So, what’s this healthy eating about anyway? Why should I do it? Why should I care? Two words, self love.
My journey of food has been a long one. Yes, I’ve been eating since the day I was born, true, but the importance of food didn’t come quickly for me. For me it started in my mid teens in high school, when I started hearing about vegetarianism, veganism and animal rights. Before this, I never knew not eating meat was an option, nor did I know the process of which meat made it from farm to table. I knew my mom and dad made steak, chicken, pork, bacon, etc. and I never really made the connection that these were once live creatures I was eating. That creatures had to die for me to eat this food before me, and often in very inhumane ways. I’ll never forget my mother crying at the dinner table when I wouldn’t eat the meat she had prepared because “she thought I was going to die from not eating it”. We’ve both evolved quite a bit from those days.
Before this time, food to me was sustenance, something I shoved into my mouth, to get my stomach to stop feeling hungry and to satisfy my brain. After discovering the vegetarian way of life, I would never be the same. I stayed on that path for about 5 years, I explored veganism for a short period of time before my love for cheese took over. I bounced back and forth between being an omnivore and vegetarian for many years.
In my late 20’s, I became aware of raw foodists, which again was a huge shift in my perspective. Occasionally I would eat uncooked foods, but to make an entire lifestyle out of it was unheard of to me. I did try it out for a short period of time before deciding it was not for me.
What ultimately made the biggest shift for me with food and my perspective on it, was when I was 29 and found out that an ear infection I had been fighting for a few months, was candida. Candida is an overgrowth of yeast and fungus in the body which creates a wicked infection somewhere in the body. Candida is fed by sugars, or anything that metabolizes into sugar, like starches. I learned food could be the enemy. I also learned that food could be my savior, healer and ally. At this point in my life, what was “healthy” food, was actually giving life to the candida. My old plan to combat illnesses with overdosing on fruit, was not an option. I went on a 4 month cleanse where I was practically only eating leafy greens, ginger, garlic, onions, and bone broth with a few other random items. Almond butter and unsweetened hemp milk became my best friend, and I was choosing to not eat meat in the beginning stages of this cleanse as well. I was supplementing with pro-biotics and candida fighting herbs and supplements. Spirituality and sound healing was introduced into my life around this time, which I believe helped a lot.
Coming out of this, about 5 months later, I was wearing a different pair of eyes; food would never be the same. What was once sustenance, now, had healing powers. I cured myself of this infection with food and supplements alone, and surprised a lot of people in my life, including my E.N.T., who I want to thank for supporting me through this process. I also want to thank my dear friend/sister Skyhand, for she was my ground, support and amazing teacher through this process.
Getting back to what I said earlier, food equals self love, why? I firmly believe, based on my life experience, and what I have heard from others, that eating healthy is taking care of yourself. We only get one body and can’t trade it in for another when it falls apart. I now eat from what I call a whole foods perspective. Whole foods have a lot to offer us, especially organic. I don’t like labels, but if I were to have one, I would call myself a ” conscious omnivore “. I take into consideration where my food comes from. How were the animals raised that I choose to consume? How local is the food? What were the growing practices of the farmer?
In closing, healthy food is relative. What maybe healthy for me, may not be for you. Food sensitivities are becoming more widely known, accepted and understood. If you’re wanting some help in figuring this out, there are all sorts of different food tests out there. Also, I am a big advocate in listening to ones body. Lastly, if you’re wanting or needing any support around your food choices, contact me, I would love to help you out!