You Are What You Eat
Learn healthy habits to create a healthy life.
Meet
Mali Duong
I lived with grandma when I was born, and I used to get sick a lot with a weak immune system. When I was young, I went in and out of the state hospital many times. I became a familiar face at the neighborhood pharmacy. When I started middle school, my grandma’s financial situation became difficult. Frequently, I went to school with an empty stomach. As a result, I developed stomach problem, then gastritis for many years (from 7th grade until I graduated from college). Being malnourished, my body became weaker over time. One summer, while I was in my second year at the university, I developed a severe sinus infection, causing ringing in both ears. I often fainted in class, experienced neurological disorders, and at the end had to be admitted into the hospital for 2 months. Even then I still didn’t make it a priority to take care of my health. After leaving the hospital, I again poured all my health, time and energy into my study and work to earn money for my tuition.
In 2016, I had an opportunity to go study abroad in Israel. The main purpose of the trip is for us to not only to study, but to experience a different culture and work environment. The weather in Israel was far too different from the weather in Vietnam. The temperature experienced a huge swing between day and night. There are days when the temperature reached 52 degrees Celsius, or 125 degrees Fahrenheit, but the temperature dropped down to 8 degrees Celsius, or 46 degrees Fahrenheit, at night. Eight months after staying in Israel, I developed a strange illness. For 2 weeks, I would repeatedly feel suffocated and fainted. One day, I felt into a coma right in the middle of class. I was taken to the hospital by the military ambulance. I woke up in the hospital.
I was transferred from the hospital in Arava, South of Israel, to the hospital in Beersheva, Central region of Israel. During my stay at the hospital in Beersheva, the doctors employed all kinds of modern medical diagnostic equipment, but they still couldn’t diagnose my condition. Everyday, I was fed 3 main meals and 2 supplemental meals. After a while, I felt better and became curious about the food that they fed me. I learned that these are nutritious foods, meant to bring me balanced healthy nutrition and to nurse me back to health. I started asking questions about different food that I ate and learned about the role that each food and how nutrition affects my health.
Three months later, I returned to Vietnam, and started a personal entrepreneur project – to develop an organic farm and health food business. Even though my business failed, I continued to study natural medicine, from oriental medicine to western medicine. I read books from the Indian doctor, Dr. Biswaroop, “Heal Without Pill”, or Dr. Colin campbell “Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition”, and “The China Study: The most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implications for diet, weight loss, and long-term health”. These books contained a lot of research and great information that helped us develop good health through attaining a proper diet. However, applying the teaching from the books is not an easy task, especially for busy people. Today, there are many schools and books that talk about a nutrition. Mali believes we need to take a holistic step by step approach. We need to seek understanding about nutrition, change our mindset, and develop new habits. The food we eat affects our body and affects our mind. By achieving new understanding, we can eliminate wrong thinking and develop a new healthy lifestyle. Mali's motto: "We are what we eat."
Mali, working on her organic farm.
Six healthy food habits from Mali
1. Limit consumption of meat, especially red meat.
2. Drink warm water twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening.
3. At meal time, eat vegetable and soup first, then protein, and leave carb to the end.
4. Eat slowly. Chew carefully.
5. Eat small meals and eat often. Don't wait until you are hungry.
6. Drink water often. Don't wait until you are thirsty.
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Mali Duong is a guest speaker on The Encourage Team webcast, and is not an employee or representative of The Encourage Team.
