This will be the most unscientific blog ever written in relation to the connection of certain foods, how they make you feel and what they do to your body but it's one I feel I should write. And I suppose I am justifying it to myself and its relevance because although I love facts to be backed up, it is always the human story or example that I take in and that I then carry with me. I have been experimenting with food and my own eating style for almost 3 years now, after years of eating all the wrong *healthy (not healthy at all) foods I have finally now got the balance and the combination right for me.
However from time to time I like to indulge or just have what I think I really want-this is when I know exactly why I don't choose to eat these foods on a regular basis.
So you are probably thinking I am talking about pizza, burgers, chocolate- all the things that are never included on a healthy eating plan but I am not, for me my favourite thing to eat is bread. I love bread especially toasted with butter, Nutella, peanut butter, or just honey. This is for me is heaven. (Whose hungry?!) But I know that bread will never be a friend of mine, not even when I disguise it with a spelt or gluten free version.
What happens when I eat bread is bizarre and I am sure a food scientist or qualified nutritionist could explain the scientific side of things but as I said I am keeping this plain and simple. After I eat bread, I feel so lethargic but also it makes me crave sugar or something sweet, every time. So immediately after I eat bread I am hungrier than before and I want to eat every penny sweet or chocolate bar imaginable. This was annoying for me until I explored alternative food options that make my body run and run well. Sugar for me is a no go, so bar the natural occurring sugars in food I avoid at all costs. Sugar makes you want sugar- it supports its own! It took me years to figure out just what I needed to eat to be healthy, strong and lean in my body.
Like many women I fell victim to the clever marketing campaign of low fat, sugar free, reduced this, lacking that and so on, coupled with this terrible diet was an unhealthy woman in her late teens and 20s. Through my own journey of self discover (growing up) I have finally found at 29 the balance, the knowledge and the answers to my own nutritional needs.
Embarrassing for me, it was rather simple all along. Eating what nature intended, vegetable lots of green vegetables, organic produce, lean meats, eggs, making vegetable and fruit smoothies from home (no additives or hidden sugars), eating organic oats every day, reducing (but not eliminating diary) this all coupled with teaching myself alternative methods to cooking your favourite dishes in a really healthy and lets face it better way.
Don't get me wrong I still love the bread, I had it last week and for 2 days I felt off, tired, wanting sweets and wanting more bread. It made me think, do you have a food or food group that sets your cravings or blood sugars off? Can you identify it? Are you even aware that a certain food can do this to your body? Have a think this week about what you are eating, maybe record how you feel after you eat after all your meals and snacks, this could be the key indicator to what foods play havoc on your body. If you are someone who struggles with their weight or has hit a plateau or if you are someone who is training for a goal and is looking for optimum nutrition then this could be crucial to your success.
We will always want what we can't have but if that thing you want is essentially doing nothing for you then it might be time to cut it loose or in my case plug out the toaster and put the bread knife away!
