I've been getting a lot of slack lately...
...and by slack, I mean lots of strange and doubtful looks.
These looks surface when I talk about my nutrition habits...
In the last 2-3 years I've started taking a serious interest in what goes into and onto my body. Please know, I'm not here to judge my former habits...or any habits of yours. I'm very aware of why I've made some choices, and I'm aware of why you might be too. And the thing is...it's OK. Until it's not. If the choices you're making are leaving you feeling healthy inside and out, then I'm proud of you!! If there's even a hint of disease...belly disease, heart disease, disease from sugars, acid reflux, celiac's, gluten intolerance...then I'll be extremely proud of you if you read on with an open mind!
The thing is...if I were looking back at me 5 years ago I'd probably be giving myself the same looks. These looks are of curiosity, doubt, and are without knowledge. When I learned I had a gluten intolerance initially, I actually ignored it for about a year. Living without the foods I had lived with for so long seemed ludicrous! How could my body, OVERNIGHT, be rejecting the things I've eaten since I could ingest solid foods?
The answer is easy....my body was never welcoming of those foods. It was slowly deteriorating trying to digest them. My body and I were now having a Come to Jesus.
The hardest truth of the whole matter was, I was fearful of looking deeper into my diet. I didn't want to think or talk about food...I wanted to EAT it! Why did I need to think about my food and how my body works with it? That wasn't part of the deal...we didn't learn that growing up! And that's just it...99% of us were not taught to look at what was on our plate. We weren't taught to source our foods locally. Its OKAY! It's no one's fault...it's just what we learned. Processed foods were easy and convenient, therefore nutritional value was not important. We just didn't know...
...but, now we do.
GMO is a household term, and belly diseases from food are more and more common. Drug stores are carrying gluten free products...and probiotics to restore gut health. Friends and family members are co-op sharing to get the freshest and most seasonal produce available to them. Mothers are researching diets for both themselves and their child so that optimal health can be provided to both mother and child. There are now options available for not just gluten allergies, but dairy and nut allergies. Most if not all are pretty easy to find, especially with a quick Google search.
Now...the knowledge is available. That was probably the most fun for me...acquiring the knowledge. STILL acquiring the knowledge...as to what works, what might not, and where things are coming from. But mostly, being okay with the change. Being okay with moving away from what's been conditioned in me, and knowing I'll be in better health for it. Being okay with investing just a small amount of time to read labels and find the information.
What do you do with all that knowledge? Try not to latch onto any fads, like going gluten free by choice. Talk to a nutrition professional about your questions. Preferably outside of the healthcare realm (read: go holistic), but thats a matter of (my) opinion.
People may be looking at me funny, but they're also looking at me differently.
I'm lighter, I'm brighter...and it's organically showing from the inside out.
All because I've finally decided to EMBRACE food...
Think about it....
Love, love, LOVE!
