I am often on mini health kicks, of course, because I believe healthy eating and healthy living is so important. But on these health kicks, I still make room for my favorite things like chocolate, beer, wine, seasonal treats, muffins, baked goods in general, etc. I work them in and use them sparingly sometimes, and other times I allow myself to make these and other "unhealthy" foods a part of daily life.
But what I'm realizing is that I am sick.
I'm not saying that to be dramatic. I am sick, not in the dying way (though, we are all dying, technically) but rather in the American type of way. The way where, if your genes and immune system are of normal quality, you tend to rack up health problems as you age.
This has become such a norm. My name is Desirae, I have psoriasis, thyroid disease, hypoglycemia, IBS, and endometriosis. What do you have?
The hard part is, often the "sick" that American's carry around is the livable type of sick. None of those listed health issues are going to kill me. But they totally weaken my quality of life every day.
Why are we so sick? A lot of it comes down to what we are consuming, based off of everything I've been reading, listening to, watching. And I think this is so true.
And mostly, going to a doctor is like putting a bandaid on an ever-oozing wound. They'll give you some type of something to mask the symptoms, but these health problems aren't curable.
At least, not with medicine.
But there is so much out there that says diseases like these, autoimmune diseases, digestive system issues, blood sugar irregularities, emotional disorders, etc. can be cured, or at least dramatically helped, with diet.
I've been reading up on this stuff on and off for over a year now. But I don't like restrictions, so I've told myself that quality of life = enjoying the foods I like, even if my energy is low and I'm falling asleep while driving home...even if I get angry when I'm hungry, and I'm hungry every other hour. Even if my skin is increasingly dry and awful, enjoying food is much more important, right?
For years, literally, I've known that I have a dairy intolerance. Yet, I keep eating dairy. The only foods I've totally cut out are the ones that knock me down and out if I eat them (severe intolerance to avocado and kiwi, so please don't feed them to me). But there are so many foods that mess with me, and I just eat them anyways, because my enjoyment and satisfaction has always been more important than how I actually feel.
Health, after all, isn't worth turning down a baked good, or making a dinner at a friend's house more complicated than it needs to be, right?
What I've realized is that this mindset is so wrong. I want to eat the things that make me healthy, that heal me. I want to have energy, and better skin, and stable blood sugar. I don't know why I tend to think that having whatever I want to eat is more important than my own health.
I think the truth of it is that restructuring my eating, and my lifestyle, seems hard. It seems inconvenient. But easy and convenient doesn't always mean good. And sometimes hard things are the best things. Most of the time, hard things are worth it.
So, I am going to do something really hard. I am going to say no to pumpkin muffins (unless I can make some type of paleo-ish version). I am going to say no to sugar and gluten and grains and dairy. And I'm not going to do it for the abs. I'm going to do it in the name of my health.
I'm going to do my best to try this for the next 60 days and see where this way of eating gets me. I'm not doing the challenge you may have heard me talk about, though, because the more I read about this diet, I read there is a specific way to do it for women, especially women with autoimmune disease. I want to do that- because I don't want to end up worse off because I'm following Paleo rules that have been mostly studied on men, and don't take female hormones into account. I feel like I went off on a tangent there, but to find more info on this, go to Stefani Ruper's blog, paleoforwomen.com.
I can't say I'll be perfect. I just don't do things perfectly, it isn't my thing. But I am going to try my best to keep track of my changes and feelings and struggles here on this blog that I tend to use occasionally.
I can't say I'll be perfect. I just don't do things perfectly, it isn't my thing. But I am going to try my best to keep track of my changes and feelings and struggles here on this blog that I tend to use occasionally.
No matter how much I mess it up and do things imperfectly, I'm going to try my hardest to do what is best for my health at all times during these 60 days. I am going to act like my life depends on the way that I eat, because it actually, kind of does.
PS: I start on Monday, so please don't hold me to these words until then. ;)
