Confession: I Struggle With Food and Body Issues Too

I want to share something with you. I’ve really been feeling crappy about my body recently.

I know I am not supposed to say that, right? I’m supposed to have all my nutritional ducks in a row. I am supposed to be the one who has carved the nutritional way and am to lead by example, right? I’m supposed to walk my talk. I’m supposed to show through my food habits and corresponding physique that I have my nutrition under control and my body is to reflect this. To admit dietary or body challenges is like admitting to failure and could turn some folks away from me. I get that.

Here is how it started…

A few years ago, I was rocking out a Paleo diet. I felt great (for awhile), I loved my physique, and felt superb (and embarrassingly superior at times). After awhile, though, I noticed I was freezing all the time and edginess decorated itself around the corners of my day. And…I was uptight and just wanted to relax around food.

So, I tried something new…

I tried eating as I wanted to and fueling my body with more grains and carbs (based on Matt Stone’s Eat for Heat). I literally warmed up a bit, I softened in my interactions…but then I got sleepy, got sick more frequently, and more squishy than I had been in a long time.

Well…now what?

The past year has resulted in trying to find a balance between the more extreme Paleo diet and the swing to a carb-infused (easy) diet.

To go with the flow led to me feeling chill about food choices…but my body slowly declined into a constant bloated state with more digestive dysfunction than I had ever seen.

I know tons of dietary protocols that promise success with eliminating bloating, weight loss, energy enhancement, and optimal overall wellness.

But what is it that my body needs here and now?

What would feel inspiring to build my health and address my health issues rather than feel like a drudgery to address all that is wrong (a failure) in me?

I truly believe that change and transformation are powerful and sustainable when they are rooted in inspiration, love, and hope rather than guilt, hyper-motivation and self-will (which translates into self-hate and a battle against the self).

Why do I want to share this with you?

I want to be honest with you that even with the incredible love and passion I have for food, nutrition, and the body…that I, too, struggle on the journey. I never want to recommend a dietary protocol that I have not experienced first hand and my efforts to learn through experience have taught me that each dietary practice carries benefits along with challenges.

I’m sensitive to those challenges now and I take seriously the emotional impact and nuances that dietary protocols create for those with whom I work.

Right now I found something that excites me and feels doable. I’ve returned to the Body Ecology Diet which includes simple whole foods, includes a high concentration of veggies, and uses the practices of food combining to take the burden of digestion. I chose this to address my bloating in a gentle, supportive, nutritious way. Good news…it is working.

I am coupling this with what I call Rainbow Therapy. This is rooted in the Whole Detox by Dr. Deanna Minich. Minich works with foods according to the rainbow phytonutrients they carry (phytonutrients are expressed in the color the food exhibits). I am so drawn to the intensity of color in foods and using colorful foods in rotation when I eat (3 days of focusing on a color in food - red, then moving onto the next rainbow color – orange, and infusing my diet with those color-rich foods).

It has been fun (!) to have an abundance of red foods, drinks, and teas to address my root needs in my adrenals, bones, skin, muscle, blood, and my immune function. I’ve reveled in eating and drinking orange foods to support the flow of my life by supporting my ovaries, bladder, kidneys, and colon. Next week I will move onto yellow foods and drinks to support the fiery aspects of my body including my pancreas, gallbladder, and liver. And on it goes through the rainbow.

And so the journey continues…

Would you like to explore what specifically your body needs to address your particular health symptoms? Then you can contact me here.

Have you had struggles in your health journey and attempts to eat well? If so, I’d love to hear them below…