Eating Healthy vs Eating Junk

Eating healthy is definitely a journey rather than a destination. It's a daily thing, sometimes a battle, but more often than not, it's becoming a pleasure. I am absolutely enjoying the benefits of eating cleaner.  I have been eliminating negative foods (and drinks) from my diet for many years, choosing to work slowly and deliberately; I figure it's easier to keep the promises to myself if I'm going slow rather than turning my food choices on their head. I'm also choosing to replace unhealthy with healthier versions of my favorite foods. 

One thing I've noticed is that when I choose to eat in a very unhealthy manner like I used to eat, I can definitely feel it, the sluggishness, in my mood, spirit, and insides 😧

Yesterday I was reminded how I feel when I eat a lot of junk foods. This was a celebration of my sister's birthday, we went to a public pool a little over an hour from my place. I brought chips and dip, the chips were 2 bags of very junky chips and one bag of slightly healthier organic corn chips. The dips, well, they were the run-of-the-mill bad choices: queso, ranch, and creamy spinach.  I ate mostly the corn chips dipped in all of the dips. I also ate a chicken sandwich and a couple of bites of a hot dog. I had a couple of pieces of fresh watermelon (the healthiest thing there!), There was also a giant chocolate chip cookie cake; I had a biggish piece. I drank 1 glass of sweet tea and half a can of cherry Coke (yuck, I'm really disliking the taste and feel of any sort of soda). We had Topo Chico but had to leave it in the vehicles because they didn't allow glass inside the pool area. 

Needless to say, by the time I got home, even though I didn't eat much of all of those things, it was enough to take its toll. I was feeling practically drugged. 

Now for the amazing thing: Once home, I decided I had eaten enough food but wanted to top it with something very healthy. I ate some homemade yogurt with fresh strawberries and grapes, sweetened it slightly with maple syrup, and added a scoop of protein powder. Within 20-30 minutes of eating that, my gut calmed right down; it was no longer fussing at me. That and the several bottles of water I drank helped tremendously.

I'm actually glad that my body lets me know how eating the junkiest of junk food is detrimental to my body, mind and spirit, it makes it so much easier to turn it down. I've been walking away from heavy sugar foods for a few months now, I can tell the difference. I am able to politely turn down really good cookies and other sweets and really mean it, I'm not secretly wishing I could go ahead and eat it, I'm seriously good with saying no. I am also trying not to push my beliefs and practices off on other people, no one likes a smug mug. But if asked, I will gladly educate people on what is working for me, it's up to them to walk that path, or not. 

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Wretha,

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