Attune Foods' Links
As I began my trek down this healthy living path I somehow became an eliminator.
I decided if I didn’t eat certain foods (thankfully I’ve repressed what they were as I quite clearly recall the repetitive nature of the foods which remained) my excess weight would miraculously melt away. Swiftly, easily and permanently.
Not only did I possess zero healthy eating habits as I began to shed pounds, the healthy foods I did consume I ate over and over (and over).
Apples. Apples. Apples.
Big salads. Big salads. Big salads.
You get the idea.
And you know the prevailing wisdom about not eating the same foods daily because if you miss a nutrient once you miss it *repeatedly*? That was me. BigGapsInMyDiet McGee.
I’d arbitrarily pick a few healthy food options, eat them till I lost my appetite completely (take my word for how shocking this is), return to old junk-food habits, and eventually start the cycle again.
I firmly believe I’d still be in the ‘grasping at random healthy foods in a panic’ loop were it not for a comment a friend made:
“You need to eat like our grandparents did. Half a sandwich, some fruit, veggies, a few nuts and a glass of milk.”
Eat like our grandparents did.
Those words made sense to me. It was that basic: real food, real ingredients, wide variety.
For the next few weeks I thought about my grandmothers each time I reached for food or prepared a meal.
“Is this something they’d have eaten? Is what I’m about to place in my mouth something they’d have recognized as “food”?”
I’d be lying if I claimed I succeeded in answering YES to both questions back then.
Heck, I’d be lying if I claim I succeed in answering YES to both questions right now.
There are still times when I grab a snack pack (something neither grandmother would have recognized), but the victory is it’s a conscious choice and not done mindlessly or emotionally.
I strive, some days more successfully than others, to consume only real ingredients and a wide array of healthy foods.
I make an effort to eat as my grandmothers did.
And, on the days when eating healthy involves much preparation and work, I like to imagine them investing the same care and time in the foods they ate, too.
I like to imagine they’re smiling at my efforts.
Take a moment and reflect on what you’ve eaten over the past few days.
Did you consume foods our grandparents would have recognized or eaten?
Do you struggle, as I still do, with the ease of the processed?
Be well!
Carla
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