Eating healthy has got to be one of the most difficult things one can master. With all the delicious food my culture makes plus all other cultures we have the privilege of eating, how can it be easy?
One of the hardest things most difficult for me was to start eating healthy. I couldn’t give up eating the food I loved and on top of that all at once.
I just couldn’t do it and it wasn’t happening!
This was my thinking way back in my early twenties. I was young and felt great, besides I’ve been exercising consistently after having my second child so why can’t I eat what I wanted. Right?
Wrong!
Turns out I was completely wrong because years later I felt the consequences.
Consequences
After some time, not only was I not losing the pregnancy weight but I was experiencing major acne and at times cystic ones! Painful and horrible to say the least. Everything I tried to clear the acne did not work.
My body also gave out on me. I couldn’t get a full night’s sleep as I was wired all the time, as if anxious or nervous. I couldn’t relax. My body was telling me to do something and I didn’t know where to start.
Shortly after my symptoms, I made an appointment to see a nutritionist and was I glad I did. The food plan she put me on was an all-natural, organic nutrition plan. I was only able to eat wholesome food and its food that I can get straight from the soil. Nothing from a can or genetically modified (GMO).
Eating healthy does not include eating everything out of a can. Food in a can is not fresh and contains many preservatives, salt, and ingredients harmful to our bodies. My only exception today is tuna.
Besides eating organically, there was a process I followed every morning. The process was to drink a glass of water upon waking and then another glass of water with lemon after 20 minutes to detox my body from all the toxicity.
My body started to feel so much better after several weeks had passed. I felt more relaxed and able to regain my sleep. I was on the road to recovery as I started to get my health back.
Changes to Unhealthy Habits
This prompted me to start paying closer attention to my eating habits and make changes. The changes that came about were significant because I had to stop eating all the junk food I loved to eat and even some of the food I grew up eating, which was way more difficult. The things I first stopped doing were:
- Buying frozen food
- Eating food in a can
- Eating junk food and fried food
- Ate chocolate sparingly
- Less dairy, no chocolate milk, and cheese
- Stopped cooking with corn or vegetable oils
- Switched to whole wheat bread
- Changed to 2% milk instead of regular
Transitioning to Eating Healthy
To start making changes for you and your family, start with the easier changes that no one will notice. For example, start with the cooking oils and not buying can or frozen food.
I know can frozen food and can food makes it way easier for working adults, especially when you work long hours and have tons of things going on at the same time. But if you are on the path of wellness, you must make your health and that of your family a priority. You will need to find the time to prep your meals in advance.
I then transitioned to 2% milk and after to whole wheat bread so on and so forth.
Swapping out the unhealthy options with the healthier one was done one step at a time and this made it more tolerable and acceptable. Changing everything all at once would not work for me so taking it slowly made it easier to like the new food choices.
Lastly, we compromised and allowed ourselves to eat out and whatever we wanted during the weekend. The remaining days were home-cooked meals.
Sustainable Lifestyle
This was the strategy I used to start me on a new lifestyle. It helped make the transition to eating healthy easier and not all at the same time. This, in turn, allowed me to create sustainable changes. It takes time for your palate to adjust to new tastes and you must give it time. Also, you want to see if the change you made works for you and how it affects your body before piling on another change.
Today, I have entirely switched our eating habits and behavior with food around. We are eating vegetables, nutrient-dense foods, superfoods, food that targets healing our microbiome and more every day of the week. Although, there are times we do jump off the wagon and that is okay. We follow the 80/20 rule where 80% of the time we are making the right choices. I believe everything in balance keeps a more satisfied well-rounded life.
It starts by making one small, sustainable change at a time.
I hope this strategy can help you to start making changes that your health and your family’s health will greatly benefit from and so appreciate.
Tootles!!
