How Nutrition Became a Part of My Wellness Journey

“Nutrition is so important. It can’t be stressed enough.”

-Dwayne johnson

Yes, I said it. Food motivates me. The look, smell, and taste of great food is enough to motivate me to get up, dance, and sometimes sing! LOL! Seriously though food motivates me due to my new relationship with food. 

The Beginning

In the past, I would mostly eat food for taste. My food selections were simply based on what I wanted to eat. In my early years, my choices were mostly made by my parents and their choices for me. And they did a pretty good job. My mom was (and still is) a fan of having vegetables on the plate. We didn’t live in a no sugar household, but we did limit our sugar intake.

So once I went away to college and eventually lived on my own, I defaulted to my early teachings. This included making sure to include fruits and vegetables in addition to protein in my meals, avoiding fatty food, and limiting sugar.

As someone who values the continuous learning process, nutrition was one of the areas I explored. When I became pregnant I paid more attention to what I ate. And when my son became of age to start eating solid food, I decided to make his food from scratch rather than use pre-made food. Right around my son was a year old, I entered my wellness journey.

Here and Now

As nutrition became a part of my wellness journey, I educated myself on food and its effects. Through a personal choice, I decided to stop eating beef and pork over 20 years ago. Then more recently after watching documentaries such as What the Health, Forks Over Knives, and Cowspiracy, I decided to become a pescatarian.  

Overall, what I’ve learned is food is a source of energy. So rather than make food selections on taste alone, I try to make food choices based on how they will make me feel after I eat. Have you ever eaten something and felt sluggish afterward? Rather than feel sluggish, I would rather feel energized. Some of my favorite foods to get energy is fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

In addition to having a renewed energy source, my food selections have now caused me to search out different recipes to find dishes that look and taste good in addition to providing me with an energy source.

The Future

Of course, I have no way of predicting the future, but I do know nutrition will continue to be a part of my wellness journey. I have limited my dairy consumption, but I have an occasional scoop of ice cream. I come across terms such as vegan, raw vegan, and alkaline diets more and more. Completing this transition will take some additional effort, but the health benefits seem favorable.

Also, a future consideration is to include my family in this journey. While my kids do not eat beef, pork, or drink cow’s milk, they still eat chicken. Meal prep is a challenge due to the difference in ingredients, so getting to one common ingredient list is ideal. Plus, if it’s healthy for me, it’s healthy for them too, right?

While I cannot predict the future, I do know that I foresee keeping one thing in my diet. French fries have been a favorite of mine since I was little. I definitely have to find the right balance because fries are not the healthiest food in the world. But, guess what? Today just so happens to be National French Fry Day! I think it’s only fitting to celebrate with some fries!