You are what you eat is demonstrated when you assess an obese patient that is on a reduced fat diet. After several weeks of a properly balanced diet including meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables and grains the patient loses weight. With replacing all the fatty food with those that are healthy the patient is slimming down. Another example of that can be seen in a patient that has just had a major surgery. During the surgery the protein is used for blood clotting factors.

Protein is also needs after surgery for timely and proper wound healing. If they were eating the improper amount of protein they patient would have trouble with blood clotting and scar tissue formation. If a patient were to have a poor intake of protein you would encourage the intake of legumes, peas, lentils and peanuts.

You are what you eat because your health reflects on your diet. If an individual eats poorly and has an unbalanced diet it will take a toll on their health. An unhealthy diet may not appear to be a problem for you today but it will catch up with you eventually. If your diet includes a lot of fatty foods, like many Americans, you may become overweight. Being overweight causes a variety of health problems such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and a decreased life expectancy. So keep mind that you are what you eat and that it may affect your medical status in the future.