Why eating healthy is challenging and what you can do right now
to start making positive changes.
If your anything like me you’ve tried eating healthfully more times than you could count and if so, I bet every time it’s been a struggle that leaves you feeling defeated, disheartened & unmotivated to start up again. I totally get it and have been through it enough times to learn a few things. My motivations for eating healthy, and when I say eat healthy I mean lots & lots of fruits and leafy greens/veggies etc., were simply to feel better because I felt like a dying hot mess everyday. I honestly & literally felt like if I didn’t start eating healthier that It was prematurely going to be the death of me. That’s really the only way I can describe it in a nutshell & I’ll save the further details for another chapter. So everyday living was a major struggle for me and I knew I had to do something about it. long story short I started eating better, and every time I did, I not only could function again, but feel incredibly awesome. It became crystal clear to me that, that’s what I needed to do & and I started working diligently towards finding ways to improve my dedication to my new found way of living.
As time went on though I did start to see a pattern. Every time I started eating better and feeling amazing I’d slip & eat something I’d striked to the ‘no list’ and then just completely fall off the wagon and start eating everything that wasn’t ok. What was so frustrating about it all was the fact that I knew eating healthy made me feel so much better, and yet every time I seemed to just completely forget what my goals were. As soon as I saw that tasty pastry, everything flew out the window like I was somehow invincible to any ill effects the food might have on me. Once I’d eaten whatever junk I got my hands on I’d end up feeling terrible, not just physically, but emotionally for feeling like a failure and that my body had failed me too. Not to mention the feeling of giving up that made me just want to go out & buy even more junk to consume my feelings.. So this vicious cycle happened for about 7 years until I finally started to realize & really understand the whole emotional aspect of it all.
We all know emotional eating is nothing new. I’m guessing most of you reading this know quite a bit about it already, and that’s great. You may know that anything bothering you in your life can make you emotionally eat. So anything that feels unresolved within your consciousness be it already happened, happening now, or not yet happened, can trigger you to fill the void with withever you can get your hands on first. But I don’t believe it stops just there. I’m inclined to believe we hold memories within our cells! It’s called cell memory. The memories can be both pleasant & unpleasant. Let’s take a pleasant one for example like that one time you were at great grandmas eating her famous Apple pie when you were 5 years old and everything was perfect and you felt so happy. For some maybe it’s a different flavor pie or maybe it’s a cake, cookie or maybe it’s not even something sweet. Whatever it may be, your instantly brought back to that blissful moment as the endorphins come rushing through the flood gates and your swept away to a different land.. like the chocolate commercials on tv where the lady eating the chocolate-you get what I'm saying here. It’s temporary bliss. That memory along with whatever it is we’ve eaten get stored deep within our cells for another day. It’s the process the body goes through when creating new cells. Which it does every single day. The food we eat builds new cells in our bodies. So you’re literally what you eat. Everything from that point in time get stored into those new cells including memories, emotions, food.. everything. & Yes I did said emotions..
It’s true that science has yet to prove this theory on cell memory.
But just take a look at the raw vegan community for instance. I’ve been apart of it for 3 years now. When people first go raw they experience a lot of detoxing the first month or so depending on their body and how gummed up it is. In this detoxing period the body is breaking down old sub-optimal & damaged cells and excreting them, the cravings are intense and its a difficult time with a roller coaster of emotions and sensations. It literally feels like your going backwards. Your not sure if your even healing, your reliving emotions from years prior that seem & feel so bizarre, your joints may ache, your skin might look like a pubescent teenagers. Your tired & moody-emotions coming from every which way from anger to pure bliss to crying your eyes out. Sounds pleasent doesn’t it!? Its kind of like decluttering your home..if you were a hoarder. It’s messy, you have sentimental attachments to the things your getting rid of that leave you feeling emotional, it’s a lot of work & it’s time consuming & incredibly uncomfortable but when it’s all done it feels insanely amazing & you wish you’d done it sooner. So when the first initial tidal wave of detoxing has surpassed(there are many waves of detoxing, big & small), people are left feeling better than they literally ever have, no exaggeration. I know because I’ve journeyed through it along with many others. The body must first go into clean up mode scavenging for old unhealthy or damaged cells to start breaking them down and releasing their memories. These can include traumas and any emotions, which are then finally free to be released and no longer attached to our psyche. This detoxing process happens on a much smaller scale when a person is eating a smaller quantity of fresh fruits & greens.
Looking more on the emotional side of the things now, far to many of us have things in our life that we're deep down unhappy with. The job you just really hate, that relationship you know that’s not right for you, the pretending to be someone you know your not. The list could be a mile long of different scenarios, you fill in the blank. Seems everyone has something. Until we choose to face these issues and honor ourselves, we can stay stuck in a vicious cycle. Check out my previous post on self honor and how important it is here- HonoringSelf Once you decide to face your challenges and make the necessary positive changes in your life, like pursuing that dream job, ending that relationship, or whatever it may be that’s blocking you from moving forward in your life, can the body then start supporting you back. Eating healthfully becomes easier & less forced. You might even find yourself only wanting fresh fruits or greens, and it just might become more of your norm. It is indeed like a magic switch that’s flipped & all of a sudden life feels like it’s working in our favor. We start to feel emotionally lighter and carefree. We're undoubtedly happier & more charismatic. This was my experience along with many others. I started honoring myself and making the necessary & big life changes, and eating better & sticking to it started to become easier & easier. I'm not at the place I eventually hope to be, but I have all the faith in the world that I'll get there soon. Everyday is a new opportunity to learn more & use that knowledge to do better.
You can start taking positive steps today just by being mindful. Watch your emotions every time you feel the need to eat something you know isn't going to serve your mind body & soul. What emotions are you feeling? Where are they coming from & why are you having them? These are the questions that will lead you to the real reasons your struggling to stay on track. anxiousness, sadness, boredom, are all states that stem from something much deeper. Could be an underlying issue that's unresolved in our lives. Bottom line is this, eating healthy can be hard af. I give much love & respect to anyone seriously pursuing it. It takes working through your emotional hang-ups, it takes working through sometimes very difficult & emotional detox depending on where your diets at, It takes spending extra time & resources to get the items needed, and most importantly it takes persistence. Getting back up after each time you fall makes all the difference. I hope we all can eventually get to a place one day where eating healthfully is always our first choice and where theres no desire for foods that hinder us.
We'll get there one step at a time. & I'm with you all the way.
Love & Light,
-Kate
Suggestions for new blog posts always welcomed.