a room reflects one's lifestyle, I think the same tendencies can be seen in the food we eat, which is closest to us.
In elementary school home economics class, we all learn about a healthy, three-meal-a-day model diet. However, the human body is more complex, and we each have different capacities, so adjustments are necessary. For starters, there are differences between men and women. We also differ in height, weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone density, and basal metabolic rate. Many of these factors are genetically determined, making them hard to change through lifestyle alone. Chronic conditions also play a role.
Therefore, to live a comfortably healthy life every day, you need to have a solid grasp of your own physical constitution and determine an appropriate dietary style. According to traditional Chinese medicine, men should consume foods that nourish the "spleen", while women need foods that nourish the "liver". I'll skip the details on Chinese medicine, but those trying to build muscle likely consume more protein, while those pursuing beautiful skin are likely mindful of vitamins and collagen.
In other words, the primary purpose for us in consuming food is nutrient intake.
But before that, there is something crucially important:
Regular detoxification through "bowel movements".
Just like with a room, if you exceed capacity, no matter how good the input, it won't make it inside. Especially if waste is caked onto the intestines, you'll be constantly absorbing impurities into your body instead of nutrients, leading to physical and mental issues that may manifest as skin problems.
Considering bowel movements is thus extremely important for building an ideal body.
Many women do indeed struggle with constipation. In my case, when I'm too busy to eat properly, gas tends to build up. As the intestinal environment deteriorates, stress also accumulates more easily, reducing work efficiency. So I try to always have something to eat, especially low-glycemic foods like rice balls made from brown rice, vegetables, and nuts. They raise blood sugar slowly while gently cleaning the intestines.
Thanks to this, I have smooth bowel movements daily. The only time I was constipated was briefly after childbirth. I also never developed the hemorrhoids that are apparently common postpartum.
There's one more thing I've noticed as my intestinal health improved:
Being "gluten-free".
As a vegan, I already consumed lots of vegetables, but cutting out wheat products eliminated any bloating or gastric discomfort. Gluten is not easy for intestinal bacteria to break down biochemically, and only certain types can use it as food. The ill effects of poorly digested gluten on intestinal bacteria include reduced diversity, increased inflammation, activated immune system, and higher risk of chronic diseases. Consequently, more people are adopting gluten-free diets to address gluten sensitivity or improve gut health.
When people hear "vegan" and "gluten-free", I'm sure most wonder what's even left to eat.
The terms "plant-based" and "gluten-free" are starting to be heard in Japan, but they're still not well known.
In reality, since adopting this lifestyle, I hardly ever eat out or buy food from convenience stores anymore. However, having to plan daily recipes and cook has become an immense joy.
Just as with deciding what to discard and what to embrace in your room,
What will you discard and what will you embrace in your diet?
Perhaps revisiting your physical constitution and future health goals through your dietary habits will lead to new discoveries.