Woman vs Food

I am a woman. I am a mom. I am a healer.
All those things inevitably bring food into my life. As a woman,I want to look good in my husbands eyes. As a mom, I want to nourish my family. As a healer, I want to keep my loved ones in their best state of health. All those things have brought me on a journey and my companion is often food . Food indulgence. Food deprivation. What is the right diet? Should I diet at all? Is this nutritious? Where do I buy quality food? Good fats vs bad fats? Low carb anyone? Paleo and Trim Healthy Mama. Gluten Free and Raw.
HOW DO I CHOOSE?
I've read too many books, watched too many documentaries, and had too many experiments in the kitchen. Does it seem like I've made up my mind ? Not at all.
Still, as this journey continues, and the puzzle slowly comes together, I am sure of a few things and I wanted to share those lessons with you. Maybe we can help each other.

  • GO BACK TO YOUR ROOTS
I grew up with home made food. Real food. Made from scratched. We ate seasonal fruits and veggies. We ate the whole animal when we had meat available. Nothing was wasted. My mom canned, preserved, fermented. We had a root cellar full of pumpkins, apples, onions and potatoes. We even made our own wine ( and my parents still do). I never had an issue with food. Then I moved to the States and the struggle began. It seems that for the past years any food that goes in my mouth, even the healthiest version of it , would stick to my thighs. I had to go into research mode, there was no other way. I tried everything out there and it all lead back to the traditional foods of my childhood. My body craves those foods and deals with them better. So, next time, instead of buying a diet book and spending a bunch of money on supplements, just pick up the phone and talk to your mom, or grandmother,. You'll be surprised how many stories they have. Go back even further to find out where you came from and what your nutritional history has in store for you.

  • THINK HEALTHY, NOT SKINNY
I've made my peace with skinny jeans. I am never going to own a pair and I don't want to. I want to be a healthy woman and I am definitely not 16 anymore. Every day I see beautiful young girls struggling with acne, irregular menstrual cycles, hormone issues, food intolerance, allergies. While I was pregnant , I seemed like the odd exception of the rule among other women around me , with no cravings for junk food, I was full of energy , free of pain, no blood sugar or blood pressure issues. I've decided that health is more important than size for me. Skinny doesn't equal healthy, and healthy is my priority. I have to be healthy to be here for my kids. I have to be healthy to live a full life.

  • SPEND MORE TIME IN THE KITCHEN
It seems ironic that we constantly come up with shortcuts that save us time and then we never make good use of that time. Call me old fashioned but I would rather spend 30 minutes making a nutritional breakfast for my family and 10 minutes putting make up on, than the other way around. Many people think that making traditional food  and everything from scratch is time consuming. And I will challenge those people to time themselves ordering pizza, Chinese food, or driving to ...( insert fast food here) , and then time themselves making a salad or putting a whole chicken in the oven.  It seems like home cooking is a lost art that's seeing a resurgence , and I am proud to be part of the movement. Spending a few extra minutes in the kitchen saves me a lot of time that I don't want to spend at the doctor's office.

 Thank you for letting me rant! The journey is never done and the learning continues. More books await and more dinnertime surprises for my husband. I wish you all health and a happy journey of your own!
 Care to share a learning experience? :)


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