Eat Well

pastured eggs, kale, chanterelles, red onions, tomato, fig, seaweed

bulletproof coffee on the side

 

It doesn’t much matter that we know we’re eating junk.  Guilt over the half bag of cookies? Check.  Late night snacking? Check.  Dare I say soda-pop? Check.

But, eh, you only live once and a little bit, moderation even, doesn’t hurt.

Except it isn’t true, and neither denial nor sincere belief will alter the biochemistry of what those foods are doing in and to our bodies.

Sometimes we know.  We’re a little stuffy, a bit congested (“Just a cold” we say).  We’re crashing every day at 2pm (time to hit the coffee pot).  We feel a little stiff in our joints in the morning (getting older, I guess).  Now and again we get a little headache, or heartburn, or cranky.

Aren’t you tired of the circus?

Why wait until January 1st?  Why not start the next meal?

I know.  It’s hard.  It’s about impossible.  Your brain will SCREAM at you to EAT.THAT.DOUGHNUT.NOW.  You won’t be able to help putting the bags of chips into the cart.  The produce department looks foreign and did you see the prices of grass-fed anything?

But you could change one thing.  One thing.  Maybe one tablespoon of syrup into your coffee instead of two.  Maybe bake your own cookies instead buying the franken ones from the store.  Maybe skip the jam and eat the whole fruit instead.

Maybe you pay for a pound of grass fed beef now, in exchange for the price you’ll pay otherwise at the pharmacy later.

And then, after a while of making small changes, it happens.

You actually will find kale tasty.  Your eyes will widen at the fresh figs at market.  You’ll see a loaf of bread and your brain will say, “eh”.  Butter will become your best friend and you won’t want soda for even a sip because, well, it plain tastes nasty now.  And there might be plenty of grass-fed, wild, pastured meats on the table.

Right now, every bite you take is making you healthier or sicker.  Every.Bite.

You know there are plenty of websites, books, podcasts.  You might feel lost in all of the information (even conflicting!) out there.  It’s ok.  Try something.  See how your body feels, how it reacts.  Just know that just about anything that smacks of wholesomeness and nutrient-density will make your body scream for a week (or three) like a two year old in a full-blown tantrum.

And you know what happens to toddlers if you just constantly give them what they want.  And you know we end up drugging them later.  Feed tantrums now=temper them with pharmaceuticals later.

Find a buddy to hold you accountable, to commiserate with.  Start (or continue) to blog about your ups and downs.  Journal.  Keep a food log.  Or, how about rip out a magazine picture of some kids and put it on the fridge with a pen marked over it: “FOR MY GRANDCHILDREN”.

Because, don’t you want to play with your grandchildren?  On the grass?  Throwing a ball?  Taking a hike? Swimming with them?

Or do you just want to watch from a walker? Too stiff in the morning to play hide-and-seek? Hacking up mucous at lunchtime?

Do you want to have gorgeous skin? Stand tall?

Or slump over your shoulders into a hunch? And have frown lines dipping to your chest?

Eating well makes for a clear mind, an energetic body, and dare I say, a better outlook on life in general.

You’re going to get older (have you noticed that already?).  How do you want to get there, into even “older”?  And what kind of body do you want to be in?

Start building it today.