Change What You Eat

Change what you eat. 

I eat very differently today than I did twenty, ten, or even one year ago. Except the change didn't happen over night. It happened gradually, and because it did it didn't seem like I was really missing out. I basically created a new normal along the way, and the old eating patterns just didn't seem so appealing any more. 

Perhaps the biggest change I made that contributed highly to how I eat today was becoming aware of how much processed foods I had been eating. The blog 100 Days of Real Food opened my eyes for the first time to the effects of not eating real food. Real meaning food with five or less ingredients, food that didn't come prepacked or food that was technically fake food not found in nature. 

During this time period I was suffering from more than one headache a week that would last two to three days. Needless to say I was quite unhappy with these circumstance. As I learned more about processed food I found that they contained all kinds of chemicals, and that some of these chemicals helped contribute to an addictive type quality of the food. All this time I had been beating myself up because I thought I lacked will pòwer, and the truth was I was fighting a losing battle. 

As I began making these changes I have now found myself eating a primarily plant-based diet, and I have eliminated dairy, and have included more organic food choices. To be honest I really don't find myself craving or missing those old foods. I have discovered so many absolutely delicious alternatives that I rarely feel deprived. 

There are still a few more diet changes that I am considering making, like less oil, but taking it step by step can help you to adjust. However, sometimes it's just best to completely eliminate an unhealthy choice and never look back. Giving up Diet Coke was motivated by the effect it was having on my short term memory. When I made the decision that it was too unhealthy to continue, I never drank it again. 

Change is generally not the easiest, but if you choose to do so facing it with both information and enthusiasm can contribute to you changing your life and your heath through the food you eat.