Do you live to eat? Or do you eat to live? If you live to eat, you are destined for "obese-ness." If you eat to live, you are bound for greatness. The order of the words may make only a minor semantic difference, but in meaning, the impact is huge!

Living to eat implies that food is the be-all and end-all of existence. It creates a mindset that essentially says: "I'm in this world for one reason and one reason only. I am here to eat." It does not impose any form of self-regulation. And because there is no self-control, whatsoever, it is only natural for any believer of this tenet to overindulge.

Eating to live is entirely another matter. It treats eating as only one area of life that you need to engage in so you can survive. Food is not everything, living is. And because it is treated as only a means to live, it does not become an obsession. For those who adhere to this belief, eating more than you need in order to survive is simply not natural.

If you eat to live, you also eat for success. Food is the fuel of life. It gives us energy to do the things we need to do, to accomplish our daily tasks. It gives us that oomph to think, to plan, to put that plan in action and evaluate the corresponding results. But success is only possible with a healthy eating regimen.

Nutritious variety is key to a healthy diet. Research has shown that you need at least 40 different nutrients to keep you at the peak of health. There is no single food group and contrary to what we are led to believe, no single multivitamin supplement can supply all these. Thus, your best bet is to eat from a wide selection of food. Breads, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, poultry and dairy products. At least 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables daily should be your goal. Food from other food groups you should take in moderate portions, enough for your caloric needs.

To keep you at your most optimum, balance is essential. Thus, eating too much from one food group alone won't put you at your best. For example, if you ingest a whole carton of milk and love the smell of crispy fried bacon and scrambled eggs in the morning 7 days a week, continue to have fatty meats at lunch and dinner and snack on donuts and ice cream, it would not be a surprise if you have a midsection that's ready to burst at the seams. Eliminating bacon from your diet is not the answer. You simply have to reduce your intake and balance it with other fare from the other food groups.

Always keep in mind that there is no such thing as a good or a bad food. It is our eating habits that get them labeled so. If we eat for success, we strive for moderation. If you want to provide yourself with that much-needed boost to succeed in life, strive for balance in your food choices. Eat to live, eat for success.