I don't know about you, but I LOVE FOOD. I mean, like I really love food. As a human, it is essential that we eat at least three times a day. Just like your Momma told you, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." After a long sleep, when your body is repairing itself overnight, you have essentially fasted. In the morning, you break the fast hence the name "breakfast."
I used to think I had a pretty "healthy" diet. Recently, I ran across a food journal I kept in 2006. Lots of processed food; cheeses, processed lunch meats, yogurts, and pastries. All of which I thought were healthy, at the time. I've learned a little since then, not much, but a little. Now, I know we all think we have a "healthy diet." You eat an egg-sandwich and coffee for breakfast or worse no breakfast and just coffee. Then, you have a salad for lunch loaded with hidden sugar in the dressing and not-so-healthy cheeses. Finally, you have a lean protein and veggies for dinner with a helping of some boxed starch. I'm not a dietician, a nutritionist, or a doctor. I'm just a woman on a wellness journey and food is a part of that journey and I want to help people be the best they can be.
What I have learned so far is that food is medicine and we need to treat it as such. I've learned to look at food as something that will heal me from the inside out. I no longer use food as a reward. I used to do this frequently after an especially "hard" work-out. I no longer make excuses for eating something "bad." "I need this, I've had a rough day." If I want something "bad" I eat it. . .but in moderation. Sure, have a vegan donut, just not the whole box. Yes, have some fries, but sharing is caring and my husband can't resist some sweet potato fries either. What I'm asking you to do friends, is when you sit down to take your medicine, ask yourself, "Is this food helping or harming me?" You may find yourself making different food choices after considering how you feel after eating.
Consider starting a food journal for a month and after each meal, write down how the food made you feel. This may be a good tool to gage what kinds of foods work for you and your body. You may even consider eliminating something from your diet. In the meantime, take care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep, drink your water, and power-off at least an hour before bedtime.
