A lot of people take their bodies for granted, I know I sure did when I was younger. A body is useful for many things, and like other assets we may have, in order for it to function properly it must be nourished. Exercise, rest, and diet are all areas that many of us should focus on improving.
Let me start by discussing my childhood. I grew up during one of the worst possible generation's as far as nutrition was concerned...the 90s! When I look back at videos regarding healthy diet 20 or 30 years ago I am shocked and horrified...why were people so naiive?
In the 90s...it didn't matter what you ate, as long as it contained little to no fat. Instead of a healthy snack consisting of nuts, pretzels and "fat free" nachos were preferred, I was given (by well meaning parents) a jam sandwich for school because nut butters we were told, were not to be consumed as the fat would make us fat, as well as sugary, "low fat" granola bars. Instead of a healthy breakfast consisting of something like eggs, I downed bowl fowls of nutrient empty cereals (a favorite being the fat free corn flakes) thinking that it was the key to staying thin. In the 90's I was told to avoid real cheese but eat as many salt ridden soda crackers and processed cheese slices as I could stuff in my face, as well as turkey luncheon meats, because they were "low fat." Fat free chocolate pudding instead of pure cacao, salad dressings full of chemicals and sugar, a fat free version of an alien like substance called "margarine" on a bagel in the morning, but please pass on the olive oil...and coconut oil...heaven's no! Instead, try Splenda and Sugar twin in your cream-free coffee combined with fat free oreos and fat free sugar ridden "frozen yogurt" School lunches consisting of fat free pizza pops, pretzels, crackers...where was the protein?!
Healthy items such as yogurt were made unhealthy by removing fat which was then replaced with a long list of unknown ingredients. Gummy bears were good, almonds were bad...I could go on forever about this strange phenomena!
Not only was the 90's about being low fat, but it was also a time of convenience. For some reason very few people (including my hard working Mom) wanted to take the time to cook a full meal, therefore I often lived off of items such as lean cuisine, sidekicks, hungry man (low fat of course) dinners, and lots and lots of salty, canned soups filled with MSG.
Even though I was young, I constantly felt horrible, my poor diet took an extreme toll on my health. I was anemic, lethargic, had problems with my behaviour, and was unable to function properly to do school work. Of course no one was able to put two and two together, because what I was doing was considered "good," or "normal"
Years later I realize how much better I may have felt if I actually took the time to eat healthy...perhaps some almond butter on an apple, some greek or coconut milk yogurt, some home-made granola, some avacado...
But I didn't understand the concept behind "healthy" I only understood "skinny." Eating healthy was all about weight.
One thing I am insistant on teaching my daughter about is a healthy lifestyle, (including avacado and olive oil) I want to teach her that it isn't about her appearance but about nurturing her body and mind, our bodies, like other posessions, need to be taken care of in order to function properly.
After my Mom passed away at the age of 58 to cancer, I vowed to change my lifestyle in order to help lessen my chances of experiencing the same fate, and to live a long healthy life so I can be there to watch my beautiful daughter grow up.
My change in eating habits have helped me in so many ways, not only do I look better physically, but I feel 100X better, I have energy, I can focus on tasks more easily, my depression has gotten better and I am not getting sick as often as I once did.
Healthy eating does not mean consuming what you don't like...If you don't like fish try to get your healthy oils elsewhere, like from flax, chia or help seeds, if you don't like brussel sprouts try to find some veggies that you do like...All it takes is some prioritizing, and it can be done. I once dreaded cooking, now I love it. Search the internet, try some healthy recipes incorporating the foods you do like. Then using the same recipe, make it again, but switch things up a little. Honestly my home cooked healthy meals I much prefer over the restaurant food I so often spent way too much money on. My quality of life is much better now that I am taking care of my body, and I think everyone would notice the change if they started eating better themselves. There is nothing wrong with Macaroni and cheese now and then, but try making your own consisting of healthier pasta and real cheese, muffins can be made healthy, but try making your own using healthy ingredients rather than buying them from the store.
Now if only I could convince my Dad to pass on the margarine...
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