So thanks for taking time to read my VERY first blog post! Please leave comments, advice, personal experiences and really anything that you want to share. Hopefully you will love what you're reading so much that you share it with your friends ;)
Healthy choices, healthy meals, healthy options, healthy living. The word healthy gets thrown around a lot these days. We see it plastered on boxes in almost every aisle at the grocery store. We hear about it on commercials, on the news, on social media and in magazines. But am I the only one whose been questioning for years, what really is healthy? What does healthy mean? Am I healthy?
Well I am about to blow your mind right now...the term healthy means whatever you want it to mean. Now before you get all upset let me explain. I have friends who have celiac disease and their bodies are unable to digest gluten. They look at bread as the enemy; an unhealthy choice that would cause them to be sick for days with varying degrees of digestive issues. Now let's think about how I view bread. I love bread, especially sprouted whole grain bread. It's filled with sprouted lentils, barley and wheat and even has 5 grams of protein per slice. And I probably eat it at least once a day. I think bread is "healthy". If we look at those who eat paleo we can see a whole different opinion on what is "healthy" and what is not. Someone who is eats paleo thinks bacon, and butter are healthy choices that will supply them with good fats to fuel their body. A paleo would never consider eating wheat bread. On the other hand a traditional body builder lives on rice, whereas one who eats paleo would never consume rice. Also science and the media is constantly changing its ideas on what is "healthy". Years ago coconut oil was almost forbidden in the fitness community! Its a saturated fat don't eat it!!! But now we have learned that coconut oil is actually amazing and has way more benefits than we could have ever imagined. I use it as shampoo, hair conditioner, baking fat, and on rashes. Do you get what I mean? I could go on and on and on about how people view the term "healthy" but that's not the point of this blog. The point of this post is to help you understand what healthy means to YOU.
I have tried many different diets, fad diets, clean diets, paleo diets and restrictive diets (no diary or no gluten or no sugar). All of these experiences have helped me to understand my body and mind just a little bit more. I have learned what foods make me bloated, what foods give me the best energy for my workouts, what foods make me sleepy and what foods make me happy (because that's the most important one!) The moral of the story or the point of this post is to make you realize that healthy is what you decide healthy is. I know that sounds cliche but it's true. Now it's your job as a human being who is concerned about your health to figure out what works best for your body and mind. Maybe you have found a lot of success with weight watchers and controlling your portions. Or maybe you tried to cut out wheat and sugar and focus on eating more fruits and vegetables. Or maybe you tried paleo or zone diet but hated it. That's ok! It's all about finding what combinations and amount of foods work best for you. It may take some time and trial and error. But if you find that your cookie cutter healthy clean eating regimen isn't working for your body, it's not your fault! It might just not be right for you individually. Now is your opportunity to change things up and try something new for a couple of weeks and see what happens.
What has worked best for me is eating a balanced amount of fats, carbs and protein that supply me with enough energy to fuel my workouts and my busy schedule. I focus on eating nutrient dense foods like fruits, veggies and lean meats but I also don't deprive myself of fun foods like ice cream, cookies, and chocolate. When I do eat foods that are not nutrient dense I make sure that my portions are balanced. I always try my best to eat enough protein for my body weight and training schedule.
So what is healthy? Well, that's up to you.
Stay tuned for part 2!!!
XOXO
Kristen