I have been working with and tweaking my diet for a very long time. How I eat now is nothing like the way I ate when I grew up. I was a healthy energetic child. I got one cold a year and 1 episode of the flu a year. That was it. I had no allergies, no stomach aches, no headaches. I never thought about my health. It was a given. I was healthy.
I grew up on Midwestern fare. I lived on a farm and most meals were variations of meat, potatoes and veggies. I actually preferred “hot dishes” which were also variations of meat, potatoes and veggies. Most of what I ate was organic because pesticides were not used then. I ate meat and eggs that came from our own farm or from a neighbors. I ate bread my mother made each Saturday imbued with her love. We did not have junk food around. There wasn’t that much junk food available then. We had 7 up in the house for stomach aches. We had family meal times where we prayed over our food and shared the blessings of the bounty with each other.
Then, when I was 26 years old, I got hepatitis and my world was changed.
Ever since that fateful day I have be putting my life back together. My health back together. One bite at a time. One thought at a time. One breath at a time.
As many say, what was a very challenging event brought me great gifts. It put me on the path I am on today. It has been a difficult journey. An uncomfortable journey. I have not enjoyed the luxury I had as a child of knowing that my health was a given. I put consciousness every day into creating health for myself. And it has taken many twists and turns.
I believe in the Hippocrates quote, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
- Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food!
When we get hungry or have cravings we forget that the food we eat is a cornucopia of chemicals. It is a natural pharmacy. It contains everything……..if left in its whole form.
Unfortunately, most of the items found in our grocery stores is not truly food. It is still filled with lots of chemicals. but not the chemicals and fats that our body is looking for for ideal health and repair.
Indeed, our food situation and health (or the lack thereof) is in a sorry state. And we have bought into it hook, line and sinker. Just look at what is in your cupboards.
There are as many “diets” out there as one can imagine. Many people will say to me, “I don’t even know where to start.” Here are some ideas:
1. Start with just upgrading ONE meal a day. Choose one meal and put thought, care and time into eating the freshest, closest to nature, unadulterated food that you can. Take time to enjoy prepping it and eating it.
2. You could decide to include fresh vegetables with each meal. One thing everyone agrees on are the health benefits we receive from eating a broad range of vegetables.
3. After you feel that you have that one meal in place, add another meal and then when you are ready, the third meal and then the snacks.
4. Another way to begin is to eliminate one thing at a time. You could begin with obvious sugar and the things that sugar is in. That would free you from cake, cookies, cupcakes etc.
5. You could choose to eliminate gluten, or dairy or meat or corn syrup or low quality oils. One at a time.
You get to choose what you want to eliminate. Not everyone needs to give up gluten or meat or dairy or sugar to be healthy but there is a balance the body is looking for. If you are honest with yourself, you know where you are out of balance.
I heard someone say that what we put into our bodies now creates the body we will live in 20 years from now. Are you eating/drinking in a way that will support the level of health you want to experience in 20 years?
Life happens and we have no guarantees. But food is a choice we make one forkful at a time. It is no small matter. It affects us on every level. How we fuel our bodies is part of our spiritual path.
Take time this week to gain some perspective on your food choices. Then make a choice to upgrade if you are inspired.
There may be a time and place where we have to move beyond our nutrition to correct imbalances but it is what we do everyday that is true preventative medicine
We have the ability to age with grace and beauty, staying active into our 70’s, 80’s and 90’s…………But we have to start now!
Let me know what you chose to do! Here’s to delicious, healthy food!! Much love, melaniej
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