No one likes getting old, except maybe 15, 17 and 20 year olds. After you’ve hit all the major age milestones, anything afterwards only means you’re on the way to the grave. Morbid I know, but I’ve decided to not take this whole aging thing like a dead fish. There’s gotta be something we can do (not Botox, something tastier), and that’s why I decided to finally test this whole healthy eating thing on fir suze. Healthy food = living younger, looking better, so they say. Ok, I’m game!
You see the healthy food mantra everywhere – on the radio, in magazines, on TV. They say that whatever what we put IN our bodies makes all the difference; that anything we consume should be looked at as medicine, from food to beverages to even the air you breathe. Our bodies our sponge-like. And even though this totally makes sense, I never gave two shakes about healthy food until I turned 30. Since that not very epic day, I’ve been experiencing the earliest signs of aging: Sore shoulders, increasing back pain, carpal tunnel, and the worst, needing extra time to heal. No one likes witnessing their own corporal form’s demise.
When I was first hurt, I let my disability hasten me to appreciate everything that was left that I could still enjoy, and eating – food glorious food – was and still is my remaining favorite sensation. I’d eat all my favs – Pizza Rolls, egg rolls, candy bars, Wendy’s fries. They made me deliriously happy. It went something like this: I may not be able to walk like I used to, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Rocky Road ice cream still tasted the same.
But now, the daily processed food train has come to a halt. I can’t be Tiffiny “Little Debbie” forever, unless I want to get diabetes at age 40. Your body will kick and scream until you upgrade your childlike pallet; even if you’re paralyzed. It happened to me and the transition is not easy. Well it wasn’t easy, until I my “peach moment.” Have you ever ate the most perfectly ripe white peach? The kind of perfection you’d expect on a fruit plate in heaven? Well once you do, processed food will NEVER look the same. And here’s the good news – white peaches are in season now (go buy one!)
And in regards to the healthy foods I’ve been discovering, I don’t know where to begin: Homemade frozen fruit smoothies, roasted veggies, quinoa salad, farro salad, using vinegar in lots of things (love the acidity), even something simple like brown rice with soy sauce and sautéed carrots. And I choose fresh over organic (“organic” is so all over the place). Now when I enter a McDonald’s I feel like a food snob, but its all good. Since changing my diet I have without question noticed the benefits they promised: Clearer skin, increased energy, and a happier bladder and bowel.
Don’t get me wrong: I’ll still order a Papa John’s pizza and guzzle down a huge can of Fanta orange pop, but I just don’t do it twice a week. Our bodies need some TLC, folks! Don’t you forget it!
Read more about my quest to get healthy in my post “The Health-Nut Balance“.
Photo courtesy of Katie Wardrobe
So I love peaches, what’s your fav health food? What other healthy habits do you practice?
My favorite health food right now is smoothies. Every morning my hubby whips up a fruit smoothie for us in the magic bullet blender. We buy the huge bags of frozen fruit at Walmart and mix with fresh fruit, fruit juice and yogurt. Sometimes we also throw in some flax seed, almonds or granola. Such a treat and energy booster…. especially when coupled with a cup of coffee :)