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than others because they provide long-lasting energy rather than a short energy burst followed by a lack of energy. What’s more, you also have to make sure you’re giving yourself just the right amount of fuel. If you consume more food than your body needs, the extra energy is stored as fat for the body’s future use, and too much body fat can cause problems for your heart, circulatory system, liver, and other organs. On the other hand, if you don’t eat enough food, your body will use stored fat to provide energy. If it still comes up short, it will start burning amino acids that are supposed to be used as building blocks to maintain your body, so you can grow and develop properly. How Foods Help You Heal after Injury The human body has an amazing ability to regenerate . You’d never know it, but every two to four days your small intestine regenerates itself. Your lungs and stomach regenerate every eight days, your skin regenerates every two weeks, your red blood cells regenerate every four months, and your skeleton regenerates every ten years.

Q: If our bodies continually regenerate, why don’t we live forever? A: Your body’s ability to regenerate declines with age, which is why senior citizens often have more health problems than young people. Many people die of sicknesses or long-term health problems, some of which are caused, or made worse, by an unhealthy diet.

Chapter 1: How Foods Impact Your Physical Performance

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