It's love month at Harmony Ignited! There is no better time to share the biggest form of self love I give myself everyday, learning to nourish my body with whole foods.
When I look back through my life my foods choices were likely a direct correlation of where I was in my life. Busy, rushed, & anything goes!
Learning to nourish my body has become one of my biggest passions in life. Before I get into what foods are best for you I think it is important to first look at your relationship with food.
If you have feelings of guilt, or a war going on in your head about the foods you are choosing, it is possible you may be setting yourself up for some serious health isssues, something I know all to well.
Before I became aware of how choosing high quality, fresh food could change my state of mind and how I felt everyday, I had a real love hate relationship with food. I wasn't in tune with myself to know when I was eating to much, too little, why I had crashes, how it affected my moods, my energy levels, or even how WHAT I was eating affected those things either.
I binged on sugar, caffeine, refined carbs, and red wine.
This went on for several years - until my body could no longer take it. Learning the things I could get away with in my 20's or 30's no longer served me well in my 40's. Even having a heart attack in my early 40's wasn't enough to trigger any real changes. I didn't have the normal symptoms of a heart attack canditate, like high blood pressure or high cholestrol - so what really neeeded to change? The only thing I actually eliminated was red wine - and that was because I can no longer tolerate the thought of it. I worked with a nutrition coach for nearly a year - and I will be forever grateful for him. He changed my relationship with food. I longer looked at food as good or bad, food is food, and meant to fuel your body. BUT I still didn't value the importance of food and the effects it had on my physical and emotional health.
Where it all began.....
It was like my body hit a wall, I was completely done, and quite frankly, I was done hearing what I was experiencing was normal. I was moody, I was bloated, I had no energy, I broke out in hives for no apparent reason, and oh my word the brain fog! I think that was likey the worst part for me, I was such a scatter brain. Somedays I would get so frustrated, I would cry. I couldn't understand what was going on - why couldn't I keep thoughts straight? Where the heck were my keys? There was no possible way this was normal!
I was desperate to find answers. I started working with a naturopath ( something I highly recommend) and I started reading - anything I could find that discussed any or all of the symptoms I was dealing with. I shifted my eating habits from quick easy processed foods and little by little my body started to crave fresh, wholesome homemade meals. I found happiness in preparing and eating for wellness, something I had never experienced before, and my symptoms started to disappear.
After eating this way for a year now, I have experienced a complete shift in how I feel. I have experienced so many benefits, too many to even list here. Giving up processed foods has helped me deal with anxiety, I no longer randomly breakout in hives, or experience bloating. ( If I do, I know I have eaten something I shouldn't have). I feel completely in tune with my body and what it needs. Not to mention that my body compostion has done a complete 180! When you hear that abs are built in the kitchen, let me be the one to confirm that isn't wrong! No more yo - yo dieting for this girl, I have found my ideal weight and am able to maintain it with ease.
Without sugar induced highs & lows, my moods are not all over the place and I am just happier and more excited about life in general.
I often get questions like, " When will you start eating normally again", or "When will you reintroduce some of the things you eliminated"? My answer is and will always be, NEVER, the way I eat now is my way of life. I use food to nourish my body, I am so tuned into how I feel that I know what my body is asking for in order to function at optimal levels.
Now I can't tell you exactly what to eat, I believe that we are each unique and we all need unique nutritional requirements and lifestyles, there is no one size fits all. I do however, encourage you to get curious, tap into your intuition. Start paying attention to the clues your body gives you, it always knows best. Keeping a food log is a powerful way to identify habits you have that you may not even be aware of.
Start asking yourself questions like these:
Are you reaching for junk food, sugar, or caffeine when you feel tired or stressed?
Are you turning to processed easy to prepare meals because you are to busy to prepare a nourishing meal?
Do you always crave something sweet after a meal?
Am I eating a variety of fresh, colourful fruits and vegtables everyday?
Tuning into what and how you are eating everyday is the first step to making any sustainable change and healing yourself from the inside out.
I will be hosting a 10 day reset program in April, and thats where I will share with you more on how I have healed myself and the principles that I now follow that are tried & true.
Watch for an option to join coming soon!
All my love,
Kerri xo
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