Chew: Real food

You can trust what I'm about to say. After all, I use to live inside the box -- the processed food box. Now, that I happily live outside of the box.  I can tell you the truth: Real food tastes better, is better for you, and it makes you feel satisfied sooner and longer.

Yesterday, I sat down to eat the gorgeous salad I made for myself: Baby spinach leaves topped with wheat berries, sliced red and orange peppers, feta cheese, and drizzled with a freshly made lemon vinaigrette. Yum! After about five good bites I was full. Probably because I had to actually chew. Raw spinach is roughage. Wheat berries are whole grains (the germ, bran, and endosperm) little chewy kernels that require you to really chew.  BTW, I'm in love with wheat berries.

When I use to eat boxed, processed food I could chow down and eat tons of that crap. Most of the time I would eat way more than the recommended serving. Yet, never feeling satisfied. I just ate and ate. The more I ate, the more crappy and sleepy I felt. At my heaviest -- 388 pounds I use to fall to sleep while driving. Ticking time bomb, for real. But, at the time I didn't realize what was happening. Now, I see that I was drugged from all the crappy processed food. The more I ate, the more I craved. I was trying to feed a hunger that I could never satisfy. It was a hard addiction to break, but I've successfully done it. I've changed my eating patterns, and I prepare and eat fresh whole food.

I love the way I feel. I never feel tired and crappy like when I gorged on boxed, processed food.  Food is suppose to fuel our bodies so that we have energy to perform not make us feel crappy and tired. And, we shouldn't have to eat large portions of food to reach satiety.

Though, I'm a journalist by trade right now I'm acting as a blogger. Sometimes I feel bad because I throw heavy issues out here and don't fully explore them. I hope I pique your interest enough where you want to seek more information.

Go forth, chew real food and seek more information. You'll see, I'm right.

Retrained Disciplined Brain

One of my favorite retrained breakfast creations
Photo by Brit Martin

My girlfriend called me yesterday -- get this because she needs help getting back on track with her healthy diet and exercise regimen.  Calling, me? Seriously, I love it. Anyhow, she's been so busy with work, hasn't had time to take care of herself, and she feels miserable.

There's nothing better than eating healthy wholesome food combined with exercise. You just feel good. So if you fall off even a little you begin to feel icky. As an obese miserable woman I ate so much crappy food with no movement. I felt like I was drugged all the time. I remember at one point I use to fall to sleep at the wheel while driving. Yes, scary I know. Oops, I'm way off of the subject I was addressing -- kinda. My point, I know first hand the way eating real food and exercise can improve your mood and the way you feel.

My advice to her: Schedule the time to plan, shop, and prepare her meals. Don't budge. It's a commitment. That way she has good real food that she can zap anytime and ready made snacks. Of course, I gave her some recipe ideas. Mostly all the meals I'm currently eating (very plant based diet). The further we got into the conversation the more silence there was. Finally, she said "This sounds so disciplined." I laughed.

Here's the thing. I've had to Retrain my Brain. All the foods that eat I enjoy. Believe me I do not compromise taste. I love food too much. I have found foods that I enjoy that happen to be good for me.

• Like my new friend wheat berries -- love those little nutty kernels. They are versatile. I can eat them with savory items or with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey. 
• Kale -- King of the greens. I sauté the greens, use them in soups, or make crunchy kale chips for a snack. 

I see it like this, if I'm using coconut milk then I don't compare it to the taste of cow's milk. I'm no longer drinking cow's milk for various reasons. They don't taste the same nor should they.

Disciplined? Okay, sure that's fair. I've made a commitment to myself. I'm in pursuit of health, wellness, and weight loss -- it's a holistic approach. I want to honor my body with good whole food, but still be able to enjoy the taste. I also realize that working out is only about 20 percent of the equation when it comes to weight loss. I know that what matters more is what I eat. It makes no sense to workout as hard as I've been if I'm not going to eat well. It's counterproductive.  So, I've retrained my brain and I'm disciplined.