My Health Journey

Where do I start...How does one simply explain what they eat and why? Let's see, for the first 18 years of my life I pretty much ate anything and everything in sight due to my fast metabolism. Growing up in the 90s (when junk food was the norm) my parents were not too concerned with health considering my siblings and I were stick skinny. My dad owned convenience stores so my cousin Megan and I would call him every Friday night in elementary school and place orders of Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles, Hot Cheetos (for Megan, I still can't stand them), Starbursts, Mambas, Gushers, and Slim Jims. Megan and I also loved to "cook"; we made chicken nuggets and fries, bagels, and toast with butter (our curves make sense to me now). That was our nutrition and it was pretty normal in the 90s. This lifestyle caused me to have such a sweet tooth that it's still hard for me to adapt a cleaner lifestyle today. 

   Starting high school I still ate whatever I wanted and didn't really think about nutrition. As I got a little older I noticed my body was slightly changing (the sweets were catching up to me). My friends and I went out to eat pretty often and by the end of high school I probably weighed about 10-15 pounds more than my freshman year. Going into college I was trying to be knowledgeable about dieting but I was just starting to learn. I wanted to lose a little weight but looking back I wasn't doing it correctly. I tried things like the Beyonce "Master Cleanse" drink and other fad diets that have no nutritional gain. I was experimenting with my body, which is fine because I have learned so much.

   Fast-forward to more recent years, there is so much that has influenced me to learn about nutrition and the body. When my mom got diagnosed with an incurable case of Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), nutrition became an everyday topic in my household. Although Western medicine doesn't support the theory of cancer being related to food there is an abundance of research that there may be a link between the two. My family and I were getting a plethora of suggestions from friends, holistic doctors, and Western medical doctors on what type of methods my mom could pursue. I learned about methods such as Alkaline VS Acid, Gerson Therapy, Cannabis Oil, and more. All of these lifestyles were intriguing to me and my perception of health was forever changed. My mom was not as inspired about the holistic methods and chose to get treated with Chemotherapy. She stopped doing Chemotherapy a few months ago.

   Surprisingly, I give a lot of my health journey credit to YouTube and Instagram, where I follow multiple nutritional and fitness influences. One of my biggest influences was FitGirlsGuide, which I joined on a whim after seeing it posted on Instagram. It taught me how to portion control, meal-prep, how to do fitness circuits, and everyday tips that I use until this day. I did it for one month and lost 8 pounds (I would post the before and after if screenshot didn't exist). It was also very therapeutic because it gave me something to focus on to distract me from my mom's illness. It brought me closer to my dad who literally was over my shoulder every time I meal prepped (like until 12:30 A.M.). When it ended he asked me "why I don't cook no more?". He's actually really healthy and fit him-self; he juices and cooks his own meals almost everyday. I've never had to make my own juice, YAY!

   I also follow a lot of Raw Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, and Paleo influencers and have tried all of those lifestyles. I believe all of those lifestyles have great benefits. I think Raw Vegan is so awesome for people that it works for. I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives, which was a 20-year study in China about plant-based diet it and it was inspiring. Personally, when I tried Raw Vegan I felt amazing but I was kind of getting light-headed. I loved the Paleo lifestyle and I saw a huge difference in my body within a few days. I realized that I don't have to identify with a certain lifestyle to be healthy. I even like practicing Vegan a few days a week and Paleo a few days a week. Some days I eat anything I want. Some dieters say cheat days are what keep them sane. Food should be satisfying and not limiting. My friends and I always say everything in moderation. I've realized that becoming healthier is a gradual lifestyle change and not something overnight. Here is some of what I know and try to implement right now (at least part-time ;) ): 

1. Water. The number one thing that I learned from FitGirlsGuide is to wake up every morning and drink water. Water is just as important as food. They suggested a mug of hot water with lemon which I find relaxing. I know my body gets dehydrated easily, so I try to drink around 60 ounces. The rule of thumb is that you should be drinking half the amount of your body weight in ounces. Drinking a lot of water really helps me and regulates my body. 

2. Whole. I aspire to eat foods as whole as possible. I try to stay away from processed foods because t's best to eat food that is closest to it's natural state. Ask yourself if what you're eating has been processed or chemically altered. When I go grocery shopping I mainly only shop in the produce aisles.

3. Raw Vegetables and Fruits. If you want to take it a step further try to eat whole foods as raw (uncooked) as possible, which I know is hard. If you clicked the Alkaline VS Acid link you can understand that most people don't eat enough raw vegetables and fruits. I try to include as much raw alkaline food in my diet. These are the super foods that are going to give you the most nutrition. Cooked vegetables are better than none. Some bloggers I follow claim you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want, some say fruits have too much sugar. It's up to you. I try to eat a few servings a day. I also drink my dad's vegetable and fruit juices with my glass of water in the morning.

4. Protein. I've debated meat for years and years (still working on it, poor animals) but currently I've learned the trick is to not eat too much of it. Lately I've been eating a lot of fish and chicken. Some say treat meat as your side and plant based foods as your entree. 

5. Grains. I try to avoid grains because they're low in nutrition but I can't say I don't consume them. I try to minimize grains when I want to be healthier and many days I don't eat them. 

6. Dairy. Try to minimize dairy. This is something I most recently adopted it and I believe in. There's no good reason we should consume another animal's milk in adulthood, especially pasteurized and processed dairy. 

7. Portions. This is what I'm pretty bad at. Be conscious of bad calories and try to portion your meals if you're trying to lose weight or be healthier. Try to eat foods that are higher in nutrients are lower in calories. For me a good amount would be 400-500 calorie meals.

8. Fitness . Currently I workout atleast 3-5 times per week including cardio and some strength training. Sometimes I go bike-riding or walking for cardio and to get fresh air. These days I'm more concerned with being fit and having a strong body. I want to be physically strong more than look skinny. I've been working on my core and have made a lot of progress. I did a Yoga Teacher Training and try to practice Yoga at least 3-5 times a week.. If you can't make it to a Yoga class I recommend to do it for about 5 minutes before bed because it helps you stretch, meditate, and sleep. 

My health journey is always a work in progress but hopefully this gives you and idea of where I'm at in my life. Thanks for reading and hope some of these tips help!

More links about

Alkaline VS Acid

Raw Vegan

Cannabis Oil

Paleo

Health & Happiness,

-E.A.