Aside from the obvious fact that weight gain and obesity results from a horrible diet, I realized recently that other aspects of my body reflect my food intake as well.

Prepare yourself and don’t be too disgusted, but I was enlightened and amused by my discoveries so I thought I’d share.

 

1. My skin becomes a barren wasteland.

When I consume high amounts of extremely processed foods (potato chips, Jumbo Slice, burgers, you get the picture) my skin becomes a wreck.

I break out and get a ton of zits on my face. Gross, right?

On the other hand, when I eat a well-balanced diet, filled with vegetables and healthy fats, my skin is silky smooth and delicate.

My skin completely reflects the quality of food I’ve eaten. When I eat like crap, my skin becomes like crap. It becomes overly greasy and rough to the touch. Disgusting, I know.

It didn’t occur to me that when I consume high quantities of unhealthy foods, not only do I gain weight, I also end up having horrid skin. The second I quash my inner food goblin, my skin reverts back to its healthy state.

Who knew a healthy body and diet equals healthy skin.

 
2. I start looking like a Head and Shoulders commercial.

Bad foods equals dry scalp. Dry scalp leads to ridiculous amounts of dandruff. I’m not quite sure how or why this occurs, but it does.

No matter how intricately and thoroughly I wash my hair, you can’t outwash a bad diet.

The situation becomes unmanageable when I consume high amounts of sodium, probably because I end up dehydrating my body even though my water intake is still the same.

Not only do I gain weight, my hair turns into a disaster zone, looking similar to that of a lice-infested preschooler.

 
3. I snore and the earth shakes.

At my heaviest weight, I used to snore like nobody’s business. A loud, 90-year-old man snore. My mom and grandmother both snore, so I thought it was hereditary.

Wrong.

It was because of my weight, which was related to the foods I ate. It was so loud that my college roommate couldn’t sleep sometimes. Embarrassing, I know.

But as I’ve lost weight by altering my diet, my snoring has completely disappeared. I sleep like a silent, ninja panda now: quiet, stealthy, deadly.

It’s amazing that a long-term change in food consumption can even alter the way I sleep. What I thought was hereditary was actually my body telling me to stop eating a ton of crap.

 
4. My bling doesn’t fit.

One of the most revealing signs of water retention and bloating, results of high sodium consumption and too much processed carbs, is that my rings stop fitting.

I have one ring that I often wear on my pointer finger. Whenever I decide to sabotage myself, the ring becomes a good indicator that it’s time to restore some balance into my life.

It will only fit when I stop retaining a ton of water, which only occurs when I resume a healthy, well-balanced diet.

This by no means is a conclusive list of how my body is affected by the foods I eat. Essential vitamins and minerals are present in vegetables and unprocessed foods that you just can’t get from a bottle of soda, a bag of Cheetos, or a deep-fried Twinkie.

However, this is NOT to say that one slice of Dominos pizza will ruin you forever. That’s simply not true either. I’ve realized that my body doesn’t magically transform overnight. These disastrous results only occur when I decide to have a bingefest for a few days. They only happen when I disregard my health and start stuffing my face for an extended period of time.

I’ve realized that bodily changes take time. Whether it transforms for the worse or the better, only one thing is certain: it’s a slow, long-term process.

As long as you pick yourself up when you slip and fall, you will always be able to achieve a body that reflects your healthy habits.

How has your body reflected your food intake?

Am I the only one that gets horrible dandruff?