We need food just as much as we need air, water and shelter. Without food for a month, one can die of starvation. Food provides us with our necessary nutrients to keeps us going for the day. It gives us energy to carry out our normal routines such as brushing out teeth in the morning or having a bath. Food today has evolved around the world to a variety of dishes, some exotic while some we simply cannot live without. Food like Pasta, Hamburgers, Nasi Lemak, Roti Canai, Noodles and Pizza are a few to name but the list goes on and on with more mouth-watering dishes than you can positively think of. Of course, each country has their own style and preparation of food as well. In our very own food haven, as we have many races living together peacefully, resulting in a pot purri of flavors and tongue tingling food from the different cultures to blend in on it’s own. We can get a taste of everything wherever we go to eat.

Food also plays a vital role in making an impression on someone. For example, let’s say you have a job and your staff worked 24/7 and managed to get the best deal in marketing for the past few years, and your boss asks you take them out for a treat, would you treat them to the expensive new restaurant where your wife told you the food was top-notch or the “mamak” stall around the curb?

When there is food, one would have heard of spices. The unique blend of each spice adds flavor to our food. Rosemary, Saffron,Thyme and Vanilla are a few well known herbs around the world. Certain spices can also be the cause for the hole in your wallet. Next to Saffron and Cardamom, Vanilla is the most expensive spice and is highly cultivated in Mexico. Some spices are used as old remedies today to cure illnesses such as colds, blocked noses, headaches and warts. Just tie powdered turmeric in a bunny sac around your nose or drink a teaspoon of honey everyday, and poof! you are cured and you gain a profit of RM50 from your medical bills.

Sadly, although there are a lot of advantages to food, we must consider the disadvantages as well. If we eat a lot, we tend to get lazy and obese. It is not a disease but a condition where you are overweight. A large percentage of the world is obese due to the large consumption of fatty and sugary foods such as doughnuts, fried stuff such as french fries, hamburgers and so on. Eating too much also puts a strain on the heart and you get diabetes as well. Although there are campaigns to create awareness of obesity and heart diseases , we must take the initiative to work harder and choose not to ignore. Diets are highly recommended and exercises are a must. The more we exercise, the more fit our body, mind and soul will be.

Hundreds die of starvation while some due to obesity and other food-related disease. We must be conscious of the consequences and make a difference in saving ourselves, loved ones and the whole world. Make a difference, you save a life, starting with your own.

I conclude with the thoughts of Oprah Winfrey “ I love my body that works so hard for me, despite the palpitations, the stress, almost never ending fatigue and the weight that I keep piling on to it, it still continues to work for me”

Yes, your body does, isn't it time you maintained it well?