You might notice I was absent from my blog yesterday. Wanna know why? 'Cause I'm a BIG, FAT hypocrite, that's why. I don't think I ate one thing yesterday that wasn't processed in some way nor am I sure I even ate anything in its raw or pure form. Epic fail!
I have since dusted myself off from that wagon fall and learned a lesson. I am what I eat. When I eat like crap, I feel like crap. Between a son with a stomach virus and myself with the cold that won't end, it's a veritable germfest in our house right now. Thus, yesterday, all caution was thrown to the wind and we ate whatever soothed our bellies and palates.
The funny thing is that the so-called "comfort food" I ate didn't bring me any comfort. I ended up being disappointed in myself for sacrificing and going to bed with a distended tummy chock full of carbs and high-fructose corn syrup. My prenatal vitamin and extra vitamin C tablet were the only redeeming things to pass through my esophagus yesterday besides water.
I heard a quote the other day that first stung me, then resonated deeply: "What we eat in private shows in public." I may not think those 5 or 10 M&Ms I'm tossing back between lunch and dinner are affecting me, but they are. Especially if I toss 5 or 10 back five times a day.
I'm learning slowly (like at a snail's pace, y'all) that my health/weight/well-being are a combination of when, what, and how much I choose to eat. Living with PCOS (which I discussed in this post), I cannot simply follow a reduced-calorie, "less in, more out" type of diet and expect to garner great results. Sure, calorie reduction and increased exercise will help, but it's not enough. A lot of what's going on with my body is in the way it's responding to what I choose to eat.
So you'd think I'd be even more sensitive and follow "the rules" better, right? Nah. I don't like being told I can't do something, so this interferes with the core of trying to eat better. I have to realize that there are things I can't eat (well, maybe I can, but I truly shouldn't) if I want to be the healthiest version of me possible.
It all comes down to this: do I want to be healthy or do I want the momentary pleasure of ________ (insert your choice of comfort food, sugary treat, or calorie-laden drink)? I want to be healthy. That is my utmost desire. The momentary pleasure of unhealthy food (and that's truly all it amounts to) is just not worth it. Now to train my irrational mind to remember this ideal when it's past lunch and I'm scrambling to find something to stuff in my mouth is quite a different story.
I'm fresh out of ideas on how to beat my addiction to processed, unhealthy foods. There are many times in a day where I vehemently want to tear through my pantry and fridge, removing any semblance of processing, refining, filling and head to the nearest dump with the stuff. The me that hates to waste is what holds the tiger back. I figure we'll just finish it out and then not buy it again. Maybe I need to just let it go, release my wrath on the kitchen, and not look back. It certainly can't hurt us.
What ways are you successful at eliminating or limiting processed foods in your diet? How do you overcome the urge to consume "comfort" food? What natural foods give you that comfort you long for?
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