Food Struggles
The journey towards a balanced diet
I’d written an outline about my journey from tequila shots to vital shots — how I went from living off alcohol, fast food, and anything I could cook in the microwave/air fryer for years to eating more nutritious foods with ease and pleasure…
Then I went out to lunch with my older sister…
A little background before I share our conversation that stripped away my enthusiasm for my outline is that I love vegetables and have a very small interest in meats (especially red) — mind you, I’m not vegan or vegetarian, I just simply prefer veggies, pastas, and grains over a steak any day — I like chicken, turkey, and [depending how it’s cooked] pork, but incorporating those into my daily meals isn’t something that comes easy or preferred.
With that being said, I recently noticed that I’ve been losing [unintentional] weight, which, as doctors tell me, I’m already a great deal underweight according to my age/height.
Since my sister works in the medical field, I sought her expertise, as to she replied:
“You need to eat more meat!”
Ew…
“It has the protein and fats you need…every meal.”
Every meal?!
“Yes.”
I eat black beans, there’s protein!
“No. You need healthy fats.”
I eat noodles.
“That’s not fats.”
Protein shakes.
“No…you. need. meat…
But it’s so hard to incorporate that into every meal…
“I know…I’m the same way with vegetables; I love my meats and it’s hard for me to have some veggies every time I eat…”
And then I gave her some advice I was going to give all of you in my journey to a healthier physical being: Just start to notice how good you feel when you eat them! That’s how I started to enjoy them more.
“I do and I have, but for some reason my mind, even when something feels good, it thinks, That felt good, but let’s never do that again! Even with exercise that happens.”
And my outline crumbled right before my very eyes.
Fortunately, though, it guided me in the right direction of versatility.
When I first began my journey towards incorporating more demanding and nutritious meals in my day-to-day life, I merely ate broccoli with every meal, sometimes simply as the main course, and called it “healthy.”
When I travelled throughout the summer last year, I was opened to a new world of taste, which, thankfully, inspired and motivated me to open my arms, heart, and taste buds to trying new foods beyond my travels.
I began branching out with food: trying new fruits and vegetables, herbs, a menial amount of spices (a majority of spices hurt my tummy!), sought different ways to cook and eat chicken/turkey, tried various breads, spreads, and surprisingly, as someone who used to despise when my food touched another for 99% of my life, I began mixing foods together, seeking a new taste of harmony.
Thus, began my newfound love of cooking.
For months, I lived as a chef, researching (Pinterest), cooking and trying new recipes each day.
Soon enough, I found a repertoire of food items that were extensive, nutritious, and versatile.
Recently I began leaning more towards a plant-based diet — vegans have amazing recipes! — losing my interest in meats almost entirely.
When I was losing weight, it scared me…it wasn’t what I wanted nor aimed towards.
With nutrition, I want to feel clean and enlightened within, yes, but also strong and as if I have endless stamina to take on each day.
So, back to the drawing board I went (or — Pinterest boards), seeking various ways to cook the meats I enjoy.
It’s only been a week or so, though, have been more aware of when I forgo the protein and fats for something of the opposing, and am eager to start creating new recipes once more!
If you’re struggling with food — whether you eat too many veggies, not enough, or obtain some other lack in your diet, research into various items, ways to cook them, and what pairs well with them.
(I absolutely love searching the in-season produce each month!)
And if you’re not the biggest fan of cooking, seek simple and easy recipes, and ones you can prepare in advance for each week!
I can’t promise you that you’ll obtain a vast change in your weight, but I can promise you that you’ll feel so much better inside and out.
In all honesty, perhaps I’m not the greatest person to receive nutrition advice from since A) my only experience is eating vs. not eating certain foods and B) weight is something I struggle with, but as I mentioned, I use to survive (somehow) off the pyramid of rubbish.
I’m thankful to admit that the letting go of such diet wasn’t something difficult for me to achieve as seeking a diet to replace it was, but once I found a way to enjoy fueling myself with more care, I started to care more of myself.
