I’m always curious about people’s ‘why’. Why did they get into whatever it is that they are into? Sometimes the answers are fairly simple and obvious, and other times there is more beneath the surface. So in case anyone is wondering about my journey with health and nutrition specifically, I wanted to do a quick post about that, so here it is!
First of all, growing up I was never concerned about food or what I was eating. I ate what tasted good to me and avoided anything that I wasn’t crazy about (read, I ate alllllll the carbs and avoided veggies and most fruit like the plague). I was not concerned whatsoever with what I was putting in my body, and let’s be real, what child or teenager is? My favorite foods growing up were pasta dishes, and I remember always requesting Italian restaurants for that reason. My husband sometimes jokes about how drastically my taste preferences have changed since we started dating to now. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good pasta dish now and then, but if I go out to eat my vote now is typically sushi : )
I first started paying attention to what I was eating when I was pregnant with my first, and I took baby steps in trying to incorporate more fruits and some veggies. After he was born and was a few months old, I joined an online workout program and started working out to lose some of the baby weight. It took me a while to figure out that weight loss is more about what you’re eating and less about your exercise routine (ever heard the saying that it’s 80% nutrition and 20% exercise?) so I determinedly/begrudgingly started meal planning to go along with my new fitness routine. As time went on, the more I learned, the more interested I became in health and nutrition. During this time, some of my close friends completed various rounds of Whole30, and although that is something that I did not try because I was breastfeeding at the time, that was another thing that helped grow my interest in food: introduction to the idea of food sensitivities and awareness of how the things we eat influence how we feel.
It was also during this time that I realized I had spiraled into a sugar addiction. During pregnancy I never felt like I had those cravings for sweets, but postpartum/nursing? Oh boy. I jokingly referred to myself as the cookie monster, but it did unnerve me how much like a junkie I felt and how little self-control I had when it came to sweets. I remember I had to ask my husband to hide or throw away anything sweet in the house because I simply could not trust myself. I started doing some research on sugar, and was amazed at what I learned. Two resources that I found to be incredibly interesting and informative were the documentary called “That Sugar Film” and the book “Fat Chance: Beating the Odds against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease”. Seriously, if this topic interests you at all, I would highly recommend watching and reading these! To try to break the habit, my husband and I decided to complete a month of no added-sugar (this was back in 2017). Wow! It was incredibly eye-opening to realize how nearly all packaged food has sugar in it, and therefore how difficult it is to avoid–it’s insane! My mind was blown. This was a huge turning point for me, and from then on my main goal when it comes to nutrition has been to eat as little processed foods (specifically those with added sugar) and as much whole, real foods as possible. This does NOT mean that I am perfect, nor do I need to be. It is absolutely fine to indulge sometimes, and I think the 80/20 rule is so freeing for that specific reason (80% of the time aim to eat nutrition foods, 20% of the time treat yourself without guilt). But in terms of my philosophy or ideal approach to food, I think that’s the cornerstone: less processed food, more whole foods.
Fast forward to January 2020, I began having stomach issues. The first few times it happened I thought I had food poisoning or caught a stomach bug. I refer to them as “episodes” because they only occur a few times a month, and last for several hours but otherwise I feel perfectly fine. They always happen at night, usually waking me up initially with intense nausea sometime between midnight and 4am. It took several months to realize that it was probably NOT food poisoning or a stomach bug (unless I have the absolute worst luck in the world that it keeps happening to me month after month) so I finally went to see my doctor last summer. They initially thought it was an issue with my gallbladder but every test for that came back negative (blood test, ultrasound of gallbladder, HIDA scan). So I was referred to a GI doctor who ordered a CT scan of my abdomen and an upper endoscopy (scope). From the biopsies taken during the scope, they determined that I have EoE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis). My symptoms aren’t in line with the typical symptoms of EoE, nevertheless that is what they are thinking it is. EoE is a relatively “new” diagnosis, it’s an inflammatory condition in the esophagus, which is caused either by acid reflux or food sensitivities or both. Since receiving this diagnosis in the fall, I’ve been trying to figure out which is the root cause for me specifically, which has involved a combination of medication as well as eliminating food groups that typically can cause sensitivities including gluten, dairy, corn, and eggs. This experience has introduced me to the idea that certain foods have an inflammatory effect on our system, while others have anti-inflammatory properties. Finally, because those GI issues weren’t crazy enough, on top of it all, I had blood work done around the same time that revealed that my A1C level was considered borderline diabetic (!!!). I have to admit, I felt both defeated and honestly a little embarrassed. How is it possible for someone like me who typically watches what they eat have pre-diabetic levels?! The answer is, I do have a family history of diabetes, and I had slowly started using sweets at the end of the day as a reward for surviving another day of parenting and quarantine. Even though when the test was repeated in 3 months the level was within the normal range, this was another kick in the pants to make sure I’m eating well to try and avoid developing diabetes down the road.
Isn’t it crazy how your diet plays such a HUGE in role in so many aspects of your life? It truly is amazing to me. Sometimes eating well feels fun and easy, sometimes I do it begrudgingly, and other times I find myself falling back into old habits. However, like with most things in life, it’s an ever-evolving journey where no one is expected to get it right all of the time. We’re all learning as we go!