A couple of days ago, I posed the question:
“Is there a particular food you would hate to give up? What is it and why?” .
I also recieved this question on my ask me anything page:
“You’ve probably mentioned this on your blog and I missed it, but why did you decide to go gluten free? Do you have celiac’s disease or a sensitivity? Or was it more of a personal choice?”.
Both of these questions, along with your responses, really got me thinking. I’ve have given up a ton of foods in order to honor my health and interestingly enough, I don’t really feel deprived. I’ll admit, I do get the occasional hankering for chocolate, something gluten filled or even a greasy cheesy pizza. But really, for me, it all comes down to a matter of choice and most of time, the choices are easy to make.
As a matter of choice, I eat a pretty limited diet. I don’t eat gluten because it causes severe inflammation that leads to acid reflux, joint and muscle pain, bloating and water retention, chronic fatigue as well as brain fog and irritability. I don’t eat dairy because it aggravates my allergies and I don’t eat sugar, caffeine, alcohol or fruit because it aggravates my candida. I only eat meat occasionally and I typically pay attention to the rules of food combining because of my digestion. So, what in the world does that leave me with? Lots of veggies, gluten free grains, beans, nuts and seeds.
Two years ago, you could have never convinced me that I would eat a sugar free, plant based, low grain diet. But you also would not have been able to convince me that I can stand on my head or stand up to my parents. All of these changes in my life have been slow, steady and gradual changes. I didn’t do it overnight and I didn’t do it because someone else told me to. I did all of these things in order to feel my best. At one point in time, I took 8 prescriptions each and every day for various ailments and now, with the exception of digestive enzymes
In the land of diets, none of this would have been possible and I would have felt incredibly deprived. Instead, I feel nourished by my food and don’t walk around starving all day long. I haven’t binged in ages and I rarely associate food with guilt. I also do really well with honoring my bodies hunger signals and knowing what foods it really wants. I even make choices sometimes that don’t follow along with what will make me feel the best but I do so with awareness. I’m honoring my body in a way that feels right and ironically, there is no food on this planet that I feel is “off limits”. And that to me is an awesome feeling.
How about you? Which choices do you make that might make others feel deprived but make you feel your best?
Christie, I know I’ve said this before, but I absolutely love your insight and perspective. It’s really inspiring, and helps me to remember what being healthy is really about.
I think it makes total sense that now that you are not in the world of diets, you are able to “give up” certain foods without feeling deprived. The difference is that with diets, it’s not really a choice – it’s an external prescription, rather than an internal decision. Now you are making conscious choices about what you do and do not want to put into your body for the purpose of feeling your best. Totally the opposite of “I’m not going to eat sugar to try to drop 5 pounds STAT!”
I’m really impressed with the decisions you’ve made. Sometimes I know that certain foods don’t sit right with me, but I eat them anyways. There are occasionally times when taste trumps health, and I’m ok with that.
However, I did officially give up soda a year ago. I used to be addicted to diet coke. When I was in college I took a can to almost every class with me. I thought I needed it because my hectic schedule made me tired all the time. Then I realized that it wasn’t my schedule making me tired and uncomfortable, it was all the diet coke! I gradually weened myself soda which lead to giving up all artificial sweetners, and I started to have more energy, felt less bloated, and what I thought were “concentration headaches” went away. I haven’t had soda in forever and remembering how it makes me feel makes me never want to go back!
Suzanne´s last blog ..Treat Night
Good for you for giving up soda! That was a hard one for me as well!
I also choose taste over health sometimes too but I am also pretty inventive in the kitchen and never eat food that tastes bad.
It has been so interesting to follow your progress… the way that you are CHOOSING to live your best life (I sound like Oprah now…) is very inspiring. You have evolved so much and seem like a much happier person b/c of it.
laura dishes´s last blog ..Dancing with the… Bachelor?
Thanks, Laura.
It’s hard for me to think that the choices I make would leave someone deprived. I eat a very healthy diet, but don’t feel deprived because I allow myself to enjoy in moderation. I do love unsweetened items and people have commented that they could never eat that because its not sweet enough.
Estela @ Weekly Bite´s last blog ..Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
i’m actually really surprised at how giving up meat for lent has opened so many foodie options to me! i thought i’d have a really difficult time finding food i can eat, but i’ve found myself having to put off recipes and meals sometimes because there are just SO MANY of them! :)
Heather (Heather’s Dish)´s last blog ..Beanballs & Cocktails
I know! There is a whole wonderful meat free world out there. It is pretty cool!
What a great post. So insightful and motivating…..
I am so glad you have made these choices and feel so good becasue of them that you are continuing.
I think eating a mostly vegan diet makes me feel the best. i do not feel deprived and love grains, veggies, beans, and nuts.
Have a great day!
Kalli@fitandfortysomething´s last blog ..Are You Deficient?
I definitely think making a choice that’s well-informed and for good reason will never feel like you’re depriving yourself. If dairy gives you problems or makes you feel bad, it’s a no brainer to give it up! Honoring what your body is telling you is one the of best things we can do!
brandi´s last blog ..Spain 2010: A Foodie’s Dream and a Bull Ring
For me, it’s choosing not to drink alcohol, which to many of my friends and peers (Im a university student) seems like a form of deprivation. I have personal reasons for not drinking, and I really don’t mind if others do it, but it really irritates me when people harp on me for not drinking. I have found myself making silly exuses for not drinking, but I think Im going to just start saying I don’t drink instead of being “ashamed/embarassed” for choosing to forgo alcohol.
Good for you, M!
Only recently stumbled across your blog – it’s brilliant! I too have been (off) and on the intuitive eating path for years. I have found it has been a slow journey for me, but all these little steps add up after a while.
I have to be careful about telling myself something is ‘off limits’ as my warped brain automatically decides it must then have it…go figure…but one of the things I have happily given up is any form of artificial sweetener and a lot of extra sugar in general in my food. It’s been interesting to see how my taste buds have adapted and now just a little bit of something sweet can at times tastes excessive…or heavenly. :)
Christine´s last blog ..Pumpkin
I feel like a couple of choices I make would leave others feeling deprived, but I am with you and don’t feel like I am depriving myself. I enjoy the foods I eat and WANT to eat them, like plant based foods. I also don’t like to drink, which is unlike most of my friends. Great post, really made me think!
Nicole @ Making Good Choices´s last blog ..Flops!
I once gave up meat for a year but found that I was still craving it and started eating it again, albeit not daily. I, too, am inspired by your journey because I am at this point where I should give up certain thing because I am having such problems with heartburn. But to me it still feels like deprivation rather than a choice so reading your post really helps. Thanks! K.
Kerstin´s last blog ..~ work. life. weight. cooking. ~
I went through the same thing. I think that is completely normal in this process.
I think that’s a really interesting post that you’ve written and timely for me if I might add. I have toyed/tossed around/pissed away a whole entire 1 1/2 years because I didn’t want to be strict with the food that I ate. I wanted ‘one last bite’ of it..for the past 1 1/2 years. Your method of approaching food, the way that you’re eating and what you’re eating is exactly TOTALLY what I strive to be at in one year. I started a new adventure giving up sugar for one year. What I’ve noticed is that the more chemically/crap that we put into our body, the more it wants it. Craves it. Become accustom and changed by it. It’s scary. Now I have to undo 27 years of sugar, nutrasweet, Diet Coke, and crap. I just want to stop..but I can’t and I wont. I told myself One year is what it is going to take. Come hell or high water I am sticking to it. It’s hard I have massive cravings and headaches right now, but I don’t want to live on a toliet, with and overweight belly, rubbing thighs, mood swings and a lack of personal love.
Thank you.
Michelle@SugarWand´s last blog ..Sugar Wand
You are doing awesome, Michelle. We have to get through all of that stuff in order to get to the other side. It really is just part of the process it.
Email me if you ever want to chat.
that’s a great post! I’m so happy that you don’t feel deprived! To me that is what health is all about….doing what feels good to YOU and doing what YOUR body needs. I think its absolutely amazing that you don’t have to take 8 pills everyday! That just sounds awful!
Salah@myhealthiestlifestyle´s last blog ..Orange you glad to be alive???