As I begin to share more here on the blog, I wanted to first take a step back to give you insight into my thoughts and philosophies around health and wellness, in general.
To start, I decided to focus on diet, as I’m a true believer that both what and how we eat directly correlate to our overall well-being. While there are definitely other factors that come into play such as mental health, relationships, and our levels of physical activity; I’ve noticed that for me personally, diet seems to reign supreme. When I’m eating ‘good’, I feel ‘good’ which positively affects all aspects of my life.
As I’m sure many of you can relate, my relationship with food has been ever evolving, especially as I get older. Gone are the days of rolls of cookie dough at 2 a.m., being replaced instead with my concern over whether I’m getting enough calcium or vitamin B.
I’ve been blessed in the fact that I have not been diagnosed with any major health concerns or autoimmune disease such as celiacs, but as of a few years ago, I did begin to notice irregularities in my health. Particularly in my stomach and gut and generally shortly after eating foods high in fat or sugar.
As I began to research how different foods could affect our bodies, I kept coming back to the idea of trying an elimination diet.
I’ll be the first to tell you that there are not a lack of options out there, with many being, in my opinion, a bit extreme (i.e. I have no interest in drinking juice 6 times a day for a week straight). Ultimately, I decided to try Whole30, as it seemed to best suit my needs, and the results were incredible.
While my first Whole30 only lasted 13 days (I forgot about a wedding we had that month, and I wasn’t going to not drink some bubbles at this wedding), those 13 days were some of the best I had felt in a very long time.
I decided to give Whole30 a second try a few months later and once again felt absolutely amazing. I not only had more energy, but I wasn’t experiencing the same stomach bloat or pains that I had in the past. When I slowly started adding certain foods back into my diet, I was easily able to identify those that seemed to trigger my stomach issues, which was exactly what I was hoping to accomplish.
To be clear, I don’t believe in ‘diets’ in the traditional sense of the word. I personally feel that restriction can cause more harm than good, and isn’t a practical way to live life. Food should bring us joy and contentment, not guilt or regret.
Instead, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of eating and incorporating real, whole foods into each meal. Cutting out processed foods and paying attention to ingredient labels in the products you consume, will make a huge difference to your overall health.
Through both my studies as a health coach and as someone who has personally experienced the effects of eating a more natural, wholesome diet, I can’t stress these points enough.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a good glass of wine or chocolatey dessert every now and then, it’s just all about balance.
So there it is. I hope you stick around to learn more about how we can nourish our bodies and practice self-care through eating clean, whole foods. This will be a major theme throughout this space so I can’t wait to share more!
