Becoming more health conscious this year has been beyond empowering. Even though I have such a long way to go, I’ve been feeling like the ultimate cleansed goddess underneath my skin… What we choose to consume makes such a difference in our quality of life. Food was once for fuel and now we have it for solely pleasure. It’s no surprise that so many people have a ton of health issues. Instead of eating foods that heal their body, they are eating foods that only provide pleasure.
When I was 19 years old, I had completely stopped eating most of the foods I grew up around. Rice, fried chicken, McDonald’s, artificial salt, packaged seasoning, juice, soda…. I let it all go. I went from getting out of bed at noon feeling sluggish, to waking up at 8am feeling more alive than ever before. I still consumed some of those things occasionally, but it was no longer a daily routine. After beginning my yoga practice and eating healthier, I lost nearly 20 pounds. What I experienced was a rebirth. A mind, body and soul awakening.
I was made fun of by my family and old friends. They called me anorexic and said that I looked better when I was thicker. They were so stuck on who I was, that they couldn’t see my growth as growth. I was viewed as a weirdo for a long period of time. However, I never allowed that to phase me. I understood that I couldn’t judge them for not having the level of awareness that I had. I needed to forgive them and love them regardless.
In 2016, I slowly began to let go. I disconnected from my health once again. I lost the drive and spark for healthy eating and all that did was cause more bad habits. Yes, I still ate healthy, but not enough to balance out the garbage I had began consuming again. I wanted to change, I wanted to go back to the awakening I had in the beginning of my journey. I knew that in order to reach the level of spirituality that I wanted to reach, I needed to control my diet.
I set a goal for 2017 to be more health conscious and give my body more nurturing foods. One month into the new year and I completely let go of dairy. I was exposed to the truth about the dairy industry and was absolutely mind blown! It’s been about 3 weeks of eating healthy and being dairy free and I can honestly say I feel UNSTOPPABLE. The desire I had for those unhealthy foods is completely gone. I’ve been riding this powerful, productive wave and I couldn’t be anymore grateful for where I am in life right now. My spiritual encounters are more frequent and I can feel my mental clarity expanding.
“The greatest wealth is health”-Virgil
The foods you eat can either give you life or deplete it. At some point in time, we ate food for energy and now most people eat and fall asleep. The complete opposite of what should be happening is happening… You don’t have to alter your diet if you aren’t ready but trust me when I say that the discipline required to do so, can truly change your life. My partner has always told me, if your way of thinking and acting has changed since you were a teenager, then why hasn’t your diet? Here’s a powerful idea to ponder on.
How do the foods you eat make you feel? Your body is constantly sending you signals and it will tell you when something isn’t right. Being bloated, gassy or sleepy after eating, are all signs that something is off balance. Listen to your body. Honor this physical tool where your soul resides. Bring more quality into your life through the foods that you eat. It will feel like a mission at first. You will come across bumpy roads, but nothing will be more fulfilling than the purity you soak in after.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”-Hippocrates
April 6, 2017 at 11:38 pm
Great post, Ciara! I think we’ve been duped by the processed food industrial complex! From what I’ve read and learned from professors in the nutrition field, many do not realize that before WWII, many families cooked dinner and sat down together to “break bread.” After the war, the companies producing the ration food for soldiers thought they’d keep their businesses operating and profiting by targeting housewives. From that point on, the disconnection from natural, real, healing foods began. Fortunately, we have the slow food movement gaining momentum and vocal whole food enthusiasts like you reminding us that real, nutrient dense food is what sustains and heals our bodies!
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April 8, 2017 at 6:50 pm
Yes, the fast food industry has really taken American nutrition in an unhealthy direction, not to mention the abuse of animals on factory farms for this kind of food.
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April 8, 2017 at 6:51 pm
Ciara, glad you are bringing awareness to this and sharing your personal story. How do you see eating in relation to the course themes? There’s some interesting work to do there about how we relate to our environment in one the most intimate ways: food.
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April 13, 2017 at 2:53 am
Great post! I’m 23 and I’ve always struggled with maintaining a healthy diet. I chuckled for a second when I read that your family has made fun of you for choosing to eat healthy. I was a vegetarian for almost 3 years and the hardest part was my family: not necessarily the backlash, but sitting down to a meal together. If dinner was made, a special dish had to be prepared for me; or if we went to eat out, we struggled to find a place that had more than one or two options for vegetarians. I commend you on giving up dairy; that is very difficult!
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