Yes, You Are What You Eat! …

So Take the Time to Think About the Quality of What You Consume

About ten years ago one of my student teachers, Johnny P, explained to me that our bodies regenerate new cells every seven years. He was emphasizing that through a shift in our diet we can radically heal, strengthen, and transform our bodies. In other words, it is all about how and what we choose to consume plus our lifestyle choices.

His words have resonated with me over the years. I did try to make slight changes while living in the ‘fast lane’ but I emphasize limited. Then I chose to retire early, freeing myself from the stresses of teaching. No longer could I rely on the excuse of stressful full-time work. The evolutionary commitment to improved eating, intermittent fasting, and reformed fitness routines began. As retirees, when living in Victoria, we signed on to a local food prep subscription, Local Urban, received nutritional coaching through our naturopath, eliminated a lot of carbohydrate-based snacks, limited our processed food purchases. Do I feel healthier? Yes. Was I capable of doing this when working full time? Yes, however, it would have been very challenging given the high-stress levels of teaching plus the tight scheduling.

This brings me to think about the families who are trying to cope with the work-life balance in today’s pivoting CoVid stressful world. We want to be healthy but sometimes it’s just easier to defer to quick food choices. In the short-term gain but unfortunately long-term pain. Yes, these ineffective, less than healthy choices will lead to inflammation in you and your children. Listen to Hether Crawford’s Ted Talk, a mother carrying deep worries about her children. (Yes, it is from 2014 but still applicable) Challenge yourself to think of food as a drug. Consider sugar and salt as two of the most addictive substances we consume. Ask yourself am I and my family food addicts? Where do I want to see the health of all our family members in seven years?

Change is possible. Is it easy when raising a family? No not at first, but with a bit of extra time spent on food planning, researching the abundance of nutritional meal guides, using food prep services, engaging the entire family in meal preparation, slowly but surely the entire family can support each other in making healthier choices. You don’t have to wait until retirement to shift your lifestyle from fast frenetic eating to slow purposeful savouring.