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Eating, it is something that we all do multiple times a day. It should be easy, eat whole real food when you are hungry and stop when you are full. However, somewhere along the way it became this complicated process, where we fight our “cravings” to eat “health” food. My best guess is somewhere when we gave the power of cooking our meals to companies and food corporations. In my opinion food processing and industrialization of our food is what really has messed up our natural ability to know when we are hungry, and when we are choose foods that are healthy for us. Think about the grocery store and the thousands of options that are available to us these days. “Foods” that are so far from any whole food form it is questionable how these “foods” made it into our homes and bellies. The simple answer, we got lazy and gave away our power. These food companies spent countless hours and dollars to process foods so they are highly addictive and crave-able. So how do we take our power and health back? We need to change our relationship with food.
About 2 months ago I went to see an alternative health care practitioner to find out why it was becoming so hard for me to lose stubborn belly fat that seemingly came out of nowhere when I turned 33. I thought maybe I had some hormone issue, like cortisol/DHEA. After getting my results back from all my blood work, and hearing that I had some of the healthiest results she had ever seen I was still stumped. Why was it so hard for me to get rid of that belly fat. This is when I was introduced to the Paleo lifestyle. Being in health and fitness, I had heard of Paleo, and to be honest I thought it went hand in hand with Crossfit and was a “fad” type thing. She recommended “The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf. After reading what Paleo was and the reasoning behind adopting this type of lifestyle I decided to give it a go. It took me about 5 weeks to fully feel the benefits of removing all non-paleo foods: dairy, grains, sugar, processed foods, legumes (including peanut butter) and anything “white”. I focused on eating all real whole foods: organic poultry, grass fed beef, wild caught fish, lots of fresh veggies and fruits and nuts and seeds. I did have a few slip ups in the first few weeks, and realized the power that processed food had on my brain chemistry. I was detoxing from the foods that were highly addictive. There are studies that show that sugar is 8 times as addictive as cocaine! There is a reason you keep reaching for those cookies and candy. Once it is in your system you are going to crave it. Once you remove it from your diet, and it is out of your system the fog lifts and the cravings end.
I feel that this is what truly changed my relationship with food. Once I was able to eliminate the foods that caused cravings and focus on eating whole real foods that nourished my body and mind, I was in control of my food. I now see food as fuel. It is meant to keep us thriving and only whole real foods can do that for us. I eat a lot of food throughout the day when I am hungry. Now that I am prepping for my first bikini competition in the fall, I make sure that I have food ready at all times. My fridge is stocked with grilled chicken breasts, salads, fruits, eggs, vegetables and almond butter. I don’t feel those cravings that I once did that had me standing in front of my pantry grabbing a handful of things that were not good for my body or mind. I now have control of what I put in my body and it feels great to know that I am treating my body the way it was meant to be treated…nourishing it with WHOLE REAL FOOD.
If you feel that you are addicted to food I suggest that you detox (eliminate) from the foods that are causing you to feel this way. Know that it is a chemical reaction and that you can change this. You don’t have to do Paleo, it might not be right for you, but I encourage you to eliminate anything processed and white. This will make a huge difference for you and the way you feel. My hope is that you learn how certain foods affect your body and you are able to change your relationship with food. It is meant to fuel you and not reward you. Take the time to buy, cook and eat your own meals, I guarantee it will make a huge difference in the way you view food.
If you have any questions about how to change your relationship with food please feel free to send me an e-mail onfirefitnesspt@hotmail.com. I am happy to help!
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Let's chat!
- Have you tried the Paleo lifestyle? If so, what do you think about it?
- What items are always stocked in your refrigerator or pantry?
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