What do you even eat?

I decided to start a blog about my healthy journey for many reasons.

1. It may help someone.
2. It may educate some people. 
3. It may supply some entertainment to some people's lives. 
4. Someone may have one of those, "OH MY GOSH! ME TOO!" moments while reading it. 
5. Some may find it as a tool of persuasion or that push that they need to finally DO IT.
6. It is something to keep me held accountable.

I have always been kind of a health fanatic as many of you know.  So this will not surprise you to find that I have recently gone gluten, dairy and soy free. I know I know.  I can see you rolling your eyes through the computer screen and thinking "It's all a fad!" Yes, it does seem that this kind of "gluten-free, "dairy-free" nutrition lifestyle seems to be the latest fad or trend these days. That is why I was hesitant to even try it.

Here is my story:
All throughout high school I had great skin. I still ate healthy, exercised regularly, etc. I did this all through college too. Though, I had a major running set-back in the past year. About a year ago I started to develop mild acne. The acne has never gotten very severe, but my skin has been unhealthy. I became frustrated as I went from face wash to face wash and became excrusiatingly frstrated when even prescribed face wash from my dermatologist wasn't working. I was also experiencing some other minor health issues at this time. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong that was causing this acne to stick around and these minor health issues (such as my sore knees/joints) to stick around as well! I barely ate any junk food, I NEVER drank soda or juice, I was exercising regularly, I was not stressed, so what was the catch? I did some research and found that gluten and dairy can cause a great deal of inflammation in the system and show through all of our organs - including the skin! When I read this, my heart began to beat fast and my palms got sweaty. I thought, "So you're telling me I have to give up my cheese? My homemade bread? My desserts?" WHAT?? So begins the journey. . .

I decided on October 29th to give up dairy and gluten until Thanksgiving to see if there was any improvement. There were many obstacles in the process that kept improvement from showing:

• SOY - Apparently soy also causes inflammating and is not good for your system in any way. So I cut that out of my diet a couple weeks in.
• COFFEE - Oh goodness. My precious coffee was no longer to be part of my life. Coffee causes a trigger in hormones (which lead to causes in acne). I cut that out of my diet as well. 
• Different face washes - I tried a couple different face washes throughout these weeks and I just couldn't figure out what was best for my face. I finally talked to a friend about this and she brought to my attention that maybe I should be using something more gentle. My diet was the cleanest it has ever been, so why would I need soap on my face? In fear that I might breakout like crazy without a soap to cleanse, I switched to a very gentle and natural cleanser. 

Now that we've covered all of the obstacles, let my tell you what I get to eat! Many people ask me, WHAT CAN YOU EVEN EAT? I eat healthy fats, animal protein and healthy carbs. I learned this from a nutritionist blog - http://www.dietitiancassie.com/blog/.

• WHAT? PFC - protein, fat, carb.
• WHEN? 5-6 times a day (three larger, two snackers)
• WHY? Protein helps build the muscle (which makes you leaner!). Fat helps keep your organs and your body healthy and fluid. Carbohydratess supply you with energy and lots of nutrients!

So what exactly do I eat?

• Protein: Eggs, organic beef, organic ham, tuna, sardines, salmon, grass fed chicken (organic because it doesn't have the added hormones that could also be messing  with my system). Nummmy!
• Fats: Almonds, walnuts, mayo, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil
• Carbs: VEGGIES, fruit once in a while, sweet potatoes, spinach. Fruit is once in a while. :)

Is it hard?

While I am at school it is completely fine. I do not even crave the crackers, pretzels, and desserts I used to!

But it is not all rainbows and unicorns, my dear friends. Here is a story that you will enjoy and that I am sure some of you will relate to. My first weekend home on this changed lifestyle was torture. I came home to my brother baking cookies, my mom making a creamy based soup. Both things that had dairy and gluten in them. I quietly found something else to eat and the day was fine. Day 2 there were a few more temptations and I was beginning to think, "Will I EVER be able to eat homemade foods again????!!!" I kept in mind that the way I eat is good for my body and it is doing me good! So I fought the temptation, again. The night before Thanksgiving was when I hit a breaking point. OH MY GOODNESS. I felt myself going crazy. I wanted to eat a whole row of pumpkin bars, sneak bites of stuffing (my favorite!), eat the soup that was leftover, etc. I hit a breaking point and began to cry. Yup. You know it - I cried over food. I was so sick of saying no to everything. I didn't feel normal. I wanted to eat like everyone else! My sister and mom reminded me, "But you feel so good!" I did, but I just wanted to be like everyone else and be able to eat those pumpkin bars and that steamy stuffing and those warm rolls. What had I gotten myself into? My mom, being the wise woman she is, said, "Megan, it is just food!" That night I fought back with words of, "MOM! BUT FOOD HELPS ME LIVE!" I was going crazy. I went to bed with great anxiety.

I awoke the next morning - on Thanksgiving - and was brought back to my senses. She is right. (Of course, my mom is always right.) It is JUST food. I have SO MUCH in life to be thankful for, and here I was complainging that I couldn't eat my temptation. There is so much more to life than food! I eat to live I do not LIVE to EAT! Silly me. So I picked myself back up and reminding myself of why I was doing this and how good it was for my body.

My goal is not to cause anyone shame for the way they eat. I just want to share with you this challenging, but rewarding journey I am on.

In the past month I have also started listening to "Dishing Up Nutrition" podcasts on iTunes. These ladies know their stuff! They are about healing people naturally. I know I know. I can see your eyes rolling AGAIN. But if you think about it, it makes sense! If I have digestive problems or acne, medication will fix it on the surface, but what CAUSES it? Now, of course we can't find out the cause of every little thing that happens in our body, but I want to be able to not have to use face wash all my life - I want to get down to the root of the problem for some minor health issues. I have learned SO MUCH about health and nutrition, it is unbelievable. At times I would even become overwhelmed with how much I was learning!

So now I am on this journey where I eat like our ancestors used to eat: PALEO style. Don't know what PALEO is? Here is a helpful website! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet. Gotta love Wikipedia. Basically this is a lifestyle where you do not eat gluten, refined sugars (still working on that part!), dairy, and you focus on eating mostly what can be grown or what is pasture raised.

This is not a fad that I'm just trying on for size! Eating this way has helped improve my health and my skin. I have become more lean, too! I also have become more healthy in my body image, too! i mean who can have a poor body image when they are eating this clean? It helps me feel more balanced and at peace with my weight. I also have become less exercise obsessed. I still exercise daily, but I am more yoga based rather than running based. I love to exercise, but I am not hard on myself if I miss a day or two.

So there it is. The description to the start of this journey. I do miss the cheesecake and the homemade rolls, but I do know that I am doing my body goodness. I am treating my body like God's temple.

Feel free to comment or ask questions!

Happy healthy living, everybody!