Eating Clean

I don’t recall any fast food restaurants when I was a child; they began popping up when I was in high school. If there were any, we could not afford to go to them. As a child, I did not exercise and I never thought about my weight; I was always thin and extremely active. As a young teenager I remember my mother talking about diets. She would have been around 45 years old when she began her dieting cycle. It was the trend back then, as it is today, to deprive yourself of calories, certain food groups or types, and to exercise yourself to exhaustion. I was fortunate not too get pulled into the dieting craze as I became addicted to exercise instead; perhaps the lesser of 2 evils :).

When I moved into my 45th year, I experienced many physical changes. I was entering into peri-menopause and was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Because of the memory of my mother’s dieting roller coaster, I was determined not to follow that path.  I needed to keep my weight down to slow down the deterioration of my joints, and I wanted to maintain a healthy heart to combat any affects of the medication I was taking. I always thought that I ate healthily, but I soon realized that the “low fat” craze was a great marketing strategy to sell pre-packaged foods. We were all eating foods low in fat, but high in sugar and salt, and we were actually gaining weight instead of losing it. Determined to fight and manage this autoimmune disease, I spent hours a day researching ways to become as healthy as possible. One of the strategies I found was to “eat clean”. I stumbled across a magazine advertising the “eat clean” diet and educated myself on its benefits. Although, I am not an advocate of any thing called a “diet”, this is truly the best thing that ever happened to me as it is a lifestyle choice that is congruent with the rest of my life choices. I don’t think about my weight anymore. I eat when I am hungry, which is about every 2 hours, and simply eat foods from the earth and from animals. I have learned to cook with flavourful herbs and spices instead of sauces and spreads.  I no longer crave foods because I don't eat things that trigger those cravings.  I only buy what is in season and as little pre-packaged food as possible. The food I buy is preservative free and 100% natural. “Natural” meaning not processed; meaning coming directly from the earth or the animal and with nothing added to it. Most of what I buy has a shelf life of 5 days or less. It does take some planning, but the benefits are numerous. I feel healthier, have more energy, and I am able to practice a less strenuous, gentler exercise regime that I am able to maintain without being tired. It is all part of the balanced lifestyle that I so advocate. 

Because I am somewhat OCD this has become a very positive way for me to channel my control compulsions.  This may seem somewhat unhealthy, however, I have feel like I have discovered an extemely healthy way to eat and enjoy my food.  Every now and again I stray because I do so enjoy a glass of wine and a nice dinner with my family and friends.  And for that I am willing to throw all clean food out the window!!!!